My insight on avoiding predators and modeling mistakes

Model Life, my graphic novel also shares the highs and lows of striving as a model. Model Life is now a mobile comics on iVerse's Comics + app download it and get a free excerpt on your iPhone and iPad

Hey Girls,

Today on FOX411’s Pop Tarts column, there is an article called Fashion Industry Full of Predators, Especially Behind the Lens, Models Say.  Within it, I shared some of my own insight on being taken advantage of, walking into the wrong places, being infront of the wrong camera lens, and my early modeling mistakes--you can also read more about my own not so glamorous early experiences and overcoming the odds in my modeling memoir Almost 5’4”.

I encourage you to read the article here: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2011/10/11/fashion-industry-full-predators-especially-behind-lens-models-say/

Thankfully I have overcome those not so glamorous moments and the sketchy encounters I have had with bad people as a younger model.

The truth of working and striving as a model, is it’s lonely. It’s all about managing yourself and knowing yourself, you need a strong confidence and deep self-love, because it’s an extremely competitive pursuit full of rejection,  it’s not as glamorous as it might seem. Being prepared for the unexpected is a good idea because it's likely you will run into a few jerks.

These days while working as a body part model (modeling my legs, behind, backside, hand, feet, or torso for a magazine, a product ad or a commercial)  showing my body is actually a constant part of booking work today. It comes with the territory for castings involving health, fitness and beauty and body related jobs, but no matter how well known the brand or magazines is, I always watch my back. I always try to get as much information about the brand, name of the company or photographer from the agent before a photo-shoot or before I attend a casting. With how many brands and products being launched today, I try to do my own research. The modeling agent might know the client well, but I don't. Castings for well known national brands have been in studios the warehouse areas of Long Island City, way out by the Brooklyn Navy Yard and I've booked jobs for catalogs in NJ and all around the NYC area, and I always go prepared with the details of the where, the who, the what ahead of time. It's best to be. I like to know where and what I am walking into. I do my own research and I encourage you to as well.

Remember castings are during the work hours. 9-6 p.m, and usually only mainly during the work week. A professional casting should take place in an office, a studio, a showroom, not in an apartment of an editor or photographer or the person casting the job.

Having confidence in yourself is hard to have even at any age and any profession. Unfortunately, modeling is an industry where girls get their career started at a young age. Yes, there are photographers and agents that take advantage of young models, luring them in with the success they could have if only they do this or touch that or degrade themselves. But not every agent or photographer is like this. I've worked with wonderful agents and photographers. Yes, there are numerous stories of very well-known photographers with world class reputations, which anyone can google and find out the names of. Are they really perverts, or are the girls just trying to make more of a name for themselves? Did they want to pose like that in the ad campaign or editorial or were they talked into it? What really goes on behind the scenes?

The brands and agents should share in the responsibility of finding out.

At castings you often don’t know what to expect until you get there, will you go in to the casting studio by your self or with a group of other models? Will they be wanting to see portfolios or just comp cards today? What does this casting involve? You should be told ahead of time what the casting involves by the agency/casting professional, and if the casting involves wearing a bikini or  the body, when you are there a female casting associate should also be in the room/studio. Most professional casting professionals know it's right to have a female also there during the casting. Usually at my casting there is a female casting assocate there as well, but I will admit, not every single time. Also you shouldn’t be walking into a casting without knowing what it's for and what it involves, so get that info before you show up!  You'll be more prepared and know if it's something you are comfortable with and you can research ahead of time.

If something at a casting or on the job is uncomfortable speak up or walk out, always think twice, go with your gut, and think about your future and goals, nothing is worth degrading yourself for. There is pressure to stay since you might worry it will ruin your reputation if you leave or speak up, but I think it’s important for young models to realize you don’t have to sleep your way there, you don’t have to be scammed, you don’t have to touch or be touched by someone to get ahead. But please speak up, tell someone if this happens to you. It is a choice to have a voice. You can also email me at petitepride@yahoo.com

Remember, there will be another opportunity that doesn't involve these unfortunate types of pressures. Don't think anything is the end-all and keep in mind, although there are some not so kind and wonderful people out there in this industry of selling a product, brand, magazine and image, there are great who are respectful, courteous and know the boundaries between what is appropriate and not.

I had a casting for a magazine for legs, feet and the butt and it involved being in a bathing suit, so I wore a simple bikini that still partly covered my butt. When I booked the job, and saw samples of what the goal of the shoot was, it involved a shot which showing more of my body than I had expected. On the table was a display of different underwear and it was best to put on the smallest underwear possible so that the straps of the underwear wouldn’t be noticed. If the environment wasn’t as professionalism as it was, a girl may have felt uncomfortable posing in a thong and sports bra like I did.

Always be aware of the environment and always expect the unexpected.

~Isobella

The Model Epidemic: Amateur modeling = regrets

I just need to put this out there, I share a lot of insight and advice on how to get an agency and the photos you need and I dedicate a lot of time to sharing ways to grab your bootstraps and make yourself a model and the work it takes, and something that has been on my mind is how the Internet-age has inspired girls to degrade themselves through these model-sites.

