I have opinions. I'm a news junkie. I can talk politics and other world events without hesitation. I enjoy healthy debates every now and then. I believe in knowing what's going on in the world and developing a voice to express my thoughts. However, if you've seen my posts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn, you'll be hard pressed to find any content where I'm on my soapbox, taking sides on hot button issues and terrorizing those who don't agree with me.
Why? Because that's not what I choose to use those platforms for. I use those sites to maintain and promote my brand and services as it relates to being a professional model, actor, coach/mentor/consultant. The last thing I want to do is offend, disrespect or otherwise put off potential clients and/or make my agent hesitant to submit me for work.
For years, I've always practiced the concept of keeping my personal opinions on controversial subjects and hot button issues separate from my professional career in the entertainment industry, as it relates to social media. This isn't because I'm scared of what others will think of my opinions--it's because there is a time and a place for those conversations and in today's reactionary world where people tend to mix both the personal and professional, I'm even more convinced that learning how to pick your battles and place priorities properly is something all models should embrace...or at least think about in perspective.
It may not seem that serious but the things you post, say, do, depict, etc. can affect your professional modeling career--and not always for the good.
Keeping your personal life (and the opinions associated with it) separate from your professional modeling career is a vital strategy to making sure you can continue to network, book gigs and maintain your brand with clients and agencies alike to ensure a harmonious relationship.
Please note: when it comes to personal beliefs/opinions, I'm mainly referencing controversial subjects like politics, religion, hot button issues (gun rights, abortion, etc.), not holding beliefs that involve promoting or advocating for racism, sexism, discrimination (in its various forms) and so on. I find those views deplorable and should have no place in our society. Period. Okay, let's move on.
WHY DOES THIS EVEN MATTER OR APPLY TO MODELS?
Because of a little thing called branding and networking. A quote from something I was watching on TV really stuck with me when I heard it a few weeks ago: "Don't make enemies by accident."
I'm not saying there are people out to get you, haha. But in an industry where it's all about who you know and what you want your brand to stand for, it's that much more important to create a mindset that understands that what you do and say, especially on social media, can have consequences you might never have considered.
When it comes to agencies and clients, they must be very selective in who they choose to work with. One way to turn off an agent or potential client is for them to come across any posts or content online that (in their eyes) puts you in a negative light. Additionally, many companies make these decisions based on their own brands and if you publicly make a statement or vent about something that goes against their brand, beliefs or policies, it's no stretch of the imagination to know they won't be reaching out to work with you anytime soon.
I remember talking to an agent in a personal, casual conversation, where they expressed concern because one of their models was really big on venting and voicing opinions about a wide range of hot button issues and was pulling no punches.
The posts were very critical in nature and--whether people agreed with them or not--the agent was worried that their clientele would come across those posts and decide not to work with them as a result. And it probably wouldn't be because they didn't agree with their views but in general companies do not want to associate with someone who stands on a soapbox. It's just not good for business, even if the individual in question is a nice person who would otherwise be great to hire.
What you want to avoid is getting stuck in a career rut because you let your personal beliefs/opinions create an unintentional rift/barrier, resulting in no one wanting to work with you.
The good news is that this type of scenario can be completely avoided while allowing you to be who you are.
CREATE SEPARATE SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES
For models who are passionate about reacting to what's happening in the news or enjoy taking a hard stance on controversial subjects, I highly recommend creating separate social media profiles for your modeling career, if you haven't already.
With Facebook, there are "Pages" that keep everything completely separate from your personal Facebook profile.
There isn't a similar feature on Twitter and Instagram, however, setting up a new profile/account just for your modeling projects only takes a few minutes.
Mixing your personal content/posts with your professional ones can get messy and could be confusing to your followers--the ones interested in following your professional moves. That's not to say you can't share personal/fun/BTS posts on your professional profile (because you should) but that content should not include anything that could be off-putting to followers, your agent (if you have one) and/or current/future clients.
