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height requirement in modeling Industry
the height req in order to be a model should still be used when looking for models for agencies. whats with this 5'6 stuff? yeah you can be beautiful and 5'6, but you need to have something amazing, you know to compensate for not being 5'8 or 5'9. Okay, kate moss, she goes without saying, shes a veteran and well....gorgeous. what do all of you think? Jul 26 05 02:14 am Link Depends on the area of modeling. 5'6" is usually okay for commercial print. Jul 26 05 02:31 am Link trUE. Jul 26 05 02:34 am Link Runway fashion models need to be tall. I think 5'9" is a typical cutoff. Regular commercial models doing catalogs and whatnot - can be all shapes and sizes - it really depends on the type of job. Sometimes a particular look in a particular market will be better for a particular agency. Jul 27 05 01:21 am Link Most of the models I shoot for "print" are not even clsoe to 5'10" ... the standard for tradition ramp work. Height should not be an obstacle to modeling if you've got a "look" that photographs well! That's my opinion ... Jul 27 05 01:27 am Link Agency rosters are typically limited in numbers of those represented based on client demand / bookings. They choose and market models based on what make business sense, not just adding those based on building a stable of models. It doesn't make sense for the agency to take on those under 5'8 in many cases, when most at 5'8 and above will do just fine in either fashion or commercial print. While it could (as opposed to usually) be considered ok, shorter in stature models do not crossover to other areas thus the reason agencies reserve most opportunity for those that do. It's a numbers situation in the amount of models an agency chooses to represent. That is the main obstacle, not whether one has the "look" that photographs well. Agencies that require those short in stature for assignment will seek those out on an individual case basis, more so than having those on roster to pull from. It isn't to say those under 5'8 can't model. It just limits the opportunity to freelance work and the Internet where client and business requirements aren't as demanding. Jul 27 05 08:15 am Link My they told my daughter 5' 8" was cut off for runway. Jul 27 05 08:27 am Link How tall is Kate moss.. just wondering 5'6/5'7? Jul 27 05 09:09 am Link Posted by Gargi Patel: She is an exception that proves the rule. Don't worry, 5'4" is too short for anything but promotional and internet modeling. Jul 27 05 09:14 am Link It doesn't matter how tall Kate Moss is - you are not her. I'm not trying to be hard but Kate has had a career of, what, 15 years, and STILL her's is the only name that gets brought up as supposed proof that height doesn't matter 'like it used to'. Jul 27 05 09:22 am Link Posted by Gargi Patel: Kate is 5'7 (when stretching her waif frame). She is an exception due to being plucked at the ripe age of 14 with a great look. Jul 27 05 09:23 am Link Posted by XtremeArtists: Posted by Gargi Patel: She is an exception that proves the rule. Don't worry, 5'4" is too short for anything but promotional and internet modeling. Gosh XA! You ruined my day!! LOL Jul 27 05 09:31 am Link Posted by area291: That was one of the most intellegent things I have read in awhile. I do commercial work mainly and a tiny bit of fashion editorial. I run into a commercial model under 5'8 so rarely I can't even recall at the moment anyone. There is a very small nitch martket for shorter models and unfortunately there are so many people in that nitch that the money is poor very poor and the work unless you're an exhibitionist isn't all that fun. Jul 27 05 11:02 am Link Posted by Mary: Great point Mary. Jul 27 05 11:14 am Link I hate to disagree with Mary (Hi Mary!), but my experience is different. Lifestyle ("commercial print" vs. the fashion industry idea of "commercial") modeling does generally favor models 5'6" and over, but there are a lot of models that are shorter. Major commercial agencies in NY have no problem signing a 5'4" girl if she has the right look. This is not to say the short people are taking the industry by storm, but there are opportunities. There are many more openings for taller girls, but 5'4" is not an automatic disqualifier, especially for minority women. When I worked there we would have clients specifically ask for girls (and guys, but not as much) that would make their product look larger, hence shorter (and correspondingly thinner) models got the castings. Interior automobile shots, airline ads shot inside the cabin, extra large or family size products, are a few that we booked that I can think of off the top of my head. The competition for the available slots is huge, and most shorter girls do not have a chance, just because of that. But, there are shorter models making a full time living in NY. Not a lot, but some. Kate Moss is a fashion model. Different culture altogether. In the fashion world, the agencies have a lot to do with what the designers think they want. So do the photographers (the top fashion photographers, not the rest of us) and the "in crowd". Devon Aoki is touted as being 5'7", and she is maybe 5'5". But, she probably weighed 85 lbs. She looks (looked, in 2001 or 2, when I met her) like a real fashion model, only shorter. When she got into the industry, her father owned the Benihana resturant chain (he got lots of money). One of his best friends is one of the top fashion photographers in Tokyo. Her god-mother was well connected in the business in NYC. And, Devon is a delightful creature. Very different from her photos, she has a smile that lights up a room. Most importantly, she understands the business and how it works. This is what she was doing as a high-school senior; http://devonaoki.free.fr/detail/new.htm … tview.html (Somebody wanna help me learn how to make a link in these threads? Please?) Anyway, back to the subject, realistic chances for 5' short" models. Take a look at the women's boards of the commercial print agencies in NY. You will find that probably 10-20% of their girls are under 5'7". Not a lot of opportunity, but not none, either. Hoot P.S. All models shouild take (legitimate) acting classes. That's what a commercial print model is. An actor at 1/125th of a second. Jul 27 05 12:18 pm Link most models I encounter who are smaller are actually actresses who do modeling for more money. They almost all say what they want to be is an actress, not a model. The only exceptions(I have encountered) are fetish/goth models,and one or two dancers Star Jul 27 05 12:58 pm Link Depends on what you want to do. My ex-mother-in-law says most of the actresses she worked with on the SciFi channel were usually not much over 5 ft. Dita Von Teese is only 5'1" but you can't really tell that from her photos.  