Answering a Reader Question #226

Alexandra Wrote:

Hey Dania!
I'm thirteen, and i'd love to become a model. I'm full asian, but I look half, and I believe I have quite a good bone structure. Except... i'm 5'2" :( do I have no chance of being a model? please answer honestly! thanks for reading this x

Hi, Alexandra! Thank you for asking for a honest answer, which I will give you. At your current height you unfortunately do not have a chance at becoming a high fashion, runway or editorial model. You're also short of the minimum height for commercial/print modeling. HOWEVER, there are a few options available to you that you can check out if you're interested:

Teen Modeling: You should visit the official websites of modeling agencies in your city/state that have a teen modeling division. You're the ideal age and in many cases, there aren't strict height requirements for this type of modeling.
Parts Modeling: Many models of petite height do parts modeling work (jewelry, accessories, products, shoes, etc.). There are some agencies that have parts modeling divisions, although I'm not sure if they have age requirements since you're still very young.

You'll notice I didn't mention petite modeling. There are a few reasons for this, the main one being that there is hardly any demand specifically for petite models. As a result, very few legitimate agencies have petite modeling divisions. That doesn't mean they don't exist--they're just very hard to come across. When the industry begins to spotlight petite models mainstream the way they currently do for plus size models, that will change. Until then, shorter models will have a more difficult time making a successful and profitable career as a professional model.

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