Imagine, you are living your dream life — are you accepting every offer or saying yes to every opportunity? The answer should be no. The answer should be no from the very beginning of your career. Put yourself in the mindset that you are already successful.
Like most of us, I used to base my idea of being a model from America’s Next Top Model. They had us convinced that to be successful, models have to say yes to everything — absolutely not. I can assure you that Bella Hadid and Naomi Campbell are not saying yes to everyone that offers them a modeling job!! If the brand or product do not align with your values, say no! There are an abundance of opportunities available, there will be more opportunities for money, there will be more opportunities for visibility. Value yourself now, the way you want to be valued moving forward; say yes to opportunities that make you excited and that you know you can be proud of the final product. Obviously booking more jobs and making more money is the goal, but that does not mean that you should do whatever it takes to achieve that. I am not telling you that you should never step out of your comfort zone, but to have boundaries for yourself.
There is a difference between modeling something that isn’t your style vs modeling something that goes against your morals. For example, there will be times that the outfit you are modeling is not quite your style, maybe you don’t typically like wearing purple, or the makeup they’ve done for set is heavier than you might normally wear — that is part of the job. What is not part of the job, is modeling an outfit that is more revealing than you are comfortable with. America’s Next Top Model would have made you think everyone has to be comfortable nude to be a successful model. Like I said, there are an abundance of opportunities available, meaning there are an abundance that will be a perfect fit for you, no need to fit yourself for the job.
An example from recently: I was offered a casting for a music video for a popular country artist. I would have been playing the lead role. The job would be great exposure and great pay, but the artist has multiple times been known to use racial slurs and blatantly disregard the safety of people around them. PASS!! No amount of money should convince you to endorse something that you do not believe in!!
With the popularity of social media, this is easier advice to follow than ever. Brands are booking more and more models, because in addition to coming out with a new campaign every season, they are posting on their social media accounts every day! Meaning they need to hire enough models to have something to post every day. The other positive to social media is that you can be your own visibility. Brands and modeling agencies use social media all the time to scout models. If you post content that aligns with your values & interests, you will attract clients that align with your values & interests. Use this to your advantage & be real. If you’re being honest with yourself as a consumer, we love authentic, and social media provides the perfect opportunity for that. Social media gives us an opportunity to create a personal brand rather than being a mannequin for brands. An amazing example of this is model, Salem Mitchell — she was discovered on Instagram and has continued to post content that is true to her personality, which has lead her to major campaigns, including a recent collaboration with GAP where she helped create an entire line designed around her personal style. She has also been able to create a unique, personal brand, “Salem Goods,” that has seen success with her audience. Stories like this always make me excited to see where my modeling journey leads to.
Something I tell myself literally every day, “I attract opportunities that align with my skills, passions, and values.” Opportunities are abundant, you will attract opportunities that align with your skills, passions, and values. It is much more fulfilling to look back and be proud of your work and proud of yourself for always having integrity. So remember, it’s ok to say, “No.”
