I’m sure majority of our parents have told us that modeling is not a proper career to pursue in or a good path to take at least once in our lifetime. The reasons behind them were probably “You will have to wear really revealing clothes in front of many men”, “modeling will influence you to conduct bad activities like smoking or taking drugs”, ” some rich well-known man will pay you to sleep with him” and many more. But then you see models like Tyra Banks, Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner and many more doing so well in the fashion industry, they all seemed so content with their luxurious life. You can’t seem to decide which is true and false. And as an aspiring model who’s a degree or PHD holder, unsure if you would really want to break into the modeling industry, risking yourselves being involved in activities you did not sign up for or just play safe and pursue your career in a more safe and stable line like a Physiotherapist or PR practitioner or something else. So is modeling a proper career to pursue?
Modeling as a career has its pros and cons. It’s a vast industry that many are dying to get in but only a few can make it on top. It is an industry that’s always surrounded by cameras, well-known people, media and more. Thus whatever you do it is being under surveillance by everyone. Many are willing to sacrifice to get this kind of attention and life, some would even cross their personal boundaries in hopes that some agency would notice them. However, the modeling life is of course glamorous too. You get to travel the world, wear designers’ clothes, meet superstars, maybe even lucky enough you might have one or two flings with them, get expensive makeover that no one else can have except for you, get exclusive access to many places without the need to queue up, earn big bucks and more. While there are numerous great things of being a model there is likewise a dull underside that everybody ought to know about before transferring ownership of their life to the trend setting world.
PROS
- If you’re blessed enough to be scouted by one of the top agencies, guarantee your bank accounts will be flooded with large sum of money. If it’s a small agency but a legit one, you still get your paychecks that can cover your bills and keep you more than alive.
- You get to see the world for free! Yeah, you can definitely cross out all the places in that travel bucket list of yours before you die
- Free branded stuff! Clothes, bags, shoes, you name it. Generous designers would give you one or two of their creations to you as a token of generosity or gratitude. And that’s only if they really like you. But of course sometimes they’re for advertising purposes as well.
- Boost your confidence. Trust me, the more shows you book, the higher your confidence will shoot.
- The fame factor. Definitely you’re going to be more reputable than being an ordinary person. Your Instagram and Twitter followers are going to increase, designers and editors are going to observe and remember you. Also, if you really hit the top of your game artists, actors, renowned people are going to contact you and maybe you might be involve in some flings.
CONS
- Models don’t earn a stable income. The paychecks only come in when you do projects. Thus, if you don’t book any shows or projects there won’t be income for you. But if you do, is sufficient enough to sustain you a month or more.
- Models do not receive healthcare benefits and holiday leaves either. Unlike office jobs whenever you need to go for a holiday, you just apply leave and go or some companies do pay for their employees’ medical expenses.
- Dubious modeling agencies. There are many agencies who are out there to suck up every single dollar from gullible aspiring models’ pocket. They won’t give you your portfolio nor market you to potential clients. They will leave you there with nothing but false hopes of achieving your dreams.
- Black market. Some con artist will con you into doing ‘modeling’. Beware of those as they might be sex traffickers trying to get you into the realm of black market.
- Witness drug usage backstage or in the hotel rooms by models, so they could remain skinny or stay awake during shoots
- Witness models who is dealing with eating disorders all in the name of beauty. Also, you will find many models who deal with emotional distress and insecurities in the industry. In your mind you’d probably think ‘how can a model deal with insecurities?’, you’d will be surprise.
Here you have it, the pros and cons of the modeling industry. To many models, modeling is like a part-time job or something to do when they have the time whilst they continue to study or work somewhere else. It is a quite a reliable platform for them to earn some side income to support them. Only 1:10 models will do well enough to commit themselves as a full-time model like what we usually see on screen. Even Karlie Kloss was studying coding while being active in the modeling industry. Now she’s not just a supermodel but also an avid programmer who does many social works to inspire more women to take up coding. Many models would tell you that modeling is a proper job but not something you would want to pursue as a career.
