Answering a Reader Question #1,023
Randomix Wrote (in response to the blog article, "How Old Is Too Old To Model?"):
Hello. Thanks for an informative article. I'm just wondering, if 23 is the cut-off point, how come models who were famous in their young years (Snejana Onopka, Gemma Ward) still do runway shows and they are now in their 30s? So you think for a runway show you can't be over 23 when starting if you look young and have no wrinkles?
Hi, Randomix!
You're super welcome, glad you enjoyed the article.
The names you mentioned belong to the elite 1% of runway models that reach "Supermodel/It Model" status.
The age ranges I describe in my post refer to the every day, average working runway model's career. Once you hit Supermodel/It Model status, your career longevity is basically set. Unfortunately, this is not the case for so many.
There are certainly a number of models who can easily pass for younger. But to start a runway career in your early to mid 20s isn't standard--at least for large markets. Many fashion agencies set an age range on their websites in the bigger markets like New York, Los Angeles and Miami. Medium to smaller market fashion agencies tend to be more flexible when it comes to age.
If an agency has the choice between a new model starting her runway career in her early to mid 20s or a crop of fresh-faced models who are 15, 16 and 17, sadly, 9 times out of 10 they're going to opt for the young models because they can get more years out of them at that point. It's a business decision at the end of the day.
But not each model's career is exactly the same as the next. There are runway models who aren't household names but manage to still do runaway shows as they get older but it's not the norm. Many transition to commercial/print and lifestyle or don't continue modeling at all (usually depends on where they're at in their lives and if they have other goals they want to achieve).
If you're in a smaller to medium-sized market you can likely do runway work in your 20s but as far as walking in a major show in another country or walking in Fashion Week for a major brand/designer, that will be a lot more challenging given the way the industry is currently.
Hey you may want to update this about the age thing, the industry has changed a lot in the past 5 years or so, plenty of models start their careers off at 20+ these days especially since legally they had to raise the work age from 16 to 28 .. so be careful to do your research before crushing any dreams
ReplyDeleteHi, Krysten!
DeleteI would love to get a link to the info you stated about the changes in raising the working age from 16 to 28. Is that for the modeling industry? Who is "they"...is it the agencies? Just wanted to get more clarification on that since if that's within the modeling industry, that would be pretty huge and I'm surprised I hadn't heard that.
Modeling agencies are different in terms of employment practices than regular companies/businesses. Models who are represented by agencies aren't considered employees, it's an independent contract situation so I'm super curious about what you said and if it applies directly to the modeling industry as a whole.
If you're talking about freelance modeling/influencers who aren't repped by an agency, that's an entirely different thing.
And I don't think I'm crushing anyone's dreams. My post doesn't say you can't be a model in your late 20s, just that it's more challenging and not typically the standard according to agencies in larger markets. I just provide the guidelines based on what I've seen on the hundreds of agency websites I've researched in helping models find representation that fits their goals/aspirations in addition to my own career experiences of being a professional model for the past 24 years.
I've seen and heard from too many who were taken advantage of or set expectations that weren't realistic so I like to make sure to share the parameters in which the modeling world operates by.