Dummy

In modern mythology, created by our valiant media, “The Tale of Model Business” is perhaps one of the most beloved and attractive. "Glossy" journalists wonder their eating their bread. It is their diligence that the model profession has recently become so popular in our country that all young people, who you ask, are either models or are going to become them soon, at least. In the mass consciousness there was a stereotype about the life of models, as an eternal celebration with lunch breaks. Everyone also wants to be famous and get fabulous fees for it. All, as usual, are looking for easy ways, forgetting that they are not there. I have been associated with the domestic (and not only) fashion industry for so long that I cannot deny myself the pleasure of exposing some of its unsightly sides to our readers. So…

HOW TO BECOME A MODEL

I must immediately warn you - to become a model is not easy ... but very simple. Today, for those who want to star, dozens, if not hundreds of model schools, in which highly experienced experts promise to make a beautiful swan even from the ugliest duckling. True, in order for the fairy-tale transformation to turn out to be irreversible, you need to have two very desirable qualities for your benefactors: children's trustfulness and readiness to part without regrets, not a children's amount of money. So what to do? Materialization of our dreams sometimes costs us dearly. It happens that some naive citizens, who are not fully aware of all the benefits of their future position, are trying to ask ... um ... certain guarantees about their, so to speak, investments. Weird people. It would be better to think about what irrecoverable loss will be incurred by the modeling business if they do not cease to insist on their ...

At the end of the short-term courses (the educational process in such schools they try not to delay, in order to pile up as many sufferers as possible), newly-worn demonstrators of clothing are issued certificates with the award of the honorary title of the top model! And do not be confused by such a high assessment of your career that has not yet taken place. You wanted to be the second Klava Slate? You have become her! Next, you are strongly offered to capture this wonderful moment on the film. Perhaps you are lucky and a professional will take it. In fact, the photos are the business card of the model, so saving them on you, in any case, will not work. I know one unfortunate who paid about a thousand dollars for the dubious pleasure of seeing his non-photogenicity in overexposed images. Unfortunately, this was his first and last shooting. He was no longer a model ...

PROFESSION COSTS

From the side it seems - what happiness has fallen! You put on a satin jacket and you walk with a flying walk amongst charming women. It's like in the theater. The audience sees only the final result, and many hours of rehearsal remain behind the scenes. But behind the scenes and there is no time for jokes. Once during the shooting of a music video for half an hour I was laid face down in the snow. The shooting turned out beautiful, you can't say anything, but I still cannot watch this video without a shudder. After all, on the street at that moment was minus twenty ... No, actually, complaining about this profession is anger for God. Good job. In that case, if it is. More often, just looking for her. Armed with a portfolio (an album in which the best photos are collected), you envelop the thresholds of various agencies, try out the castings and spend a lot of time and effort on self-promotion. Waiting, empty trips, but otherwise it is impossible - you will remain without earning ...

Speaking of money. The talk of a town was a statement by a western top diva (I’ll tell you that it was Linda Evangelista for crossword lovers), who asserts that she does not get out of bed for less than 10000 dollars. We would have her problems. Russian models work almost for pennies and do not buzz. (I can imagine how this lady would laugh in her bed, having learned that many of our fashion models work for free at the High Fashion Shows in Moscow. It’s believed that girls should be grateful to the organizers for the very possibility of participating in such a prestigious event, since this contributes to their further promotion). Alas, you can work indefinitely in the field of the domestic fashion business. Indirectly, the whole country will know you through clips and commercials, but this will not affect your earnings. Prices, both for beginners and professionals, are the same ...

There is another paradox of success. The more successful the work was, the brighter the advertising image turned out - the more difficult it will be to use in the future. At customers, you begin to associate with an already advertised product, and of course, give them new, fresh faces. Often models are invited to take part in the so-called "low-budget projects." That is, the company pays you, as for an ordinary shooting day, and then builds its advertising campaign on the footage. You become the “face of the product” for a long time, although you don’t win. Add to this the incredible arrogance of some customers who refuse to pay legal fees for honest work. (However, with such monsters have to face not only models ...).

Another person who has decided to go on the podium, must be prepared for inappropriate and, to put it mildly, attitude towards himself from those around him. For some reason, model work is considered the exclusive prerogative of idlers and narcissists. The man in the street thinks like this - for example, the beauty of these mannequins cannot be taken away, but we will deny them their intellect, decency and self-esteem. Negligent attitude to the "hangers" shines through even at the casting. You choose, feel, look in the teeth - "good product". No one is interested, you are a genius or an idiot, a scoundrel or a man with a capital letter. Here they only look at whether your face will successfully associate with potential buyers with a new model of washing powder ...

