The Physical Reality of Being a Model Written by Rick Trottier – RJT Images/Light Works Studio

While it is often that I denounce the state of modern life and culture, there are many things about our world today that are superior to the past. One of them is the acceptance of diversity. Embracing a more diverse society has opened doors for many groups of people politically, socially and economically. And one place that is far more open-minded than has ever been is modeling.
Once upon a time, a model had to be very slender, very tall, have no real feminine curves and sport no body decorations of any kind. Times have certainly changed. Models come in all shapes and sizes, are of all ethnicities, have all types of body décor and can be of any style of fashion for hair and makeup that can be imagined. But one thing that has NOT changed is that models have to be fit. That does NOT mean a model has to be skinny. In fact, thin models are too often not in appropriate physical condition at all. Fit means that a model has to be able to stand up to the physical demands of this industry, at a shoot, from week to week and as the months stretch into years. Too often young women are not prepared for the physically demanding realities of what modeling really means.

During the first half hour of a shoot many years ago, I once had a young lady tell me that she thought modeling would be easy, that she would just stand around looking pretty and she was shocked at how HARD it was. As years of photography have stretched into decades, I come back to that statement time and again, especially as I have watched the young women of my studio climb the ladder of the professional ranks. Modeling is hard work, even though it may seem simple and glamorous to the uninitiated. The many demands on a girl are what often grind them down and wear them out before they reach their late 20s. While the emotional/psychological strictures of The Industry are often the most punishing, the physical aspects of modeling are the obvious daily toil of the business, and anyone entering this field needs to go in with eyes wide open as to what is expected.
You can read more of this article in our May/June issue of ModelsMania