Jul 27 05 01:06 pm Link Posted by Josie Nutter: True about Dita, although she is one of the few making a fulltime living as a fetish model in print. Jul 27 05 01:14 pm Link Ya, I agree height only matters most in fashion and runway work. If you look at many of the most popular glamour models, most of them are 5'7 and under. Jul 27 05 01:29 pm Link Posted by MichaelBell: Define glamour model please. Jul 27 05 01:34 pm Link Posted by XtremeArtists: Posted by MichaelBell: Define glamour model please. How about the centerfolds in Playboy? I went through my collection, and it seems the average is 5'6" with some being as short as 5''2" on occasion. Not that many Playboy centerfolds are taller than 5' 8"! Two successful "Internet" glamour models I know are barely 5' tall, and one was in a recent Playboy edition! She is on Model Mayhem # 4918, Luana! While Patty of PattycakeOnline is so content with her $20,000+ gross monthly income that she does not bother with model listing places like this anymore. (She lives in the North mid-USA, not as expensive to live as here in California.) Jul 27 05 02:23 pm Link Posted by Patrick Walberg: Posted by XtremeArtists: Posted by MichaelBell: Define glamour model please. How about the centerfolds in Playboy? I went through my collection, and it seems the average is 5'6" with some being as short as 5''2" on occasion. Not that many Playboy centerfolds are taller than 5' 8"! Two successful "Internet" glamour models I know are barely 5' tall, and one was in a recent Playboy edition! She is on Model Mayhem # 4918, Luana! While Patty of PattycakeOnline is so content with her $20,000+ gross monthly income that she does not bother with model listing places like this anymore. (She lives in the North mid-USA, not as expensive to live as here in California.) How much of that applies to the original poster? Jul 27 05 02:27 pm Link Posted by XtremeArtists: Posted by Patrick Walberg: Posted by XtremeArtists: Posted by MichaelBell: Define glamour model please. How about the centerfolds in Playboy? I went through my collection, and it seems the average is 5'6" with some being as short as 5''2" on occasion. Not that many Playboy centerfolds are taller than 5' 8"! Two successful "Internet" glamour models I know are barely 5' tall, and one was in a recent Playboy edition! She is on Model Mayhem # 4918, Luana! While Patty of PattycakeOnline is so content with her $20,000+ gross monthly income that she does not bother with model listing places like this anymore. (She lives in the North mid-USA, not as expensive to live as here in California.) How much of that applies to the original poster? We are talking about "height requirment in the modeling industry" ... as far as I know print and glamour are still considered part of the "industry!" Jul 27 05 02:30 pm Link Ya, what Patrick said :-D Jul 27 05 03:29 pm Link Posted by Star: As both an actor and a model, they starve slower! Jul 27 05 04:47 pm Link Modeling industry is a pretty widespread topic. I'm in school for fashion design and they teach in our sketching classes to draw our figures longer by a few inches than a typical life size person. It makes the clothes look incredible for skinny and lanky. I'm 5'2 and I would kill to do runway and I hate the height requirement but I understand it. Commercial work its more about porpotions, is your torso way bigger than the length of your legs and what not. There are oppourtunites for shorter models you just have to work that much harder than someone that has the height. Its like plus size models theres plenty of work out there but you really have to get yourself out there if your going to make it. Jul 27 05 05:00 pm Link Posted by Patrick Walberg: Internet glamour is part of the "industry" the way your local beer league baseball team is part of the major league baseball "industry" Jul 27 05 05:04 pm Link Dita Von Teese is only 5'1" but you can't really tell that from her photos. May have something to do with the footwear =+) Jul 27 05 05:06 pm Link Posted by Aaron_H: Posted by Patrick Walberg: Internet glamour is part of the "industry" the way your local beer league baseball team is part of the major league baseball "industry" Modeling for photos (digital or film) is MODELING, just as much as "modeling" for a college art, or modeling in fashion shows. It's a different approach for each, but it's still MODELING. Jul 27 05 09:47 pm Link Posted by Aaron_H: Posted by Patrick Walberg: Internet glamour is part of the "industry" the way your local beer league baseball team is part of the major league baseball "industry" hear hear Jul 27 05 09:58 pm Link Normal size which is formerly known as plus size is gaining notoriety with add companies. I've received half dozen requests for plus size model tests over the last few weeks. So as long as the model is height and weight proportion, there will be a nitch. Jul 27 05 10:06 pm Link This is a common misunderstanding. In reality, height is not a factor in 95% of the available work in our industry. The most successful print models on our roster are all under 5'8". It's all about proportion and facial features, not height. Jul 28 05 11:31 am Link Posted by C R Photography: Plus size women (I shoot their portfolios too!) do not have "normal size", e.g., an average 5'7" woman may weigh (depending on build, muscle densitiy, body composition) anywhere between 125 to 135/140 lbs. Dress sizes that are "normal" are 4 to 8. Jul 28 05 11:51 am Link Posted by Udo R Photography: LMFAO!! Best post I have seen in awhile! Jul 28 05 12:12 pm Link |
