Ask Fashion Girl

Dear Taranekia:

For so many of us, being a model is a dream career! Being able to strut the runway in lovely designer clothes is a great ambition, but it's not like other careers where you can advance yourself through hard work and education. The qualifications for being a model are extremely narrow. Basically, the requirements are extreme height, thinness, youth, and beauty--no training or education needed. After that, it would depend on your ability to"walk"the runway and be photogenic and spontaneous in front of the camera. You definitely don't have to go to any school or classes to become a model, so don't believe anyone who tells you that you have to.

If you're interested in modeling, you do have to be wary of crooked modeling agencies and schools that claim they'll get you work if you pay them money upfront or insist that you pay for expensive modeling photos. These scam artists prey on teens that have hopes of a modeling career, but they just take your money.

Legitimate modeling agencies do not ask for any money upfront -- THEY pay YOU (actually, they get you the job and the client pays you). The agency takes their cut out of the money that you've earned, but only AFTER you've finished doing the job they got for you.

A model doesn't take home a steady paycheck. The career is freelance, on a job-by-job basis. Many models are only able to make a part-time living from their modeling jobs. There aren't any traditional benefits in modeling, such as health insurance or 401Ks. You would have to pay for your own health insurance and save for your future out of your earnings. Some of the benefits that modeling might bring would be travel and wearing beautiful clothes.

If modeling is the career for you, a legitimate modeling agency can tell from a snapshot of you in casual clothes without makeup. Find out more about modeling agencies that are looking for new talent inThe Complete Idiot's Guide to Being A Modelby Roshumba Williams, available at Amazon.com or your public library.

If being a model isn't in the cards, you can still get a daily dose of fashion and clothes by having a career in the fashion industry! This is an area where a formal education and working hard will pay off. For more information on the many careers available in the fashion biz, check out FIDM's Majors section. There definitely is a place for you on the other side of the camera!

Sincerely, Fashion Girl