Being Prepared to Model
What do you picture when you hear the word model? You think of maybe tall, skinny, and pretty, right? Do you know the real definition of a model? In the dictionary, a model means a person who sets a good example. To young people, it’s someone to look up to. They give people inspiration and their own creativity.
Barbizon Modeling Schools were originally established in New York City in 1939. Barbizon Schooling was created by Helen Fraiser, who was a modeling teacher. Almost over 70 years, Barbizon has been beneficial to girls all over the United States. Even the girls who has graduated Barbizon but their career isn’t modeling or acting, still have benefitted from the experience.
There’s more to being a model than you think. I’m here to give you some information about modeling, acting, or being prepared for a job. In September I went through an interview with a Barbizon Agent. They only asked a few questions, like how much experience do I have with modeling or acting. Of course I had no experience at all! So they gave me a call to tell me if I had made it or not. Well obviously, I made it!
On October 12, 2013 at 1:30 p.m., I was a little nervous. There were girls I didn’t know, and parents weren’t allowed in the rooms we were taught in. I had no idea what I was getting in to. They taught us then made us do it in front of the entire class. After a few months of getting to know the other girls and my instructor, I was feeling a lot more comfortable. They were just as weird and unique as me!
We first learned the half-turn, double half-turn and 4 model stances. The half-turn is you step, place, turn. The double half-turn is performed in the middle of the runway and you step, place turn, step, place, turn. The...
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...e did a pageant and got evaluated on our monologue. I didn’t do as well as I should have. I did get certificates for having perfect attendance, completion of the course, and miss congeniality. I am very proud of myself for participating and gaining knowledge on modeling, acting, and daily events. Even though I may have already known some things like applying makeup or tweeze (not pluck) my eyebrows, I learned a lot. I feel as if I practice almost every day, about what I’ve been taught, I definitely can model or act. My benefit is my confidence is high and my posture is more correct. I am happier with myself without worrying about people judging me. I definitely recommend this program to girls who are not taught how to apply make-up or have very low self-confidence. It may be difficult for them at first but I know they will change and have confidence in their selves.
Throughout time, bright designers, world-known magazines and famous models, where few are only African-Americans, had represented fashion. The fashion industry is one of the most demanding industries ever created. On one hand, designers have to be unique, professionals, consistent and most important, famous, to keep up with the industry. On the other hand, models have to be beautiful, with unique personalities, and most important, skinny. Before the Civil Right Movement, white Americans models and designers represented the fashion industry until famous models such as Naomi Campbell, and Iman Abdulmajid entered the industry. They were the most influential models in the 1980’s and 1990’s with their personal contribution on the industry. Beauty did not only brought goods and happiness; it also brought controversy and discrimination.
While most women perceive models as having perfect bodies, that is not always the case. Generally speaking, most of the health issues associated with fashion are emphasized on weight. Most models, if not all, are
Being part of the modeling industry can be a dangerous decision. The modeling industry doesn’t use the power they have in order to make sure the models are in a healthy state. If the modeling industry doesn’t put any rules on how thin models should be then they’re putting many of their models at risk of tragic consequences. Many of these tragic consequences are eating disorders such as bulimia that can possibly lead to death. Not only is this affecting the models it’s also affecting the mentality of the women or men that look up to these models. I think that having certain regulations on how thin a model should be is vital for the health of the model and other people that the models inspire.
At the Miss California, USA seminar we were directed in how to apply makeup the correct way for stage lighting and also we had a number of evening gowns modeled so that we could know what is acceptable. We also had numerous swimsuits modeled for us by other delegates who I will be competing with. The person in charge of the USA pageant organization is Carolee Munger from San Luis Obispo, CA. She taught us how to present ourselves in the presence of our judges and also how to reach for our highest goals. The seminar was eight and a half hours long. It included learning, speaking skills, self confidence, and personal rights as an individual. We also had the privilege of listening to a well known psychologist speak to us about pageantry and how important it is know yourself and the goals you would like to achieve in life. Questions such as, "Where do you see yourself in five years?" have definitely given a new thought to what I would like to do for the rest of my life. I learned how to act self confident even in situations where you don't feel comfortable. I also learned that knowing how to make a grand entrance instead of a grand exit will give you a special presence.
Modeling has been an ideal for both men and women; it’s given us a standard of beauty that can cause both aspiration and jealousy. Over the decades, the once high standards that were given to models to provide both ambition and longevity has now slackened. Models are much more “plump” as society has adapted to a more dormant lifestyle; appealing to the everyday average man/woman.
As a whole, I think that my partner was comfortable talking to me, just as I was comfortable talking to her. While the whole process was slightly awkward for everyone, I think that she felt comfortable opening up to me. I think that a lot of that comfort came from the knowledge that everyone in the class was going to have to do the same thing. In addition, her comfort level likely stemmed from the fact that she knew I would be in the same position after her. I think that it also helped because her topic of discussion was centered on
“My lips and fingers were blue because I was so thin that my heart was struggling to pump blood around my body”, said teen model fashion Georgina (Carroll 1). The new skinny has become excessively scrawny. Is it definitely not normal for today’s society models to walk around with blue fingers starving themselves until their organs start failing! As for the model agencies, they couldn’t care less of the pressure and dangerous practices they put the models through in order for them to stay thin for the runway. Even fashion Designers continue to produce the smallest couture sample sizes and scout for the slimiest bodies to wear the designs not aware of the consequences of the pressure they not only put on models, but on the society girls to look like these starving models. And when the models continue to get offers from the most important fashion industries like Prada, it motivates them to keep doing what they are doing to stay in the shape they are in (Carroll 1). But little did the outside world know what this pressure had on the models and what they were doing to their bodies to peruse their modeling careers.
