I don't know if you remember me telling you this but I used to model. I was signed with Wilhelmina in NYC from the time I was 14 to 17. I was reminiscing about my modeling experience with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law while watching the Victorias Secret Fashion show yesterday... it's a whole different world! When I was modeling I was more than 30 pounds less than what I am right now and they wanted me to lose another 5 pounds... they said I had "baby fat" in my cheeks. Oh and did I mention who told me that? My modeling agent named... Pink. Yes, HIS name was pink. I couldn't make this stuff up people.
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| They wanted me to lose more weight... even as thin as I was here! |
I went out to NYC a few times, for about two weeks at a time. I got a few jobs but what my agents were really wanting me to do was drop out of high school. "You just can't get known here doing this part time" they'd say. Me, as a little fame hungry high school student, probably would have considered it if I didn't have my mom to knock some sense into me and say, "No, she's not dropping out of high school. That isn't even an option."
Did I mention they wanted me to get a nose job? When I was 14!! My one agent Becky was suggesting for me to get a nose job for some "bump" that I still don't see to this day. It's a tough world out there!
Each couple of days you go into the agency to get your measurements done for your "comp card" that you bring to all of your castings. They weigh you, measure your bust, hips, and waist. I remember them measuring my waste at 25 inches... when the agent said that the other agent overheard her and said, "Measure her again I'm sure it's less than that". It wasn't hahaha. And I don't know if you've ever measured your waist but 25 inches is so small... I'm no where near that right now!
You spend your days walking around NYC and from subway to subway going to castings and you're shoved in rooms with sometimes 100 other BEAUTIFUL girls. A lot of times they have you strip down to your bathing suit (that you have to bring with you to all your castings) and then you go in front of like four people in charge of the shoot, they analyze every part of you, tell you thanks for your time and send you off.
In NYC they can get away with paying their models a lot less than in Utah... supply and demand right? There are so many models in NYC willing to accept any pay... Utah there is much less. Typically the jobs pay around 400-500 dollars a day. You hear that and you think oh my gosh that's a ton! But here's the catch, you don't get jobs every day. In fact, you're lucky to get a job once a week.
And even at that it barely covers the cost of model housing. Sounds glamorous doesn't it? Model housing. You almost imagine chandeliers, fur rugs, a chef... but you couldn't be more far off! Model housing is a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment with four bunk beds in it... Housing 8 models. The apartments are totally run down and so small. I mean you have to be DEDICATED to the industry to want to live in those bad boys. My mom and I stayed in the apartments one year and we noticed that the other models in there just weren't eating. My mom thought it was because they weren't getting enough money to pay their rent and buy food too so we brought them out to dinner one night... I'm not sure if it was a money issue or simply the demands to be so thin in the modeling industry.
The first time I was out there I got a job with Hollister. They flew all of the models out Jacksonville Florida which was fun. Hollister and Abercrombie are sister companies so Abercrombie was shooting at the same time. The shoot was with the photographer Bruce Weber who apparently was a huge photographer in the modeling industry (I had no idea). Most of the models on the Hollister shoot were flown out with their mom's because they were young... between 14 and 16 years old.
The models all went out to eat the night after the shoot and then they went back to someone's room that had came without a parent. Someone had bought all of the minors alcohol and everyone was getting drunk except for me... as soon as I caught on to what was going on I left back to my room with my mom. Who buys all those minors alcohol and how did none of the parents catch onto the fact their children all came back to their room totally wasted? I mean maybe they just didn't care? I don't even know.
My point is, you have to have a healthy dose of you're own self confidence to enter the modeling world... or else they can shoot you right down. They're brutal and everything is based off of looks, only looks. I talked to another model who left the industry and she said she just didn't like it because it's such a superficial industry (obviously) but a lot of the time you're no more than a pretty face and people don't care about what's inside your brain or what you have to say.
I don't mean to rag on the modeling industry, I've made a lot of great friends in the modeling industry and not all clients want you to be anorexic skinny. Just healthy... and those clients are awesome! After this baby I would consider getting into the industry again... at least here in Utah as a supplemental income.
I guess I was just motivated to write this post after watching the Victoria's Secret Fashion show (which I LOVE don't get me wrong) but they just make it look SO glamorous... and that's often not the case! If you don't have a strong sense of who you are it could be so easy to lose yourself in that industry... they'd eat you alive. Luckily I had a mom who was always telling me that I was so beautiful so when they were telling me to lose weight and get a nose job it didn't even leave a dent in my self esteem.
When I was younger I thought that being a successful model would be what brought me happiness. Little did I know that having a happy marriage, loyal companion, and a sweet little boy would bring me more joy than I ever could imagine. My little boy Jake spreads a smile across my face that no one ever could. Watching him grow, develop, and love more and more ever day is more fulfilling than modeling ever could be for me.
And at the end of the day, I'm all about experiencing as much life as possible. And THAT was definitely an experience :)
XOXO Britney
P.S. Sometimes I'm great at updating my blog, sometimes I'm a little slow... but I'm really good at updating my Instagram. If you want to follow me closer you can find me on insta at @britneymunday. Thanks for reading!
I liked reading this. There are so many different aspects on the spectrum of the world of looks. And I think its important that you mentioned that self esteem is important. Self esteem of our own intellect and our divine worth. I had a friend that is gorgeous but would never let anyone photograph her. She is also a fitness trainer. When she became in engaged and married, I was her photographer. Later, she wrote me and told me about a complex that she developed as a child. Her mother was always telling her how gorgeous she was and was focusing on that solely, it made her feel inadequate in so many other ways- But the connection her and I shared- (I was her RS pres in the YSA ward) allow her to feel comfortable because I spent my interaction with her complimenting her spiritual insights. Because I knew her as a spirit too- I came up with some of the best images I've shot- I think because of that connection.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post!
I think a lot of models end up having problems with that... the industry is only focused on looks so they end up focusing their self worth on just their looks. Which is totally sad! I love your insight!
DeleteThe more you know.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine being told to need a nose job at 14 and still having self confidence in yourself. A 25" waist? Holy crap...
Jen@jpabstfitness
Right?? The more I think about it the more I realize how crazy it was!
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