If you are in Philadelphia Area and stayed up to watch the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, I hope you stayed up a bit longer and watched the news to see me giving you my runway and smizing tips!
Special thanks to CBS 3 and Tori Woodill for having me! I hope to come back for the 2018 show!
I get asked this question all the time from young models of color who want to break into the biz. In my experience, you should not wear your braids or a weave to a casting. Personally, have never worn braids to a casting but I can tell you that when I have been considered for bookings (after being submitted via a photo casting) and we start discussing the look for the show/event/shoot and I tell them that I currently have braids or faux locs… I can almost guarantee that I won’t get booked unless I am willing to take them out and have my hair styled according to their guidelines/desired look. Have I ever taken them out for a booking, YES and I only did it if the pay/project was worth the time and energy to take them out. It sucks sometimes but that is, unfortunately, the nature of the business.
When you go to an in-person casting, more than likely the job they are booking you for is not going to be styling your hair in braids and even if they are, they need to see what the current state of your hair looks like. Most models of color are not wearing their real hair in the first place and if they are it is in an afro (kinky or curly) or it is a low cropped cut.
My Advice:
Wear your hair how you like it. Be sure it is out of your face and make sure it shows off your face in the best light. With that said, I advise against wearing braids to a casting. Braids don’t show off your hair in its current state and if you wear a weave make sure it looks realistic, don’t wear bangs, and be easy on the baby hairs. Also, Stay away from the lime green and other unnatural hair colors.
The key to hairstyles for a casting: make it look as natural as possible even if it is a weave.
Another #ModelTipTuesday post for ya! These posts will be dedicated to your questions about modeling. If there are any questions you have, send them to me via any of my social media sites, or email me your questions. I will either respond to them directly or respond to you and post the question as a blog post for others to learn from. So, Here I go!
I recently had a comment on one of my posts asking this very question. The reader basically said that there was an audition that she was going to go to but she didn’t fit the height requirement for one of the characters that she was auditioning for. She wondered if she should go…
My advice?
I don’t think she should go or at least audition for an other role where she fits the description.
The casting directors put out the requirements for the roles or the booking a certain way for a reason. It could be that the clothes for the shoot or show are a certain size or the height of the model has to be a certain height in order to fit into a particular set setup with a model or actor of a complementary height.
There aren’t too many chances that you not fitting the requirements are going to change the director or the agent’s mind in regards to you winning the role just because you showed up and auditioned for it, simply because its not what the role calls for.
Recently I have been getting a lot of questions about modeling and going to castings, but this one I decided to share because it seems to be a recurring theme, especially among teenagers who want to pursue modeling. Check out the reader’s question below and my response.
Reader’s Question: I have casting this coming Sunday. However my face has some scars and white heads and I’m just wondering if they’ll look at all my white heads and all because I’m sooo not flawless…. But I’m still growing. I know I’ll have clean soft skin if I don’t have these pimples. So I’m wondering if they don’t really care about the scars because makeup artists are able to do makeup for me next time, or do they really want clean face girls? I planned to cover up with foundation and concealer but you said they want to see you as you are. So I’m really not sure. What if I cover up and next time they are shocked to see my face scars?
My Response:
Your skin condition will be looked at when you attend a casting, you are being judged on your appearance, it’s the nature of the business. They may ask you about it, they may not, but you should be honest about its condition if asked about it. With that said, if you attend the casting, you should wear makeup to cover the scarring and even out your skin tone. Makeup won’t cover the pimples from being seen it will just take away the color of the scarring or redness, which will still allow you to be seen as a blank canvas. Should you get booked for the job, you should communicate your condition with the person who booked you so they can prepare for production.
Will your skin count against you? It’s possible. It takes more work/resources ($$$ for editing, makeup artists, [which isn’t always provided], etc.) to work with a model with problem skin compared to one without them. People in business like to control costs and stay within budget and time constraints and problem skin could hinder that. To increase your chances of being booked in the future, I strongly advise adapting a regimen that will help you achieve smoother skin. Usually a pimple here or there most agents look past it.
