Answering a Reader Question #526

Anonymous Wrote:

Hey Dania!

I just have a few questions. I've been working as a freelance model and competing in local beauty pageants for a bit and I'd love to try to get agency representation. I live in a small town in North Dakota though and there aren't any agencies here, but there are two in Fargo ND which is about an hour away. The problem is that I'm 21 and I'll be graduating college in a year (Dec. 2013.)
I'd love to move to a large city such as Chicago or NYC after I graduate but if I can't find a job right away, I'll probably stay in ND a bit longer. I know the economy is much worse in large cities and everything is more expensive, so the thought of living in one and being super poor freaks me out, which is why I decided to finish college in my hometown first. My parents are paying for my tuition so at least I won't have any student loan debt when I move. If I'm too poor to afford healthy food, a gym membership and quality beauty products, will my chances of finding success as a model decrease?
My main question though, is it worth it to apply to the agencies in Fargo if I'll possibly be moving in a year or should I wait until after I move and apply to agencies there? I'll be 22 when I graduate and I worry about being too old for a newbie but I also worry that the agencies in Fargo won't want me if I'm not sure how much longer I'll be living here. I'm also pretty busy with college and might struggle to find enough time for what the agency wants but that of course won't be a problem after I graduate.
I know it's unrealistic, but VS or the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue is my ultimate dream. I'm 5'9" with 35-25-35 measurements and 32C breasts but I lift weights regularly so I have a bit more muscle than most runway models seem to have. Runway looks fun but I don't want to have to starve myself for it. I read that most VS models start out doing runway, so again I worry about being too old at 22, even though I often hear that I look 18 and I wear sunscreen every day to keep my skin younger longer.
Last question: This doesn't seem to be the case in other states but in ND, the popular beauty standard is white skin with blonde hair and blue eyes. I'm white but I have light brown hair and super dark brown eyes and part of me thinks I'd be more successful if I dyed my hair and got colored contacts, but part of me would feel too fake and uncomfortable if I did that. What do you think I should do?
Sorry that was so long but thanks for helping me out! :)

Hi, Anonymous!

Not being able to afford the finer things in life won't decrease your chances of being a successful model. There are plenty of cost-effective ways to maintain your health, complexion and overall physical condition. Instead of spending money on gym memberships, learn how to exercise outdoors or in the comfort of your home. There are plenty of grocery store deals, coupons and discounts that will make purchases less costly and not all beauty products need to cost a small fortune. So there are ways to cut costs when it comes to those things.

I think since you're already near the cusp of "aging out" for fashion and runway modeling, it would be in your best interest to apply to agencies in Fargo and try to get signed prior to moving to a larger market. Even though a year isn't that long, it will give you a chance to get your feet wet, gain some experience and build professional materials you'll need like a portfolio, headshot and comp cards.

Also, agencies in smaller markets tend to have connections to those in larger ones so there could be a chance that who you sign with in Fargo could help you with the transition to move on to a bigger place like New York. So by the time you'd feel ready to move, you'd have some familiarity with the industry and working with an agent, which will make for a somewhat smoother transition, as opposed to going in completely cold. Additionally, even though you'd be 22 by that time, going in with experience and a portfolio would be more likely to convince an agency in New York to represent you.

Agencies deal with busy school schedules all the time so your situation wouldn't be anything new to them. As long as there are some days you'd have available for castings and go-sees, they'll be able to work with you so it's worth looking into.

Do not dye your hair or wear contacts. You need to go into the modeling world as you are. Agencies want to sign models that are confident in how they look and unless they plan on doing a complete makeover on you, chances are they'll fall in love with you as is. In the New York market there are tons of great models with your exact look who get booked tons of work so that particular market would embrace it. So work with what you have and pursue agencies in Fargo first to see how far you can get with modeling and when you're ready to tackle the big markets, you'll have that even more confidence and assurance that you have the look, experience and skill set that'll make agencies want to work with you.