Answering a Reader Question #139

Anonymous Wrote:

Hi Dania!

I'm an aspiring male model, and I had some questions I'm hoping you could answer. If I'm going to submit any pictures to any agencies, should I photoshop out any scars I have, or should I leave them so that agencies know what I look like in a more natural look? 

Hello, Anonymous! Very good question. To be honest, I would say don't Photoshop out the scars simply because while the edited version may get an agency interested enough to invite you for an interview, it can also backfire, especially when the agency sees the scars. It is important to look as natural as possible in your pictures and that you don't look drastically different when you meet with the agency.

However, I don't know what kinds of scars you have, where they are located, how bad it is, etc. If they are minimal scars that don't really get noticed that easily (except by you, of course lol), then it would be okay to airbrush them out. But if they are large and very noticeable, then you'll have to take your chances with submitting the images "as is."

I will say, though, that if you are worried about being rejected because of how agencies may react to the scars showing in your pictures, I would advise attending an open casting call instead of sending in your images via email or snail mail. I say this because open casting calls give you the opportunity to not only show the agencies your snapshots/photos, but your personality as well. It's easy to look at a picture by itself and accept or reject a potential model but when you meet that individual in person, their personality and other characteristics could sway an agency to overlook minor flaws, such as scars. So hopefully going to open calls is an option for you.

Good luck to you and I hope this helps!