I wish that I could just catch the attention of those individuals
entering the modeling industry for just enough time to slow them down -
kind of like what the yellow traffic light signals are supposed to
mean. How many of us speed up when we see a yellow traffic light? I've
done that before. Was I wrong? Maybe not. Was that smart? Probably not.
That's hindsight, I guess, but we're all guilty of looking back on things that maybe we could have handled differently. Models are faced with scenarios that will test their endurance and making the choices that are right for them. Sometimes there is a fine line when anyone is offered something that is very, very appealing whether they deeply consider the offer.
I once had a man tell me that 'pretty girls are a dime a dozen'. I guess that I knew the context of what he meant from the conversation we were having, although I didn't agree with how he said it. The idea of pretty women being belittled as 'a dime a dozen' was just a bit annoying to me. Oddly, in his own way, he was trying to give me a compliment that I was flying under the radar as not to be a threat to neither men nor women. He told me that I looked like someone who could make "something happen". I was working within the modeling industry, but he implied that I was 'with the program'. Huh??
Before I ever opened a modeling agency as my first business, I never even thought of running a modeling agency or even starting my own business. He and some other men that I'll just refer to as "the players" approached me with an offer. They offered me significant amounts of money to open and operate a modeling agency with them. Honestly, at first I was flattered that someone wanted to "invest in me" when I wasn't even considering that type of responsibility. I experienced some curious thoughts, though, after my previous years learning about the industry.
From gaining some previous life experience, my intuition started to become my own "devil's advocate", and I thought to myself, "YELLOW LIGHT! SLOW DOWN!".
Why the heck did these men want ME to operate their modeling agency? I used that "Yellow Traffic Light" technique and it actually slowed down the process for enough time to see that this sounded TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.
I made inquiries and they ended up wanting to use this "agency" as a front to meet women and put themselves in a position where they would be in charge of hiring them. With an increase in human trafficking on the rise, there are too many cracks for models and young women to fall victim to. Huge drug scene, too, from what I heard. Those so-called "worldly" men were in their own 'a dime a dozen' place, too - one shady, common place that does exist wherever the models are.
Yes, the money sounded tempting before I realized their intentions, but what I always try to remember to do before making any questionable decisions in my life was saying to myself, "If my mother, father, sister, brothers, nephews, grandmother, etc. knew I was doing this - how would they feel and how would that make me feel?" At different stages of your life even your own values may change how you look at certain things. You, being a model or not, will face your own situations where you will have to rely on your own principles.
Accountability and one's conscience are sometimes put on hold when opportunities of money, fame, prestige, etc. are dangled in their face. I stuck to my own version of principles regarding what I thought was fair, legal, and ethical. I admit that after I was approached to front such a corrupt business venture that the goal for representing models legitimately was like a seed planted in my brain. The opportunity came up again for me to open up a new modeling agency, but this time I chose to assume 100% investment. If I was to own the agency - I would take responsibility. I would oversee and try to protect the models from the people that just wanted to use models as their dating service for their party scene.
My idealistic intention was to be the "Yellow Light" for the models that could slow them down enough to stay away from scams and people without integrity. I had intentions of operating my business as an agency, earn my appropriate commissions by finding jobs for models and finding models for clients. Some agencies make more money from "modeling classes" (model's cost) than they do off of their commissions. Accepting kick-backs from using only one "agency" photographer for "required testing" is not a fair business practice for the models. Therefore, making money from a model only when it was a commission where I had provided them with a modeling job (or incurred, normal business expenses) gave me satisfaction that I was doing my best.
Of course, some other industry people didn't like my lack of not playing along because they were just so used to it being one way. I was quite intimidated from time to time when they'd be tossing around the extra money and other facts about the business that I needed to learn. It was no wonder that I got so physically ill trying to swim with those sharks!
Let me just say that I kept up my end of the bargain, but the things that I learned from all of those other external forces that deal with modeling agencies is WHY I left that business and will not go back as an agent ever again. Consulting? Yes. Scouting Models? Yes. Sharing educational or informative topics? Yes. Swimming with corrupt sharks in the Commercial, Promotional, and Fashion Industry? No freakin' way. I am not even slightly tempted.
For the people who do it, I applaud your endurance, but I suspect your priorities are just different as agents, bookers, clients, photographers, designers, etc. On a personal note, if you treat models like replaceable objects vs. with respectful statements, you are really forgetting your manners. Help them out. You might even feel good. You can also be honest without cutting models verbally apart. If there's nothing good to say... don't make it worse.
The positive side is that I learned a lot from that incredible experience and I can support (not sugar coat) other people who feel that they are facing this industry alone. I'm not writing this to scare off models from entering the industry, but it's an element of warning them to be aware of people's intentions in this industry. Just because the end result of a booking can be "your picture" in print, it's not all about you... by any means. There are artistic and positive times within a model's career, but the negative aspects can't be denied. You can be in - You can be out. You can make a lot of money - you may invest money into your modeling career and never earn it back (or even break even). You can be put on a pedestal - you may just be swept under the rug like a piece of dirt. It is an occasional, part-time, or full-time career unlike any other, so emphasize your skills, learn what's expected, and do your best that you can do, but try not to take everything personally.
Chances are that your career will be the best of what you make of it. If you look at it as a business-person you are more likely to let it be a positive experience. I hope that you use any future good fortune and experience and someday pass it forward to help others. Remember... when situations just don't feel right, use your intuition to "slow down" and make choices that are SAFE and ethical for your lifestyle.