A girl also recently asked me if her comp card should have amateur photos or professional and another girl introduced herself to me over Twitter as an amatuer model. I told them both to NOT use the word Amateur, use aspiring, striving, but never amateur...amateur leads to amateur results and really, basically leaves you stuck in amateur-land. Amateur just sounds like something not to take serious, so don't work with amateurs and don't call your self one.

I don't care how tall you are, you don't have to settle for amateur, model-sites, or working with amateurs.

I was talking to a journalist today and I told her that there is a Model Epidemic going on, and I explained to her how the Internet-age has inspired and meant that any girl can show off photos on the Internet. And this has inspired many model sites and amateurs to be seen and mingle. I also mentioned Photo Prostitution, which is something I feel strongly about bringing up. On model-sites, model profile hosting sites girls of any age can post photos of themselves, it is free, easy, however it is not legit, respect, and it is amateur land. It is the underground modeling world, where a guy with a camera/ an amateur photographer, or even a pervert or not so kind person, can mingle with girls who want to be models.

I was once that girl. I wrote about it in my memoir and I launched this blog to give real advice about how to get ahead without the scams, jerks, and amateurs. The thing is the higher you aim the more you get, it is not just inspiration it is the truth. If you want more for yourself you have to work hard, if you are looking for the short cut you won’t find results. Showing off photos on the web, going to strangers apartments, traveling around to shoot for the heck of it, having a rate to shoot you in any way or form the person holding the camera wants, is not modeling. Not even close. It is Photo Prostitution. Hundreds, if not thousands of girls are flocking these model-sites and it is my mission to let you know you can do better for yourself. Being seen, being photographed doesn’t mean it will get you where you want to go. And this leads me to the fact that most of these girls on model-sites are under 5’5”. Petite, feeling too short for an agency and shooting all the wrong photos even if they have the will and potential to be serious.

Being realistically ambitious about your pursuits so important. So you might not rock the catwalk but modeling is more than being a hanger. Modeling is about modeling products and if you are shorter you have to see modeling as “modeling lifestyle products” and “print modeling.” Shorter girls need to work harder at producing professional quality photos that highlight what they have beyond height, because models are working of all heights but it is because they have quality photos, professional, and are working with legit print modeling agencies and talent agencies and are not banking on being discovered.

Which also brings me to the importance of having a comp card and not relying on the web. Ok so you want to model skincare, hair care, beauty, accessories, lingerie, and fitness, well show it on your comp card. Show what you can do, height isn't everything in modeling but you have to show that you have more to offer than inches on your card. Mail the card to the print modeling agencies. Yes you will need stamps and envelopes. This is the way to get with a legit modeling agency and get sent on legit castings and get legit bookings.
Of course it takes more work, and self investment than downloading a photo on a model site, ---a monkey could do that!

I am sick of the Internet-age being an excuse for scams and amateur ways that lead to regret, mistakes, and frustration. I think it also comes down the realization that it takes work to get ahead as a model and a girl who is shorter has to understand that, and be able to handle it.

A comp card will get you further than a model-site ever will.

A girl who is shorter yes will have to work harder, and strive more and put in a marketing mindset and she will have to be more hands on with her pursuits. It is not easy! It’s not. I am not going to say it is. It is hard! Very! But the rewards are greater when you have a plan, when you are not just messing around with what you want to do. If you want an agency and you are shorter you do have to do the work to get it, the before-the-agency-work. Get proper photos, professional, have a comp card and portfolio. At a casting no one will care about how many hits your model-site got today.

Legit agencies are out there but you have to seek it out and you have to seek them out with a proper modeling comp card. And it takes more than the Internet-age.
Which brings me to Why Are Models Needed?: A model is hired to model for something legit, a brand, an editorial in a magazine, a commercial,-just having your photo-taken doesn’t mean you are a model, or working as one.
I am 100% for self promotion but I am 100% against an amateur model-site to make you a model.

The thing is also, 99% of these people on model-sites with cameras are not serious about photography, have never shot for anything credible, do not have a professional photography business and do not know how to even use the camera. Why would you want to work with someone who isn’t serious or skilled if you are or want to be? It is called TFP which means time for print, but usually the girls end up getting photos that have nothing to do with legit modeling, with bad lighting, bad poses, and bad outfits and hair styling that is more about teasing the person holding the camera than producing something that is going to propel and help the girl actually get somewhere in modeling and really be a model.

If you want to strive to do a photography photo test then do it with someone who has a legit photography business, has lighting skills and understands the equipment.
Showing off your body on the Internet doesn’t mean you are a model. It means you are a girl showing off. That doesn’t typically lead to a print modeling agency wanting to work with you. The photos are typically all wrong when they are shots taken by someone who doesn’t understand photography for a print model.

