Are you interested in becoming a model? This career has a reputation for being highly competitive, but it can also be very rewarding as long as you are committed and hard-working. The path to success requires more than good looks and talent.

Modeling is a multi-faceted profession, which means you’ll need to have a wide range of skills to distinguish yourself from your competitors and make a memorable impression. You’ll need to stay in good shape and remain professional even after being on your feet for hours. Confidence will help you deal with rejection and criticism, and you’ll definitely want to improve your communication skills so you can make yourself heard and build a network to reach your goals.

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Know Your Market

 It makes sense that the first step to becoming successful is learning as much as possible about the industry and your market. What does this mean? For example, depending on what area you live in, some looks will be in higher demand than others. Agencies from suburban regions will prefer a more natural look, while big cities look for that ultra-sexy, sleek look.

Then you have to keep in mind what kind of casting you’re going to. The demands for print, such as magazines or store sales papers, will be different from the ones for fashion shows. You’ll want to do your research and look for areas and niches where you have the highest chances of getting jobs and building up your portfolio.

Show Professionalism

Many new models make the mistake of thinking that if they have a unique look that’s sought after at that moment they don’t have to put in much effort. You need to remember that you’ll be working with other people and if you make their jobs difficult they’ll choose someone else. Someone that isn’t late for meetings, casting calls or photoshoots. Nobody wants to work with difficult people, so if they can help it, they’ll try to avoid you.

You need to be very careful who you offend. Let’s say you think the make-up artist could have done a better job. Well, he or she followed their directives, and you’re not the person in charge of assessing their results. It’s better not to express any negative opinions in such areas because you don’t know when you’ll be meeting them again and who they’re friends with.

A reputation of being respectful and easy to get along with will take you far in the modeling industry.

Good Communication Skills

So many people have a phobia of public speaking because putting yourself out there means anyone who is watching or listening can judge you. That can be very scary.

It’s true that there’s no public speaking involved in walking on the runways or having a photographer take pictures of you, but you’re still putting yourself out there, and good communication skills will help you make the most of it.

The way you talk and present yourself will have a strong impact on how you’re remembered. For big fashion shows, models are also asked to give interviews and participate in advertisement campaigns. If you’re not a native English speaker and your accent is not easy to understand, you could try speech therapy. If you travel a lot, you don’t have to worry. You can find speech therapists that offer online sessions. You’ll be fast-forwarding your career.

Another reason why you should focus on improving your communication skills is that it can increase your income through social media. Nowadays, models are often asked to share their thoughts on beauty products, trends, styles, news from the fashion industry, etc. With the right amount of followers, you can get very lucrative endorsement deals.

Take Care of Your Physical Appearance

This should go without saying, but modeling is an aesthetically-driven profession, so your appearance is very important. Luckily, there are a lot of niches, so you don’t have to fit a rigid standard, you can find what works best for you.

Having said that, you’ll still want to follow a beauty regimen to maintain your looks, regardless of what niche you’ve chosen. Most models keep alcohol intake at a minimum and drink a lot of water to keep their skin looking smooth and supple. They work out a few times per week, usually following the advice of a personal trainer. They have a meal plan and take additional vitamins. You need to be careful with your skin and hair. Most casting calls require you to show up without make-up and with natural hair. So, unlike most other women, you can’t count on beauty products to look your best.

You should also stay away from fake tans, fake lashes, gel nails, and hair extensions. They generally don’t want to wonder what you look like without these artifices. They want to be able to easily tell if your appearance goes with what they need.  

Just make sure you look well-groomed. You can get manicures and pedicures, but keep it subtle and take care of your teeth (smoking might be a problem).

Confidence

It’s a little strange that we’re bringing up confidence after describing all the things you need to do and be, but that’s the nature of this job. You’ll have to handle a lot of criticism and rejection. Sometimes for the wrong reasons. Everyone has an opinion. It doesn’t mean they’re right, and you’ll see that you’ll get a lot of contradictory feedback.

You should consider whatever advice you get and try to learn from it, but don’t base your self-worth on their opinions. The sooner you get adjusted to this mindset, the better off you’ll be. When you start doubting yourself and wondering if you’re attractive enough, if you’re charismatic enough, if you’re strong enough etc. you’ll have a much harder time staying focused on your goals.

All the top models have had doors shut in their faces. They’ve had to listen to unwarranted criticism and make adjustments where possible. It just comes with the territory, and it’s doesn’t mean you lack what it takes. Quite the opposite, there will be times when you’re asked to make adjustments that are not to your benefit, and then you’ll need to have the confidence to refuse.

We recommend you take acting or improv comedy classes on the side. It will be a completely different environment, where you’re encouraged to feel free and go with your impulses despite anyone watching. This will give you an escape when you need it, will help you be more expressive during photo shoots, and boost your confidence level.  

Cynthia Madison

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