in the show, but this time she was experiencing the planning and stylizing that goes on behind the scene instead. At last, Sarah is greeted by a wave of applause as she walks onto the runway to introduce herself, be recognized for her hard work, and get the show started.
Photograph taken by Becca Saulsberry
The Basics and Categories of Modeling The fashion industry is not for everyone, but for some girls, including Sarah, they are ready for a career at their age. They love what they do. They enjoy organizing events, stylizing, modeling, and networking. They crave the eyes of an audience, the rush of
“I would love to make a career out of modeling because it is such a creative industry!” walking on a runway. They crave the excitement from being featured on a finished product, the feel of a paycheck in their hands. The fashion industry is often much more complex and exciting than some outsiders believe. The fashion industry is composed of the designing and modeling industries. Designers have their own work, but within the modeling industry there are different types of modeling. There are categories including runway, print, commercial, beauty, and fashion. Runway models walk in fashion shows, usually on a catwalk in order to show off a designer’s clothes or designs. Print models pose for photographs to use for advertisements, posters, billboards, etc. The commercial, beauty, and fashion categories are related to the style of
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the modeling. Commercial modeling promotes everyday clothing or products for the “average people”. For example, modeling for commercial print could be posing for photographs to be in a department store catalogue. Beauty modeling is for modeling makeup or skincare products and consists of only print jobs, no runway. Also, photographs for beauty are usually close-ups. Fashion modeling, or sometimes called high fashion modeling, includes runway and print. Shows and photo shoots are usually categorized as high fashion when they are for well-known designers. High fashion designs are typically more outrageous and worn by celebrities for exotic events or used as inspiration for toned-down versions for everyday people. Versace and Chanel are examples of high fashion designers. Each category of modeling has different requirements or preferences. Female runway models are preferred to be between 5’8” and 6’ for most jobs
Photograph taken by Julia Fennell
and sometimes have a required dress size range. The body type of a beauty model will not matter very much, but they do need to have good skin. Sarah Gardner, a senior at Hyde Park High School who does plenty of modeling, but has also started actually organizing and stylizing for fashion shows, does mostly high fashion print, but also some commercial and more recently runway, as well. Brigid Flanagan, also a high school senior but at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy High School, started modeling doing unpaid runway shows and promotional ads. “I never even thought about modeling as a possibility until about a year and a half ago, when I got chosen to do a photoshoot with American Apparel and ended up on their website. I’ve loved it ever since,” she explains.
Is This the Right Career Path for You? Brigid says the modeling industry can be risky, with a not all models actually becoming successful with the career. It is definitely not right for some people. Responsibilities of models include paid jobs such as runway shows or photo shoots, and also networking to find new jobs and connections, promoting a client’s products, and other various tasks possibly including speaking in public or helping host an event. Although for some it is effortless, for others it’s not always easy to be a model who must almost constantly be professional and social. “The hardest part of modeling is probably being on the move constantly and being away from the normal life you knew before. It’s very fast paced and the industry is constantly looking for new faces. It’s easy to be replaced quickly by another face!” says Sarah, bringing up a helpful point that actually getting started in the industry and staying in presents a difficult aspect of modeling. Brigid says for her, “The hardest part is making time to do it all; since it’s not a day to day job with a set schedule, it’s hard to plan your life around modeling, and you have to end up missing many modeling opportunities.” For example, there are groups on social networking sites, like Facebook, that