Isobella Jade writes Tyra Banks with a letter blog

In celebration of my modeling memoir Almost 5'4" hitting the bookstores in the NYC area now!! I wanted to share my Dear Tyra with you since the book is timely for cycle 13 of America’s Next Top Model:

I did send some of my press to her people, agent, publicist. And this is my letter and hopes for her up coming show.

Dear Tyra,
As the shortest working model in New York City I wanted to share some tips that might help your itty bitty hopefuls.

My first tip is to not judge how the girl walk. Don't kick a short girl off for how she walks. Pretty please. Only a small percent of models rock the runway and shorter girls really should focus on the areas of the modeling industry they can really get ahead, such as in print modeling, parts modeling, or modeling lifestyle products in commercials.

Knowing their facial expressions well can be a benefit, since a shorter girl can find opportunities modeling skincare, hair-care, and for beauty products.

Using their personality and creating a nice headshot or close up should be a goal of the models.

After you kick them off, the girls might leave the show feeling like "now what?" So I suggest that the girls create their own compcard after the show, strive to work with the photos they got from the show, (they get to keep those photos right?) and put together a nice submission package that can help them get in the door at an agency after the show.

Also there are way more print modeling agencies out there than fashion, so don't give up!

Many shorter models give up after a few submissions to agencies without a call back, but trying once is not enough to be a model. It took me years to work with the agencies I work with now and get great modeling jobs. These days modeling is not about someone discovering you, or thinking you can do it, it is about you discovering your self, and focusing on what you do have, and what you can offer the modeling business. The modeling business is really the advertising business for a shorter girl and she should learn how to model products, show she can actually model, and remember that ambition out weighs height and inches.

Isobella Jade