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

Yep, you read right. While I will still be doing my regular "Answering a Reader Question" series, where I simply address a reader's question and provide answers in its own blog post, I've decided to do something fun and more interactive with it. Since so many people lately have been posting questions about everything related to modeling, I'm now going to offer my readers the opportunity to have their answers provided by me in a video reply, which I'll accomplish using my web cam. I'll be able to upload my video answer here on Modeling - 101 and also plan on uploading it to my YouTube Channel, where I'm hoping to get more views and build a following on that site as well. So here are the instructions for how to request both a traditional reply and a video reply (read carefully...remember, good models follow directions!): To Request a Regular Reply (The Traditional "Answering a Reader Question"): Click on the ...

I often get people asking me, "Dania, how in the world do you do it? Modeling has been so hard for me. How do you book so much work? How did you become successful?" All good, quality questions but my answer is simple. In addition to hard work, persistence and major networking, I practice the Law of Attraction and what I call Perspective Reality. Some of you may be familiar with the the first concept, while some of you may not (the second concept is something I came up with randomly). Below is one of the best explanations of the Law of Attraction, which I got from the Holistic Healing section of the site, About.com: The Law of Attraction is one of the better known universal laws. The theory behind the Law of Attraction is that we create our own realities. We attract things we want and we also attract things we don't want. We attract the people in our lives, the stuff in our homes, and the money in our bank accounts through our thoughts and feelings. When ou...

Anonymous Wrote: Hello Dania! I'm a 14 year old girl and just have a few questions just out of curiosity! What are the chances of being a successful model....Honestly...? What measurements do you have to have? And does being full Chinese/Asian lessen chances since Asians have similar features? X Hi, Anonymous! Honestly, the chances of being a successful model in the sense of becoming a "supermodel" is very slim. The career span of a model is very short in most cases and there are much higher numbers of models than there are modeling jobs. So the competition is very tough. Becoming a regular "working" model who does it part-time is much easier to accomplish but typically doesn't mean making millions of dollars a year or becoming a household name. The average model in the USA makes around $30,000/year, which is pretty much the same for the average person working a 9-5 job. That's the reality, although there are exceptions to the rule and a small h...

Anonymous Wrote: Heyy :) I live in Bali, Indonesia. You probably have no idea where that is, but i just want to ask you what it takes to be a model. There's quite a few model oppurtunities here but im not sure how the modelling industry really works. What do you have to do? But I really want to be a model, and i think i could have a great chance since im only 13 and im 171cm. Your site is really helpful and im so glad i found itt. haha. :) thankyouuuu. x  Hi, Anonymous! I totally know where Bali is because it's on my list of vacation spots to visit in the future! :-) So the first thing to know about being a model is you have to meet the requirements, mainly height and measurements. The best way to find out this information is to look up the official websites of the modeling agencies in your area. The websites will have all of the information you'll need to know, which is why I recommend browsing through each one to see what photos and information they want from ...

Anonymous Wrote: Hi Dania! When you attend a model search or open call where they simply say, "tell me about your self", what should you say? Thanks! Hi, Anonymous! It is best to keep your answer simple. You can talk about topics, such as: Where you're from (hometown) The name of your school and what grade you're in Your favorite hobbies or any special skills you have What your plans are for the future (college, dream job/career) If you want to talk about why you want to be a model, keep this info brief and not the whole topic of discussion. Agencies hear a lot of the same types of stories so you want to be different. It's okay to talk about who your modeling inspirations are or what got you interested in modeling but move on and talk more about who "you" are as a person. That is what agencies are interested in. As long as you answer with a genuine smile, great eye contract and enthusiasm, you'll do just fine!

Anonymous Wrote: Hi, I'm Yanet. So there's no chance to model for VS is you are not signed with these two agencies? is this requirement ever going to change?  Hi, Yanet! The only other way you can be considered as a VS model if you are not signed with Elite or Ford in New York is to be signed to another top modeling agency in the NY market and currently be an in demand, top model. This was the case for Doutzen Kroes and Chanel Iman. So there is that option but in general, models have a better chance by already being signed to the two agencies that regularly contract out their models to VS. Hope that helps!

Hey, Modeling 101 readers! Just wanted to share some fun flix from the VioGemini Fashion Show I did in San Francisco a few weeks ago. This was the same show that I posted about recently with video footage of me walking in the much talked about "Star Dress." Enjoy! Oh, and if you want to check out the rest of the designs that Violetta made, I definitely recommend visiting her official website www.viogemini.com . You won't be disappointed! Hair stylist, Sandra Moreno, hooking my hair up. The "before" shot, lol. Just got done with setting my hair in curls. Ah, my favorite part--makeup!!! Hands down my favorite outfit...the Star Dress!!! Surprisingly, my parents actually thought it was cool that I rocked this dress when I showed them the pix and video. Whew! One of the new dresses from designer Violetta Vieux's debut bridal line. Striking a pose. Heading to the stage at the end of the show (A lot of the models were...