Anonymous Wrote:


Hi Dania, my friend and I applied to the same agency around the same time. She got signed and I didn't. I'm happy for her but what makes her so marketable? She emailed me her online portfolio and the pictures are just ok not spectacular. I don't mean to be jealous but I admit I am. I was wondering if you could look at her portfolio and tell me what makes her look so special. What could I do to increase my marketability I would be commercial print and lifestyle too. Here's the link: nymmg.com/eportfolio.cfm?mid=124302

Hey, Anonymous!

It's totally normal to feel jealous, especially when you've applied to the same agency as your friend. From looking at her photos, she has a look that's been in demand for a while now when it comes to ethnic models in commercial/print: natural hair, darker skin and more of the everyday looking type, as opposed to a drop-dead supermodel type.

Because I don't know what you look like physically, I can't really give you any further insight as to why the agency chose her and not you. If you don't have a similar look as your friend (if you're a different ethnicity, have different hairstyle and body shape, etc.), it may be just a matter of the agency needing someone with your friend's "look" more than yours. When there is too much of a certain "look" that agencies are already full of, it tends to make them turn down new models applying because they have enough people to submit for castings.

Since you haven't heard back from the agency your friend got signed to, your time would be better spent submitting to other agencies that may be in need of your specific look.

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