Modeling & Acting 101 - A Model/Actor's Diary

Lizz Wrote: after reading your blog i felt a little more at-ease with the discesion ive made to put my foot in the modeling/acting business. i am currently,14,still a freshman. but its my ultimate goal to somehow get involved in this business. ive only modeled for a hair show, so i have absolutley no experience, but im fairly photogenic, do you have ANY advice at all, for me? it would be greatly appreciated. Signed, lizz  Hey, Lizz! The good news is that you're still very young and have plenty of time to get your foot in the door. Even though you've only done one hair show that counts as experience so you technically don't have "any" experience...you have "some" experience, which may not seem like a big deal but it goes to show that you have actually participated in modeling in some shape or form, which is always a plus. My best piece of advice for you is to first research the requirements in order to find out which type of modeling you actua...

Marla Wrote: And speaking of height; in the morning, after getting up, I'm 5'6.5" - but until the evening, a person can shrink up to an inch, until the spinal discs can "relax" and soak up moisture during the night again. When exactly do model agencies want one to measure one's height? Or haven't they ever considered this phenomenon? I'm sure some folks at modeling agencies are aware of this but the truth is that they more than likely won't care or take that into consideration. If you're shorter than their height requirement, that's all they will focus on. The height you are when you walk into the modeling agency is the height they will use to determine whether you fit their requirements or not. Sad, but true.

Marla Wrote: I guess the main reason why I'm confused is because I always hear that a tall model is important because of the designer's sample sizes. But the "commercial fashion" beyond the runway, in catalogues or at the mall is made for women with an average size of approximately 5'5" to 5'7", right? Or am I mistaken here? So, are high fashion sizes different or do the designers want the whole focus on the dress (as opposed to how a dress looks worn) which is easier if you're really tall and really skinny and in effect a human hanger?   Hey, Marla...good questions, thanks for asking them! Commercial fashion is geared more towards the actual consumer. That being said, companies that specialize in commercial fashion lines use "fit models" to tailor the size and the way it is supposed to look on the women that will more than likely be buying their clothes (and the sizes for fit models is usually much larger than the sample ...

Marla Wrote: Hello again! I've been wondering, what is the height requirement for commercial fashion? Can one really do it at less than 5'7"? I thought jobs for down-to-earth catalogues and things like that still went to more commercial looking fashion models as opposed to commercial print models.  Hey, Marla! Great question. Commercial fashion is a subcategory of commercial/print and according to industry standards, the preferred height range for female models in this field is between 5'5"-5'7". So yes, print models do mainly get submitted for catalogs and other similar print work for commercial fashion. However, this is mostly the case for medium to smaller modeling markets. The larger markets (NYC, LA, etc.) have recently started submitting their fashion girls for commercial fashion, although they must possess more "commercial" features and a mainstream look that would appeal to consumers. Model hopefuls that want to do commercial ...