Ladies and Gents - today we have something a bit different. Model Claire Ciantar has written the following article that I agreed to publish on this blog - all about the ups and down of modelling. A lot of girls look at modelling as something wonderful, whilst it does have it's great parts - it's not all a bed of roses !!
Photo above by Kurt Paris for PINK magazine. Read on to see what Claire has to say.
Models: Are they Stressed or Blessed ? by Claire Ciantar
From catwalks to studios, long hours, endless body scrutiny, strict diets and exercising. These are but a few of the conditions models face just to meet basic job expectations. Who ever said it was easy? I often hear people say, models are blessed - they get paid good money for pleasurable, undemanding jobs. Well, I myself am a model and from my three years experience I can honestly say - modelling jobs are no walk in the park.
Although models are viewed as people with a high self esteem, that's not always the case. Sometimes, especially in the beginning of a model's career, interviews can be horrible and some designers (not all) are just plain rude! I still remember it clearly, two years ago, during Malta Fashion Week, a foreign designer stripped my confidence by saying ''You're too fat, too big !''. When did size 8 become ''too fat'' ? This brings me to my first point, Weight. In order to be an international model, losing weight has to be the first and most important issue, yes, before looks. I would think everyone would agree with me that getting to a size 4-6 when you are six feet tall is not an easy task at all!
Black, Blue, silver, gold, shoes come in all sorts of colours, shapes and sizes and models get to wear them all during fashion shows as their feet parade on the dazzlingly lit catwalk. Beautiful though they are, squeezing into these new, sometimes ill-fitting shoes, standing and walking for hours can be pretty painful.
When you're a model, work comes in drags. You might have a really busy time, then have to wait months for work. It's hard to have another job or plan ahead - you need to be available to go to a shoot or show at the drop of a hat. In Malta, the busiest months of the year are October to November and May to June. If you're a student, through experience, I can assure you that a job will definitely clash with an important lecture / seminar / assignment / due date or even an exam.
Nonetheless, although it's not easy being a model, it has its perks. Modelling on the whole, is quite cool especially when you get to see the results of a great photo shoot or video of a fashion show. After all, all jobs have their negative side.
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