Discover Models Blog

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Imagine yourself as a skinny girl shopping at the local model and a modeling scout hands you her card. The next day your one of the richest models in the world walking the catwalks of Paris, New York and Milan and landing multimillion dollar cosmetic contracts. You meet a man at a party who looks oddly familiar and he introduces himself. He’s Leonardo DiCaprio. The next thing you know you are on a private jet to Tahiti with tons of international press.

That sort of thing happens, doesn’t it? It happened for Gisele Bundchen right?

Yes it did but it was a little harder than that. There are many steps to becoming a supermodel and it is definitely not for the faint of heart. For some, things happen very quickly and for some models it takes years.

The first requirement you must have is a dream. About two years back I was talking to a model named Melissa Baker outside my Hollywood studio. She had just got released from her agency in Los Angeles for not having the proper measurements. She was in tears and she said, “All I want is to be a model for Sports Illustrated.” Last year her dream came true and she was whisked away to the tropics and did a photoshoot for Sports Illustrated for famed fashion photographer Raphael Mazzuco. What did she do to get from where she was to where she wanted to be? She lost weight. She moved to New York. She got picked up by a major agency and landed the Sports Illustrated go-see.

Here are the top ten tips to becoming a supermodel. Keep in mind that these strategies are not for everyone. Good luck.

1. Stop eating and grow. To become a supermodel a girl should be at least 5’9″ barefoot, weigh approx 110 to 120 pounds. These measurements would give the model a body mass index of about 16 to 18. Richard Habberly, a top agent with Elite model management in New York City and represents Alessandra Ambrosio says, “Models starve themselves and we tell them to.”

2. Be photogenic. Very photogenic. When you first approach a modeling agency it is ok to have a snapshot taken of you without pics by a professional photographer to assess your potential. If your signed you had better photograph well and work with the best photographers you can. What are the advertisers, agents and photographers looking for? It changes year-to-year. Sometimes its blondes, some years heroin chic, some years athletic or Brazilian. There is no one specific look. Generally it is a “Je ne sais quoi.” A certain something special.

3. Get signed. If you want to be a supermodel you must have a super agent. Move to a big city (preferably New York or Paris) but it needs to be a major market. Get signed by an agency like IMG or Elite. If your interested in becoming a Victoria’s Secret model go with Ford or Elite.

4. Don’t be a party diva. It is important for a model to become a supermodel to be on time. Call times can be very early. If you are supposed to be in the makeup chair of a photographer at 7 a.m. and you are still in bed at 10 a.m. it can ruin your reputation very quickly. It’s ok to go out and have fun. It’s not ok to go out and have fun the night before a shoot. Your reputation will be ruined quickly. Keep in mind the client or photographer may be all smiles when you show up late but they do not forget and will tell your agent.

5. Befriend powerful people. It helps if your friends with fashion editors like Anna Wintour or famous fashion photographers like Stephen Meisel. Be on your best behaviour. You never know which photographer or assistant at a magazine is on the rise to becoming the next star.

6. Date celebrities. Gisele Bundchen landed Leonardo DiCaprio and then quarterback Tom Brady. Kate Moss started out with Johnny Depp years ago and now has an on again off again relationship with Pete Doherty a British rock and roll star.

7. Expand your brand. Heidi Klum designs jewelry for Mouaward. Gisele Bundchen licenses her name to a footwear line and is in talks with H&M about launching her own lingerie line. Kate Moss sells her clothes at Top Shop.

8. Don’t ever gain weight. Heidi Klum was the toast of Victoria’s Secret for walking down the runway only weeks after giving delivery to her new baby. Former model Tyra banks was harassed by the press for putting a few inches on her hips. If you are in front of the right agent, client, photographer and you have gained weight it may be hard to get in front of them again.

9. Get of your cell phone and listen. No one wants to work with a model that is constantly monitoring their phone and chatting away like they have somewhere more important to be. Focus on the task at hand.

10. Rinse. Repeat.

After reading our article on how to measure your correct bra size, Sue writes, “I have just been wearing the same bra size for like forever and when I go buy me a new one, the size don’t work. I have been wearing a 42DD, but when I measure I get 46 inches, then add the 4 inches and get 50. The upper band is 54 inch and subtract 50 and get 4, a DD, so what size am I? Can you please help me? I need the right bra.”

You are not alone with this dilemma. First of all, all the bra manufacturers are not consistent. Over time, the way suppliers have changed clothing sizes, they have also quietly changed bra sizes. I would, therefore, suggest that you put away your shyness and get measured by a lingerie expert. I would recommend a department store like Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, or Nordstrom (Victoria’s Secret sometimes has someone mature; but most of the time they will have teenagers who have no idea what they are doing, based on comments from our readers).