This essay discusses the ideal American body - meaning perfect weight, skin, hair color, etc. - all of what appears in a typical fashion magazine. Rodriguez, an eighteen-year-old Latina writes of her past in middle school. One day she found an ad stating that a model search contest was coming to Beverly Hills, only a two-hour drive from her hometown. Having always to fit in with her peers, she begged her parents to take her so she could show the agency that she had what it takes. After attending, she received a call stating that she was a runner-up in the competition and her parents beamed, enrolling her in modeling and acting courses. However, she was told that being a size seven and weighing 130 pounds, she needed to lose weight fast and drop down to the typical size three that the other models were. She was handed magazines such as Seventeen as motivation for what “real models look like.” This is an example of a binary present in America, which states that in order to be model material you have to be skinny and blond. Leaving depressed, she grew determined and decided to lose as much weight as she could, still knowing that she came from a line of wide-hipped Hispanic women. She soon developed a routine where all she did was work out and eat one meal a day, thus developing a severe eating disorder. This is yet another binary present in the US, that girls of color don’t develop eating disorders. Now, to break the binary, she goes to conferences and is a peer advocate to girls everywhere, speaking about what she learned and how powerful the media truly is for teens around the
I was watching the action at the heart of the club. This is where the more experienced judokas practiced, all of them looking fluent in every move they pulled off. Nobody ever made a mistake by the look of it. There was an older boy, around sixteen, nonchalantly throwing people to the ground, it seemed as if it was as easy as breathing to him. That is what I wanted to be able to do, not necessarily with judo, but with interacting. My stomach groaned harder and harder the longer I watched, I was terrified. I was really nervous stepping on the mat, knowing how I would get thrown on my back as soon as I did. The instructor introduced me to the rest of the class, I wanted to be sick but continued on anyways. Looking back, I did act strangely, even though everyone was extremely friendly and welcoming I still didn’t want to be a part of it. To this day I wonder why I was awkward in social in social situations, it confuses me, but it was a major problem to me back then. When I was asked to pair up with someone a shiver crawled its way up my spine. I looked about panicking about who I was going to pair up with, no-one was to be seen but a boy of my size. A thin boy with two of his front teeth missing, it didn’t stop him smiling from ear to ear though. The instructor told me to grip his collar and pivot. The fact that I actually put my hands on him confuses me to this day, it felt weird and uncomfortable and at the time I hated
Fashion models don’t need to be thin, they need to be diverse and healthy at whatever weight that is. Not everyone is supposed to be thin, some women are big boned and curvy, others are naturally slim and small boned, some are tall, others are short, some are light skinned and others are darker. So many diverse looks exist in the world today and the fashion industry need to change their perception of perfect. Body image in our society is out of control. We have young men and women comparing themselves to unrealistic models and images in the media and feeling bad about the way their own bodies look because they somehow don’t measure up. (Dunham, 2011) The struggle for models to be thin has led to models becoming anorexic or bulimic, untimely deaths, and inferiority complexes. Even worse is the fact that they influence a whole generation of young women who look up to these models and think “thin” is how they are supposed to be. They influence what we buy, how we eat and what we wear. Why has this specific group captured our attention so much? Why do we seem to be so fascinated in their lives, to the point where we try to look and act just like them? The media is largely to be blamed for this, many people believe the media has forced the notion that everything supermodels do is ideal. Others believe that the society is to be blamed because we have created a fascination with their lives. There are many opinions, and I agree with both of these specific opinions. We allow ourselves to be captivated by these people's lives, and the media portrayal of their lives seem to also enthrall us. (Customessaymeister, 2013) Despite the severe risks of forcing models to become too thin, designers, fashion editors, fashion brands and agencies still ...
“Girls of all kinds can be beautiful --- from the thin, plus- sized, short, very tall, ebony to porcelain- skinny, the quirky, clumsy, shy, outgoing and all in between” (Tyra Banks). Tyra Banks is a worldwide model, actress, and businesswoman. She has modeled for numerous magazines and brands, such as Victoria Secret, Covergirl, and Vogue. She is also known for her TV production, America’s Next Top Model. In this show, she helps women and men of all types to become a model. However, based on the type of model someone wishes to become, there is usually an image the company wants. If someone wished to become a model who walks on the catwalks and runways, the companies would only want to take the client if they are tall, and lanky. Modeling
But what does it mean to be a “Role Model”? How can I be role model some might ask? By the true definition in the English Language a role model is a person looked to by others as an example to be imitated.
Many young girls are forced to wear preposterous outfits and enormous amounts of makeup that deny them of their innocence at a young age. Beauty contests are meant more for adult women who are mature enough to understand all that’s going on and can handle losing competitions to the other contestants. Children should not be able to compete in pageants because of the harmful effects on self-confidence and character. Some people think they are good and some do not agree that they are good. (Leo, 2014)
Issues regarding the purpose of beauty pageants alarm women since majority of the beauty pageants are for them. Let us look at the good side of beauty pageants. First, allows the use...
Though models have to deal with much strife and challenging tasks. Not many people realize how much energy goes into modeling. The biggest tip for being a model, is stay true to yourself. When you are a model, many people will tell you to wear this, do that, walk like this, talk like that. But the most important thing to know is that you should do what you love and love what you do. Modeling is not a fast paced career, it takes time and patience from everyone involved, you may not be receiving the results you wish for, but if you keep at it, you will get better and better.