*The reader’s question has been edited.
So what do you think, am I right? What advice would you give to this reader? Do you have a question that you want me to answer about modeling? Comment below and I’ll do my best to get back to you ASAP.
I’ve been a little under the weather and super busy since my last post. But I’m back ready to continue where I left off and get back to Alex Beadon’s Blogging Challenge. This post is my response to the Day 3 prompt and I hope you enjoy it. Feedback and questions in the comments is HIGHLY encouraged!
About 11 or 12 years ago, I started my journey as a model. Over the years I learned a lot and there have been many times that I have revamped my brand, my image, and my strategy. This year I will be at my 12 year mark in regards to my modeling and I have been thinking about the work that I have done and the goals that I haven’t achieved and how the hell I am going to achieve them! One of the things that I realized is that I never asked myself (and you should ask yourself this too) the most important question in regards to starting a modeling career:
What kind of modeling am I best suited for?
I know most of you would like to think that you can book any type of campaign or you should be able to get any type of work just because you are the fabu you! But the industry doesn’t quite work that way. Like Meek Mill says “There’s levels to this” in modeling, there’s categories to this. And you shouldn’t waste your time shooting and building imagery (your brand) if you don’t fit into a particular category. Of course there are exceptions to that but these that are the exceptions have already established themselves in other areas and can easily move into other categories if you get what I mean.
Some examples of various types of models:
High Fashion Model
Commercial Model
Alternative Model
Parts Model
Glamour Model
Hair Model
Urban Model
Promotional Model
Spokes Model
And the list goes on…
Once you have figured out what type of modeling you are best suited for, you should do one of 2 things. Find an agency that specialized in the type of category that you are suited for or you should begin to develop your portfolio and other model marketing materials (comp cards, business card, social media, websites, etc.) in regards to the categories that you fit into. (If you sign with an agency they will assist you with developing the proper portfolio and materials to best “sell” you.) If you are 5”4’ and 125 lbs, you are not a high fashion model, don’t try to develop a high fashion image. You would most likely be a commercial model but not high fashion. Your pictures should reflect commercial imagery and not attempting to be a replica for editorial ads. For example, if you are a commercial model your pictures should look like this:
Source – Pinterest
And not like this:
Image Source – Pinterest
When building your portfolio and looking for some inspiration for the type of look you should be shooting for, get onto my FAVORITE inspirational app – PINTEREST! When you look on there, search for categories as it relates to you but end it with photography or photoshoot, for example, for myself and a beach shoot that I am currently planning on executing I searched “beach fashion photography” or “beach photoshoot” and it turned up thousands of examples that I could use to put together for my shoot, as well as taking note to the poses and angles that the models were doing to make those swimsuits, and clothes looks so great.
Some factors to consider that will play into what type of modeling you should be pursuing:
Your age (Not your actual age, but the age that people perceive you to be, you can be 30 but look 18, modeling is about the look not the actual age)
Your body type (if you are slim, thick, muscular, etc. it determines they type of modeling you should pursue)
Your height
Your personality (if you aren’t comfortable talking to strangers, promotional modeling or being a spokes model would not be the best thing for you to pursue)
Your look (do you look high fashion aka a unique/strange beauty, or do you look commercial aka Your face is relatable and friendly for consumers)
Your location (your location will determine the type of work that is typically available to you, for example, NYC known for high fashion models, some acting. While in LA or Miami they are known for commercial models, acting, and glamour models.)
Your overall goals
Ok, I think this post is getting a bit too lengthy so I’m gonna stop typing now! Lol
Next post, I think I’ll address scams! Stay tuned!!!
Comment below if you have any questions. Your answer may be addressed in my upcoming posts!
