Pros and Cons of Professional Modeling

Like many professions or careers, there are always positives to the position that we enjoy and negatives that we wish we could ignore. While society looks at professional modeling as glamorous and sexy, the truth is modeling is just a job for the girls who participate.

Professional models enjoy many advantages in being a model. Especially models with top agencies or high profile companies. Some of the more obvious “pros” of being a model are:

• Elevated Status – Once a woman becomes a top model, her status is elevated to that of royalty or celebrity. She is provided preferential treatment making all the right connections and mingling with all the right people.
• Lucrative Contracts – Have you heard the expression by many female actresses and models who state “I don’t get out of bed for anything under $10,000”? Earning the position of top model status provides a very healthy bank account. Top models are paid large sums of money for their work and can earn millions of dollars for their faces and bodies.
• Rich Lifestyle – Top models tend to live a life of luxury buying fancy cars, expensive clothes and mansions.
• Beautiful Location Shoots – It would be a major opportunity to be able to go to exotic places like African Deserts, the North Pole, Australia and around the globe.
• Segway to Other Opportunities and Endorsements - Modeling provides exposure for other opportunities. Companies may request a model to endorse their products, producers may want the model in their movies, or the model might even be given her own talk show or reality show.

Unfortunately, professional modeling has an extremely seedy side and one that was historically ignored as just being part of the trade. Today, however, society is becoming more aware of the dark side of modeling and is taking steps to improve the plight of many models. Here are some of the factors that have plagued professional modeling and are considered “cons” to participating in the profession.

• Porn Movies and Websites – Should a woman legitimately decide to become a porn star, that is her business. The problem is many young women are lured and forced into the business with the promise of moving on to modeling. Many ads are placed advertising for models when in fact, once the girls arrive they are expected to participate in adult movies.
• Anorexia and Obsession with Weight – Much has been written lately about the modeling industry’s obsession with weight and specifically eating. Models are literally skin and bones, their bodies fading away to nothing. And it is not just the perception of the models but also the industry as a whole, which encourages destructive behavior. The problem is only the models get hurt, some even dying in the name of “thin”. Recently, however, countries and organizations around the globe have started to take steps to change this attitude and actually ban the use of paper thin models.
• Poor Role Models – Models in many instances are poor role models for young girls. Skinny models that do not eat present bad images to impressionable girls. In addition, it is unrealistic for girls to think that anybody and everybody can be a model.
• Body and Age Enemies – Traditionally a model’s greatest enemies have been her body and her age. Many models are “thrown away” when their bodies mature. One trend, though, that seems to be making some progress is the use of older models for long established companies promoting the older age bracket.
• Money Scams – Scam artists pretending to be agents, brokers for modeling agencies and certain “glamour shot” operators pry on young girls and women taking their money with the promise of making them a model or finding them agents.
• Hectic Schedules – Location shoots, traveling to work usually by plane, early mornings preparing for the shoot and late nights make it difficult for models to properly rest.
• Career vs. Motherhood – Because of the hectic schedules, the “thin is great” philosophy and the fact that pregnant models are not readily in demand, many women struggle with the career versus motherhood dilemma. Unless she wants to instantly give up her modeling contract, becoming pregnant is almost impossible.