Sometimes it takes a lot of courage (or absolute immorality) for a model to agree to participate in some outrageous shoot. Today, no one is interested in making just advertising. Give the people spectacles—kissing boys, for example, or underage girls in frivolous lingerie. Fashion designers and image makers bend over backwards, trying to please the crowd (or, as happens more often, to impose their tastes on it). Thus, a group of criminals sentenced to death was selected for the promotion of a well-known company. The poor fellows were dressed in branded clothes, photographed and... hanged on the street. So far only in the form of billboards. Enjoy, good people! You can, of course, argue until you’re blue in the face about the morality of this approach, but “people eat it.” And nothing…

OPTIONS

Unlike the female 90-60-90, clear parameters of the ideal figure for men do not exist. Of course, tall and athletic build are desirable. But often in our work, these seemingly obvious advantages turn into a disadvantage. It is no secret that the era of nedomorkov reigns in fashion now. The twentieth century, having grown old, lost all its masculinity. For several years now, on the podiums of the whole world, nondescript creatures with effeminate figures walk and stumble. Is it any wonder that when foreign designers bring their collections to Moscow, our Russian wonder-knights simply cannot climb into these vests. Female models always count calories, yes. But I don’t know of any dieting model (not counting, of course, forced diets due to an elementary lack of money). On the contrary, most of the models are terrible gluttons, which, at the first opportunity (buffet, banquet), drag everything into their mouths that can and cannot be washed down with freebies with an incredible amount of alcohol. To maintain their physical fitness, children usually run around ... in nightclubs and discos, after which they learn to correctly distribute their forces in bed combats with the opposite sex ... (joke).

THEIR NORRAW

However, the West also has problems. Their. For example, I worked as a model in Europe for about two years. And I can say that the modeling business there, unlike ours, functions like a well-oiled machine. I was so tired from constant running and stress that my dream - to see Paris and die - almost came true in a completely unromantic sense. The first days I lived in a model residence provided by the agency. Sounds nice, but let's go inside. What do we see? A banal corridor-type hostel. Five rooms - each with two people. The only furniture is a bed and a built-in wardrobe, where you can put your things, not without difficulty (shelves are an unnecessary luxury). There is only one TV for everyone, and even that will soon go out due to old age (nothing should distract models from work). On the wall in huge red letters are “dormitory rules” with one single paragraph - “forbidden”! It is forbidden to smoke in rooms, play loud music, hide from paying for apartments...

I was especially struck by the last line - “it is strictly forbidden to bring persons of the opposite sex into the residence.” Well, you know, guys, this is too much! For the money they charge us, we could each rent a separate apartment. But a model is a forced creature, engaged by the agency and completely dependent on it. They take advantage of this (the same thing can be observed in Russia - the so-called model apartments in which girls from other cities are placed serve as a solid source of income for the agency). But let's get back to our sheep. A young, clueless American shared meters with me in the same room. Sometimes he would pull out an apple and gnaw it on the sly, along with the core. I'm sitting, patiently waiting for someone to share. No, dog, he finished everything, didn’t even choke. For me this is some kind of wildness. I once asked him to share some sugar (he hid it in a drawer under a lock), the American was so glad that he could at least somehow be helpful to me, and began, choking with delight, to explain where the nearest store was. Well, not an idiot?..

MODELS NOT FOR BED

Several years ago, an unusual protest demonstration took place in Moscow. Around Tverskaya, scaring capital prostitutes, defiled a small joint detachment of fashion models chanting: “Hands off!” And “Models are not for the bed!”. I remember that the people then, with amazement at the unusual procession, sighed sympathetically: “Lord, how thin!”. The desperate demarche of individual enthusiasts did not cause a proper understanding from their colleagues. Most of the female workers and employees of the model shop strongly disagree with us to drag out a half-starved existence and are seeking to extract maximum benefits from what nature has awarded them. Moreover, to succeed in this field is not so difficult. Money always hovers around beauty ... Some representatives of our so-called elite, it has become fashionable to decorate their improvised bachelor parties with cover girls. However, to be honest, quite a few women come to the modeling business precisely in order to find a “dear” friend. For them, the most important erogenous zone of a man is his wallet. In addition, time is very unfavorable to beauties. Competitors are growing up. You need to have time to take your place in the sun ...

As usual, demand creates supply. Recently, many agencies have appeared that, under decent signs, are engaged in very ambiguous things that discredit the profession. Almost all of them are unprofitable from the point of view of model business and in fact fulfill the role of brothels ... The technology of sale and purchase of “models” has been worked out in detail. To this end, in each such office, a special department has been created that is responsible for relations with the solvent public. Anyone who does not stint on the funds of the gentleman, can come to the agency and choose a girl directly on the composer (a card indicating the size and shape of the desired body). If necessary, for an important client, they organize a “swimsuit show”, where they will demonstrate all the available “goods”, so to speak, face. Upon completion of the Smotrin, the buyer will only have to discuss with the pimps the amount of incentive for girls and commission agencies. Moreover, the more famous and attractive the model is, the higher its fees, respectively. Price for some beauties reaches the cost of a good car ...

It happens that a girl, due to thoughtlessness or unwillingness, refuses to “help out” the agency. Then they take her seriously - sometimes with promises, sometimes with exhortations, and sometimes with threats to block all the work of the traitor - the girl is forced to agree with the internal routine of the agency or leave it. The same schemes apply to male models. The names of those who want to taste the sweet life are entered into special, lovingly designed catalogs and... Here, as they say, nothing can be done. Beauty has long become the most popular commodity for some citizens who do not bother themselves with morality. But don't be upset. Better yet, follow the advice of old Socrates, who believed that young people should look in the mirror more often. Beautiful - so as not to disgrace your beauty. And ugly - in order to brighten up their ugliness with good education and virtue...

Sukachenko Oleg 2000