Over the weekend, I was in a Modeling Competition that one of my agencies holds every year. I’ve been with them for about 10 years now and I’ve never entered it, I never entered ANY modeling competition before but I’ve worked numerous events behind the scenes of them. They have a bunch of agents come from all over the country and the world to judge it and give out some amazing prizes. What made me enter it this year was the opportunity to go to China for an all expenses paid, paid model booking. Who could give up a chance for a free trip to China, international modeling creds to add to my resume, and did I mention being paid to model in China?! lol
Memories of my Last out of the country modeling related excursion. Ready to blow the dust off of my passport.
I was a little self conscious about entering the competition, mainly because MOST of the people competing were literally half my age or younger (if you can guess how old I am, theres 50 brownie points for you lol), and a tad bit slimmer than me. I’m still slim just not supermodel skinny like I used to be! lol But I entered this competition because it was for a lingerie/swimwear client in China, and swimwear and lingerie is PERFECT for my body type so I thought I could walk away from this competition confidently with the winner’s trophy in the bag.
We been seeing rapper/actor Ludacris throughout the years in various films and if you follow him on instagram, you got a quick behind the scenes look at the prep that takes place before filming the upcomig Fast & Furious 7. (I know, I know…when the hell did they get to 7?! You don’t even remember 3-6 coming out!)
Most rappers that we know of have tons of tatts, “bodies marked up like the subway in harlem,” to quote Weezy. In the above clip, Ludacris talks about one of the reasons why he only has so few tattoos. Hint, it has to do with work and time, and if you didn’t know…TIME IS MONEY. Especially when it comes to the process of covering up tattoos. Its just more money that comes out of the client’s pocket to pay the makeup artist or retoucher to get the look that they believe is perfect for the project. If there’s too much time that it takes to cover up ink…(ie you have a ton of tatts) you might lessen your chances of being booked! Thus, no money.
Get my drift?
I’ve mentioned before in a previous post (click here to read it) that tattoos can work against you in the modeling industry and that you should cover them up when attending any casting or when you have booked a job. Your special body art may not work with the look or character that is being portrayed and thus, you should cover up your ink, or if you don’t have any, like me, don’t bother getting any. You’ll save yourself a lot of hassle with potential clients by not having any ink.
Any actors or models out there ever been told about their tattoos at a casting or booking? I’d love to hear your story, comment this post or contact me via Twitter or Instagram – @CompleteBeauty
I’ve said it before in my previous blog posts. Simple and Plain, Plain and Simple. Thats how you want to look when you go for a casting. Check out my video with a bit more detail.
Model Jessica White is working this look that I came across in Pinterest the other day. I was searching for some suggestions on what models should wear to casting calls and this image popped up!
What makes this look perfect is that it is great for attending castings and go sees and for everyday style. How would you wear this style if you don’t have a super model budget? Check out my suggestions where all pieces are priced under $100, enjoy!
**Suggestion for wearing this to a Casting Call – If you are going to wear this look, be sure that whatever shirt you wear with this look is form fitting!
“Casting Couch” The Fashion Show & Swimwear Model Competition
Prize: Paid air fare & hotel for 1 first place Male & 1 first place Female model to Miami to particapate in the Miami Slpash: Dive into Fashion Swimwear Showcase – Catalina Hotel, South Beach Miami, Fl. – July 16, 2011
“Casting Couch” The Fashion Show & Swimwear Model Competition
To take place at the Key Club, 58 Park Pl., Newark, NJ 07102
Fashion Show Date & time TBA –
Female Model Criteria:
Height: 5’7″ to 5’11”
Dress size: 2 to 4
Attractive face
Swimwear model physique
Experience runway walk
NO DIVAS!
Male Model Criteria:
Height: 5’11” to 6’2″
Waist: 32″ to 34″
Attractive face
Muscular physique (comfortable in speedo)
Experienced runway walk
NO DIVOS!
All interested models must email Bernardmoore09@gmail.com the follow to be considered: City & State of residence, 2 swimwear photographs (NO LINKS), measurements (dress/jacket size), bio/resume & complete contact info – Please note: Only emails containing this info will be responded to.
Other than the first prizes of air fare & hotel, the winning models will be paid $75.00 rate to participate in the Miami Fashion Week Show as well as other perks.