That's hindsight, I guess, but we're all guilty of looking back on things that maybe we could have handled differently. Models are faced with scenarios that will test their endurance and making the choices that are right for them. Sometimes there is a fine line when anyone is offered something that is very, very appealing whether they deeply consider the offer.
I once had a man tell me that 'pretty girls are a dime a dozen'. I guess that I knew the context of what he meant from the conversation we were having, although I didn't agree with how he said it. The idea of pretty women being belittled as 'a dime a dozen' was just a bit annoying to me. Oddly, in his own way, he was trying to give me a compliment that I was flying under the radar as not to be a threat to neither men nor women. He told me that I looked like someone who could make "something happen". I was working within the modeling industry, but he implied that I was 'with the program'. Huh??
Before I ever opened a modeling agency as my first business, I never even thought of running a modeling agency or even starting my own business. He and some other men that I'll just refer to as "the players" approached me with an offer. They offered me significant amounts of money to open and operate a modeling agency with them. Honestly, at first I was flattered that someone wanted to "invest in me" when I wasn't even considering that type of responsibility. I experienced some curious thoughts, though, after my previous years learning about the industry.
From gaining some previous life experience, my intuition started to become my own "devil's advocate", and I thought to myself, "YELLOW LIGHT! SLOW DOWN!".
Why the heck did these men want ME to operate their modeling agency? I used that "Yellow Traffic Light" technique and it actually slowed down the process for enough time to see that this sounded TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.
I made inquiries and they ended up wanting to use this "agency" as a front to meet women and put themselves in a position where they would be in charge of hiring them. With an increase in human trafficking on the rise, there are too many cracks for models and young women to fall victim to. Huge drug scene, too, from what I heard. Those so-called "worldly" men were in their own 'a dime a dozen' place, too - one shady, common place that does exist wherever the models are.
Yes, the money sounded tempting before I realized their intentions, but what I always try to remember to do before making any questionable decisions in my life was saying to myself, "If my mother, father, sister, brothers, nephews, grandmother, etc. knew I was doing this - how would they feel and how would that make me feel?" At different stages of your life even your own values may change how you look at certain things. You, being a model or not, will face your own situations where you will have to rely on your own principles.
Accountability and one's conscience are sometimes put on hold when opportunities of money, fame, prestige, etc. are dangled in their face. I stuck to my own version of principles regarding what I thought was fair, legal, and ethical. I admit that after I was approached to front such a corrupt business venture that the goal for representing models legitimately was like a seed planted in my brain. The opportunity came up again for me to open up a new modeling agency, but this time I chose to assume 100% investment. If I was to own the agency - I would take responsibility. I would oversee and try to protect the models from the people that just wanted to use models as their dating service for their party scene.
My idealistic intention was to be the "Yellow Light" for the models that could slow them down enough to stay away from scams and people without integrity. I had intentions of operating my business as an agency, earn my appropriate commissions by finding jobs for models and finding models for clients. Some agencies make more money from "modeling classes" (model's cost) than they do off of their commissions. Accepting kick-backs from using only one "agency" photographer for "required testing" is not a fair business practice for the models. Therefore, making money from a model only when it was a commission where I had provided them with a modeling job (or incurred, normal business expenses) gave me satisfaction that I was doing my best.
Of course, some other industry people didn't like my lack of not playing along because they were just so used to it being one way. I was quite intimidated from time to time when they'd be tossing around the extra money and other facts about the business that I needed to learn. It was no wonder that I got so physically ill trying to swim with those sharks!
Let me just say that I kept up my end of the bargain, but the things that I learned from all of those other external forces that deal with modeling agencies is WHY I left that business and will not go back as an agent ever again. Consulting? Yes. Scouting Models? Yes. Sharing educational or informative topics? Yes. Swimming with corrupt sharks in the Commercial, Promotional, and Fashion Industry? No freakin' way. I am not even slightly tempted.
For the people who do it, I applaud your endurance, but I suspect your priorities are just different as agents, bookers, clients, photographers, designers, etc. On a personal note, if you treat models like replaceable objects vs. with respectful statements, you are really forgetting your manners. Help them out. You might even feel good. You can also be honest without cutting models verbally apart. If there's nothing good to say... don't make it worse.
The positive side is that I learned a lot from that incredible experience and I can support (not sugar coat) other people who feel that they are facing this industry alone. I'm not writing this to scare off models from entering the industry, but it's an element of warning them to be aware of people's intentions in this industry. Just because the end result of a booking can be "your picture" in print, it's not all about you... by any means. There are artistic and positive times within a model's career, but the negative aspects can't be denied. You can be in - You can be out. You can make a lot of money - you may invest money into your modeling career and never earn it back (or even break even). You can be put on a pedestal - you may just be swept under the rug like a piece of dirt. It is an occasional, part-time, or full-time career unlike any other, so emphasize your skills, learn what's expected, and do your best that you can do, but try not to take everything personally.
Chances are that your career will be the best of what you make of it. If you look at it as a business-person you are more likely to let it be a positive experience. I hope that you use any future good fortune and experience and someday pass it forward to help others. Remember... when situations just don't feel right, use your intuition to "slow down" and make choices that are SAFE and ethical for your lifestyle.
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