USE A MODEL ALIAS
Having a model alias instead of using your legal name when it comes to modeling is a very popular move. Actors do it as well and for good reason: it just makes sense. Creating a model alias to associate with your modeling profiles on social media gives you the option of keeping your personal life and beliefs separate from your career.
It's kind of like living two lives...but in a fun and non-scandalous way. :-)
When setting up your Facebook Page, Twitter and Instagram accounts, maintaining your model alias throughout is the extra step to give you peace of mind and decrease the odds of agents/clients coming across any controversial or heated posts when they search for you online--and believe me, they will do an online search to learn more about you.
MAKE YOUR PERSONAL SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS PRIVATE (OPTIONAL)
If you're really concerned about how to maintain a personal and professional existence on social media, you can always make your personal accounts private so only your network and/or those you select will see your posts. Obviously, don't make your modeling profiles the private ones!
With private accounts you can rant, rave, debate and express yourself to your heart's content without running the risk of putting off someone in professional circles.
Of course there is also the option to delete any posts you think could cause waves. Although nothing online is ever truly "deleted," having it no longer pop up in association with your profiles is a step in the right direction if you feel that's what you need to do.
WHAT TO POST ON YOUR MODELING ACCOUNTS THAT KEEP THINGS NEUTRAL
Professional Modeling Photos: Duh.
BTS: Your professional modeling accounts should showcase the day-to-day activities you engage in as a working model. That means professional pictures but also the fun BTS flicks and videos many of us have grown to enjoy.
Vacay/Travel: Do you have a vacation you can't wait to share with followers or did you book a modeling gig that requires you to hop on a plane? Documenting those excursions are a type of BTS that allows followers to come along for the ride.
Shoots/Projects That Support Positive Causes: Although everyone has their own opinions, in most cases, you're not going to catch heat for posting content related to your participation in photoshoots, events or other occasions that support causes such as anti-bullying, helping the homeless, raising money for charity, doing volunteer work, etc.
Even the popular NOH8 campaign that showcases celebs and non-celebs alike displaying duct tape across their mouths with "NOH8" painted on their face is an overall positive cause you can share on your modeling accounts because it promotes equality through education, advocacy, social media and visual protest without being negative, graphic or using scare tactics to get their point across.
Voting: Whether it's a presidential election or local election, the right to vote is a major one for people. There is nothing wrong with posting on social media about the part you played in casting a vote.
A helpful tip to keep things neutral on the subject of voting if you wish to share this on your modeling profiles is to showcase the popular "I Voted" sticker and/or a pic of you holding your mail-in ballot (that's what I did in the last presidential election). In my case, I didn't share WHO I voted for because that wasn't the statement I was trying to make. What I wanted my followers to see was how important the act of voting is to me.
THE TAKEAWAY(S)
As you can see, I did my best to stay neutral in trying to give this informative advice. Trust me, I have super heavy opinions and beliefs--as a person who keeps my radio on NPR 24/7, I can debate and share insight with the best of them.
But as it relates to my modeling career, that is NOT the platform I wish to use to get those points and opinions across. My goal is to network with professionals to land modeling jobs, keep my agent happy and maintain a prosperous career.
To be honest, I haven't created a separate social media account on Twitter and Instagram for my modeling life because I've made it an ongoing practice for quite a while to not engage in online battles, rant and rave about hot button topics or proclaim my political opinions on those platforms. I am able to enjoy posting both personal and professional content on those accounts as a result. I do have a Facebook page for my modeling career but still do the same combo meal of personal and professional on my regular Facebook profile.
But that's me. My purpose in even writing this post is to let those of you know that being a social justice warrior is amazing and having opinions and stances on issues is all to tha good. I just feel compelled to share some wisdom and insight as to how to keep the personal and the professional aspects in good standing.
If taking the steps above seems like censorship to you or goes against your values, then by all means, don't change a thing. I'm just a fan of giving advice so you can take it or leave it but know that it is always with the best of intentions and interest in setting you up for success.
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