Answering a Reader Question #567

Nicole Wrote:

Hi Dania,

My name is Nicole and first i want to thank you for giving us advice. I have also always wanted to be a VS model and a runway model but my dreams were crushed when I was laughed at by a talent agency and told that it would never happen because I was too short. Got over it since then lol (I was probably a freshman in hs) but I still have the desire to model. I am over 5'4 but a little smidget under 5'5 so I normally round my height to 5'5 and I know that runway is out the way but I would like to do print work. I have done some modeling when i was younger but not really professionally. it was mainly for family who were advertising or local fashion shows that the schools would hold and I was always told that I had great presence and a great walk. I was wondering does the height requirement for VS apply for their print work as well or just for the runway shows? Why are there even height requirement for modeling? Shouldn't the focus be based on skills instead of height? This is going to sound funny but isn't that sort of like discrimination against short models? (Are there ways to make yourself taller? Lbs.. Just a little) Lol. I always felt if the skills were right then the height should be an exception.

Hey there, Nicole!

I'm sorry you had such a negative experience with that talent agency, that's awful! But I am happy you bounced back and are willing to give modeling another shot.

Sadly, the height requirement applies to all VS work, including their print catalog and other advertising work. I could write a novel about the whole height debate and why it's not fair but the reality of the modeling industry--as far as height and runway goes--is that the focus is never supposed to be the model and his/her skills...it is supposed to be on the clothing. That's why traditional runway models are tall and super skinny--they literally serve a purpose as being a "human clothes hanger." Fashion experts claim that fabric drapes better on a taller figure than a shorter one and there's no shortage (no pun intended) of their "evidence" to try and prove their points. I'm not justifying this, I'm just stating facts so please don't kill the messenger, lol.

You're right, it is a form of height discrimination and while I (and a lot of other people) don't like it, that's the system that's been in place for decades now. Things are slowly changing, such as the popularity of plus size modeling, but it's still going to take a lot of time and momentum for shorter models to command the same respect and demand in the industry as taller models.

However, getting into print modeling is definitely a start for you and I encourage you to find a print agency that will help you get the exposure you need to really get a career going. Also, just because you're the height for print work, that doesn't mean you can't try to seek other types of work--either through your agent or on your own.

Many print models get lucky and find themselves doing fashion related work and even runway shows. So while you may not be able to be on a high fashion catwalk in New York Fashion Week anytime soon, there's always the chance that you could come across clients and designers with a flexible height requirement that would allow you to jump on those opportunities.

There are exceptions to the rule, so I never say "never" but it is important to remember that exceptions are exactly that: exceptions. As far as being that exception, things like a model's look, skill level, location and timing all play into that. It's much easier said than done.

Oh, and I don't care what anybody tells you, there isn't a 100% effective way to make yourself grow taller, LOL...chalk that up to genetics. Even if there are certain methods that get results, they'd likely only be temporary. If there really was a method that worked 100%, there'd be a crap load of shorter models finding success with their new-found tallness! ;-)