Over all it takes the self esteem and confidence, the work ethic to really get ahead when you are shorter, but in general modeling is a tough business and it is about “modeling FOR something”…not for someone’s pleasure. I call this interaction when a girl puts her photo on the Internet- and a person with a camera pays her Photo Prostitution and I hope you aim higher and want more because I don’t care how tall or short you are…if you want more, there is more to get.


(Also remember what is downloaded on the web stays. Even if you delete it or think you did or asked someone to take a photo down, it can stay, the web doesn't forget and it stays.)

When you want to be a model, work as a model, call your self one, remember: " The first step is believing in your self, the second is being realistic and honest with yourself, the third is having the will to try and put yourself out there, in the right ways, with the right photos, to the right agencies, and expecting the journey of it, it is not an over night thing....remember the higher you aim the more you get. There is no point in being desperate to be seen, desired and wanted that you end up in amateur land.

Please think twice about these amteur model-sites,

- Isobella

My Take on Online Modeling Networks and why skipping is it best

A girl on Facebook asked me " Do you think these model networking sites are a beneficial?

My reply:

As an author and advocate I use blogs, social media, my podcast radio show to promote my advocating about modeling, and share advice on modeling. However I DO NOT use social media to market myself AS a model. I strongly am against these sites.

I use comp cards, headshots, and my agents for professional modeling opportunities. In my modeling memoir Almost 5’4” I share A LOT about social media because the book starts in 2001, when social media was just starting to be a word people use. I plug and share my experiences using model-sites at the start and the ugly that came from it. I do mention model-sites that I had joined at the very start of my pursuits, and they are not sites where professionals are.

Through my mistakes with online social model sites, I learned a new language but the language I soon found was amateur. Word like TFP, "Trade For Pictures" or also known as “Time for Print” which involved amateur photographers working with aspiring models. What I found was often I was A LOT more ambitious than the photographers and the photographers were not even serious or professional or knew how to hold the freakin’ camera anyways.

I suggest models skip the internet-age all together, I know it might seem obvious, “download your photo, work as a model”…but the majority of the stuff on those sites are scams, rip offs, perverts and jerks, and a waste of time. Look at who runs those sites.

Most model-sites are run by a total amateurs who can’t even take a good photo.
Others are run by an online web company which has nothing to do with the modeling business and no one who set it up and launched the site is a legit person in the advertising, publishing, magazine, or branding world.

(it also inspires me to ask, why is it we don't hear about model-sites in the news, or a great model coming from web or Entertaniment weekly, NY Times, WSJ, Glamour, Marie Claire, Vogue, featuring one? Because they are amateur.)

(Also how come a magazine does not advertise on the site or have an association?, because these model-sites are for amateurs, and professionals do not want to associate with that.)

When it comes to modeling pursuits. If a girl “really wants to model” and I mean “really” as in work with brands, magazines, and really market herself well, it takes time, it takes more than the ego boost, and it takes really carefully crafting professional photos that well market you to the right agencies and right jobs, and show your assets very well.

Many girls forget that a “smile shot”, and the 4 photos all aspiring shorter model needs are actually very, very simply to get.

1. A headshot, smiling
2. A facial shot, beauty shot
3. A full body catalog style smiling showing personality
4. Showing you modeling a product, it could be a handbag, a shoe, a watch, jewelry, but showing you know how to “model something”.

Here are some samples:







If you have these shots plus maybe a couple extras, you can start preparing a comp card and put the first images in your portfolio. You will “really” modeling for something; you will “really” be able to call yourself a model when you skip the internet. Skip relying on comments, hits, clicks, and working with amateurs,w hich is what happens on those sites. It is a website for those who are “having fun” with the word model and photographer. VERY few on those sites really do work with quality brands, magazines and are professional.

Even if it means you only do 3 photo shoots a year for a legit brand or magazine, and even if it means mailing your comp card by postal mail to 50 agencies and only hearing back from one, it is better than wasting your time with foolish amateur photographers and Social Networking sites. The words “social networking website, does not go with the word “model”.. Not in the “REAL modeling industry.”

SKIP IT. Make a comp card, and buy a booklet at Barnes and Noble called “The CALL SHEET” it is in the magazine section, under film and TV, it has a list of modeling agencies, casting directors and talent agencies, strive for legit and you will get it.

Isobella

A Warning for Craigslist Models

A friend of mine told me that her roommate was going to a modeling agency meeting through Craigslist.

Ohhh Jeez no.

Craigslist hasn't been totally terrible to me during my early pursuits. But it is not reliable.

Don't come to NYC thinking your going to be a famous model or actress just because you are on an online modeling community and can now put NYC as your location. Just downloading your photo and be a model isn't realistic! Please don't think just downloading your photos on a model website will make you a model. Don't think applying to an online ad that says Looking for models fora fashion agency will make you a model either. Those posts are crap. Beware. Legit modeling agencies do not hunt for talent on the internet. So if you do see a casting looking for models from an agency it is a scam. Don't fall for crap.