The Different Types of Modeling

Because there seems to be so much confusion as to what types of modeling there are out there, here is a basic rundown, including the requirements (thanks to Infiniti Models) :

High Fashion ( Runway ): This is for the tall and thin body type. This is a very strict division of modeling because all the top designers only make their new designs in certain sizes.

Fashion models mostly do runway shows, promote new clothing designs in magazines, newspapers and sometimes TV. As a high fashion model you must have a tall, lean frame and be attractive. Possessing unique, alien, exotic or prominent features is a plus, as is having strong bone structure.

Requirements: Age between 15-22 yrs old, Height: 5'8 - 6'0", Bust: 34, Waist: 24", Hips: 34" or less. Average weight 100 - 125 lbs.

Promotional Modeling (Or Swimsuit / Beauty Modeling): Promotional models do just that, they promote a variety of products at events such as trade shows, malls, conventions and more. The Coors Light twins or Budweiser Girls are a good example of promotional models.

Requirements: Promotional modeling is a fairly open field with very little restrictions. Models are 5'0" and up, 18-35 yrs old, have a great figure, very attractive and have an outgoing personality because they do a lot of speaking.

Commercial/Print: Print models represent a wide range of products and services such as shampoo, insurance company ads, cars and a lot of the things you see advertised or for sale.

Because they represent such a diverse range of products the models are also diverse in how they look. Print models can range from 4 years old to retirement age. Print is by far the largest percentage of modeling jobs in the industry.

Requirements: Unlike runway models, agency standard requirements for print models typically range from 5'5" to 5'7" in height. Bust: 34", Waist: 24", Hips: 34" but in this particular field agencies are not as strict about having models maintain these specific measurements. As long as they are proportional and healthy in appearance, that is what counts. They have a symmetrical face, great teeth and good skin.

Petite Fashion Modeling: Petite Fashion is a division of fashion modeling for those very few models who are absolutely good looking but do not meet the height and size requirements of regular runway models. This is a very tough area to get into, especially since petite is currently not in high demand like plus size.

Requirements: Petite models are about 5'0" to 5'5" (although those in the industry typically consider anyone 5'7" or under to be "petite"). Bust: 34", Waist: 24", Hips: 34", Dress: 0-4 Petite.

Plus Size Fashion: Yet another division of fashion modeling but for full figured women. With a growing percentage of women wearing larger size clothing, plus size fashion is on the rise, plus consumers are pushing for a more realistic representation of the clothes they buy. This is one of the fastest growing divisions of modeling.

Requirements: Most people are under the impression that all it takes to be a plus size model is a large dress size, wrong! Plus size models are about 5'8" - 6'0" in height and they wear dress sizes 10 and up. They are attractive, have a proportional figure and shapely legs. In terms of measurements, an ideal example would be something along the lines of...Bust: 42", Waist: 32", Hips: 42".