Answering a Reader Question #485

Jojobear Wrote:

 Hey! I'm jojo, Lately I've been wanting to do something different in my life, so i'm thinking of doing some modeling. I'm 5'2, 19, african american and i live in the chicago area. I'm just curious as to where i should start and what are the trustworthy agencies in chicago? Also i don't really think im qualified for fashion because of my height so what should i get into? Thanks!

Hi, Jojo!

5'2" is going to make it very hard to find a decent selection of agencies to submit to. You are correct that your height doesn't make you qualified for fashion, runway or editorial. Commercial/print modeling agencies usually set their minimum height at 5'5" and will often take on an exceptional 5'4"...maybe 5'3" model so what it's going to come down to for you is your overall "look" and whether it's one that's in demand.

Unfortunately, I just did a search for print agencies in Chicago and all of them have models that are much taller on their rosters. The shortest female print model I found was 5'6" and on the websites, they listed their preferred height minimum at 5'8"...and that was for their print models, yikes. While I will never say never, I don't believe any of the agencies in Chicago would be able to take you on at 5'2". But if you'd still like to give it a shot, below are the names and official websites (I would really hope that you could prove me wrong by getting signed!):

BMG Models - Chicago
http://www.bmgmodels.com

Ford Models 
http://www.fordmodels.com

Jaffa Models International
http://www.JaffaModels.com


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