Being "The Face"

Come on, Vogue

By Morayo Bakare

Being the face of a fashion or cosmetic brand can be launching pad for a very successful modelling career. When a company signs a model to do an endorsement, it’s about more than her looks; it’s how she will affect the bottom line. An endorsement means that a model’s image is pleasing to people and that she or he has what it takes to be the face and voice of a major corporation, or, in other words, become a spokesmodel. The company communicates its message to the public by showing the models’ images. They have the power to affect the value of the company’s stock on the stock markets, and that can garner in millions of dollars.

Advertisements are the most common way a model can be displayed to consumers. Working in ads can take a model’s career into the realm of being a viable, marketable product. One’s career will have longevity because clients will realize the model is not just a temporary fascination, but instead a constant and popular figure with an influential look. Ads allow models to work with a variety of clients.

Advertising jobs, like all modelling jobs, start with a Go and See session set up by the modelling agency. The model is informed of the terms of the contract which usually include the specific amount of the time the ad will run (three months is common) and in what format. If the client wants to use the ad for a longer period of time or in any other format, an additional fee is paid. Models are rarely booked to appear in ads for more than one company that makes the same type of product because it’s seen as a conflict of interest. It is, however, possible to do advertisements for different products, even if they’re running simultaneously. If the model is booked for an ad, the client calls the agency and the terms of the contract are again discussed.

To maintain the lucrative title as being the face of a company, models scrutinize over their looks constantly. The pressure for models to keep their sizes down as low as possible is well-known. Fashion models often appear unhealthily thin, yet super-skinny models are in high demand constantly. Not only is maintaining an unhealthy weight an ever-present issue in the modelling world, keeping a youthful look is no simple task either. Many women and men in modelling undergo expensive and potentially dangerous cosmetic procedures to alter their looks so they can remain competitive and desirable and keep their position as the face of a luxurious company.