That probably doesn't make any sense, does it? What I mean to say is that while I do model and it's a big part of my life, I don't act like it...unless I'm giving advice or something about it.
My model persona is different from the everyday person I am. I don't go into my regular 9-5 as a model and I believe that the model attitude and tendencies need to be left at the photo shoot. It isn't necessary to always look the part, unless you're modeing full-time and getting paid well, then of course you need to be "on" at all times.
But if you're not at that level, keep yourself humble. If I'm not at a photo shoot or speaking in front of the public, I could care less how I look. For work, I roll out of bed, into jeans, a pullover sweater and sneakers and that's my uniform. No makeup, no fancy hairstyles. It's funny because my coworkers know when I've been doing something related to modeling or acting because I'll come in dolled up, with my hair down.
My resume and talent speaks for itself--I don't need to on a daily basis. As I sat at my latest audition for an NBC show, the girl next to me asked me to check her makeup. I told her she was cool and we began to talk about how much we hated putting on makeup. The show I was auditioning for called for all types of people, not just models but we had to be in full makeup. She looked shocked when I told her that I detest putting on foundation and a whole layer of makeup.
"But you're a model, right?" she asked me. I told her yeah, but that I was the most anti-model model she'd ever meet. She laughed and actually thanked me for telling her that because, according to her, "I had this whole image of models who only care about makeup and what they're wearing. You totally just destroyed that negative image I had. Thank you."
That made me feel so great. The saying really is true that if you can affect even one person, you're doing a good job. Of course, I don't let my looks go all to hell on a daily basis. I will get dolled up if I have to go somewhere or if I'm running errands, but I still wear little to no makeup. That's just me. So don't feel like you're required to look the part all the time. It's fun to me to blow people away when they see my photos online or in a publication. I've been called a chameleon and I take that as a compliment. I want to be accessable and approachable to people and it's hard to do that when you're always looking like you're about to walk down a runway 24/7. I like to breathe and wear regular clothes and look like a regular person.
People notice you faster and you leave a lasting impression when people see you as a regular person and then see your model persona. If you're always glammed up, people get used to that and don't tend to care much. But if you keep your looks on the down-low then when your model alter ego comes out, it causes waves. That's the kind of attention I like. I'd rather hear people say, "Wow, she looks great, I didn't know she modeled!" instead of, "Oh, that's how she always looks."
Always keep 'em guessing...
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