Opposite to what the international catwalks might make you believe, models didn't just fall from heaven with powerful walks, perfect poses and just the coolest attitudes. It all comes from somewhere. Here are 3 attributes that make you model material.
1) Confidence
The secret to success in many careers is the same: confidence. Dream big to fuel your self-esteem and don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Say yes to opportunities and thank you for the compliments. The feedback you receive and the experiences you gain make you a competent and skilled professional.
If you don't have any modeling experience yet, I recommend taking baby steps. Literally, fake it 'til you make it. Start by just meeting up with a few artistic friends and having a fun DIY photoshoot in a location you feel comfortable at. Enjoy living out your creativity. Discover your most powerful assets like your warm smile or your lean arms and emphasize them in poses you looked up in fashion magazines or Pinterest photographs. Use your creative freedom and experiment with new backdrops, styles and moods. The more just-for-fun modeling you do, the less stressful real-life modeling situations will be later.
Practicing portraits at home with my brother.
A good tip to stay confident in the long run is to see everything as a learning process. Don't get frustrated on bad days. I, too, cringe about some of my past performances and honestly, I was close to quitting modeling after a terrible fashion show. But I didn't let it drag me down and learned from it.
2) Endurance
Fashion is a bit like food. When cooking, you may spend a couple of hours in the kitchen just to create a dish that gets eaten in a few minutes. In fashion, photoshoots usually take no less than 3 hours and that's excluding prep-time for hair, make-up and clothes.
I've spent whole days on my feet, going through all the poses I know, just to get 3 photos in the end. Does that mean the team is untalented? Not at all. It simply reflects the team's pursuit of perfection: remove the hair that's sticking to the lipstick, put the hand up a little higher, adjust the lighting or remove the necklace. Stand a bit more to the right, no, a step to the left again and who turned off the fan?
We spent the day inside and outside to capture the perfect image...
... and here's one of the results.
As much as communication is important at a set or backstage at a runway show, endurance is key to processing the commands all day long. It takes mental strength to stay attentive and polite. Depending on the number of models and looks, breaks might be rare and eating might ruin your make-up, so practice patience.
3) Körpergefühl
The longer I live abroad, the more I appreciate those unique German terms that describe highly-specific sentiments. One of them is Körpergefühl, the feeling for and awareness of your own body. Remember this word since it will turn out to be useful in everyday life and modeling situations alike.
Every gesture you make and every glance you give tells a story. As a beginner, learn how to use your body as a storytelling tool by actively registering what you do and how you do it. Is your back straight when you sit and are your feet parallel when you stand? Then, think about the meaning you convey with your body. What impression does it give when you cross your arms this way or tilt your head that way? Lastly, improve your expressions. Make your gestures bigger and your glances more intense to convey more meaning. Practice in the mirror to check on the quality of your efforts.
My body might look relaxed but keeping this pose was exhausting.
If you have a good Körpergefühl, you are aware of the size of your body, its movements and its boundaries. You know its physical but also visual strengths and limitations. For example, one of my strengths are my slim fingers while I consider my flat head (I call it my "pancake face") a limitation. This might sound weird, but when putting this knowledge into practice, I always know which body parts to highlight and which ones to hide. That's basically why I prefer frontal portrait photos in contrast to profile images. In short, when choosing poses, I use my Körpergefühl to my advantage.
As long as you feel confident, show endurance and have a well-trained Körpergefühl, you're all set to live up to your dreams. Even if you're not planning on becoming the next Giselle Bündchen, these 3 attributes will help you advance in life as you'll feel more assertive, show more patience and act more consciously.
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