If you find bra selection in high end department stores too expensive, don’t buy there; just get yourself measured there, and try on a few bras. When you feel you have a pretty good idea of the size, buy just one bra that day. Wear it for a couple of days and make sure that you feel that it fits well. Only then buy more and even after that, get yourself measured once a year or so, or if you gain/lose a lot of weight.

With the widespread use of digital cameras, we are taking a lot of pictures. Of course, it is fine to take your pictures any way you want (after all, if they don’t look good, just delete them!), but for some situations you want to look your best (Model beauty secrets). For example, in your personal ad or when you post your pictures online for whatever reason. Below are some tips on how to pose for pictures and look beautiful in photos, (and if you take photos, send them to us – we may publish them on our website):
Stand up pretty. This means stand up straight but be natural, not military style. You can do this if you imagine that you are hanging from a cord on the very top of your head. Therefore, your neck is elongated and your ears and shoulders are separated from each other. Tuck in your tummy.
The shoulders are slightly arched back so your breasts look perky.

Put one leg in front of the other. That is how Eva Longoria and Halle Berry do it. This way they look longer. The knees should be a little bent, but do not lock your knees. This not only damages them but also looks bad. Your feet should be pointing to the front.

Rotate your shoulders 3/4 to the front. This will make you and your waist look thinner.

Lower your chin slightly. See Oreke Mosheshe.

Look directly in the lens of the camera. Flirt with the camera. Imagine that the camera is your boyfriend
Let your hands be free. Try not to pose with your purse or glasses in your hands. That way the attention will be on you, not on the object that you are carrying. (Related: How to take care of your hands)

Practice. The Hollywood divas were not born like that; they all learned it and continue to refine their skills through practice and lessons. You can have your own photo shoot by asking a friend or family members to take your pictures and give you feedback.

You have seen them thousands of times, in magazines, newspapers, on billboards, posters and even on packages in grocery stores. These commercial models entice you to buy everything from food to shampoo, jeans to health insurance. When most people think of modeling, they only think of fashion models – those tall, thin, glamorous men and women who appear in ads for designer clothes. But you don’t need to look like Kate Moss, Cindy Crawford, or Joel West to succeed as a model. Commercial models come in all shapes, sizes and ages. Some commercial models are gorgeous woman/ handsome men, and beautiful children, and many successful commercial models look just like everyday people. The individual who has the greatest chance of being chosen to appear in an ad is the one who can believably look like a mom, doctor, business person, plumber, student, grandparent, teacher, dad, etc. The best part about commercial modeling is that it is not necessary to have that “perfect” look in order to be successful.

While auditioning for a TV commercial there are a few things the actor can do to help bring the audience into the actor’s world. Understanding the character is crucial. For any type of acting work, whether it is Shakespeare or a television commercial, one must be able to answer the 5 W’s – Who, What, Where, When and Why. Who are you, What is going on in the scene, Where is it taking place, When is it happening, and Why are you saying the words.

It is also necessary to create the environment during the audition, so that the audience believes you. When talking to someone in the scene, find that person in the room, and talk to that character. If you just randomly look around the room while reading to one character, then your audition will not be believable.

Wearing the right wardrobe to the television commercial is also very important. It not only makes it easier for the actor to connect with the character, but also for the casting director (and all of those involved in casting the TV commercial)to believe you are the character. You do have to be a little careful with wardrobe. Some casting directors (especially in large markets) will be insulted if you walk into an audition wearing scrubs, a stethoscope around your neck and paper booties on your feet when reading for the role of a doctor. Casting directors know what doctors look like, and will just want to see you act. Having said that, I would at least wear a suit and not flip flops and a T-shirt when reading for a professional role.

Understanding the time of day the scene is taking place will greatly affect the way you talk. If the scene is happening outside, then your voice will have to be loud enough to carry over the noise. If things are happening at 3:00AM in your bedroom, your tone will be much different.

It is the actors’ job to create the character. Never ask a casting director what they are looking for. That is our job.

If there are any words you don’t understand and can’t pronounce, always ask. This is especially true if the word you are not sure about is the product in the TV commercial. If you are reading with another character and you don’t know what your relationship is with the other person, then you need to ask the casting director. Your read will change drastically if you are reading with your sister, mom, girlfriend or a stranger.

For television commercials, I try and memorize the first and last line and read them straight into the lens of the camera. This would not be true for film or TV episodic auditions.

The most important objective for the actor during the audition and on the job, is to make the words sound conversational. That is what actors do. We talk and listen to each other, like in real life.