11 QUESTIONS WITH MODEL MANAGEMENT : CREATOR OF FRESH FACES CURVY EDITION
What is ModelManagement.com and how did it get started? Is it like Model Mayhem?
ModelManagement.com is an online platform that connects aspiring and professional models with photographers, industry professionals and modeling agencies worldwide. We get compared quite often with Model Mayhem; as they are also a community for photographers, models, stylists etc. What makes ModelManagement.com stand over the rest is the safety we provide to our members, which sites and Model Mayhem can’t provide. We moderate each profile manually, one by one, to make sure all the people that signup on our site are real professionals. In the case of models, we offer great opportunities to New Faces that want to get into the modeling industry, and our platform is the perfect place where to find new industry contacts and model jobs. Another feature that makes us different is that professionals can book models directly from their model profile on ModelManagement.com apart from many other advantages!
Have you always had a Plus section of your Fresh Faces contest?
We’ve always had the Plus-Size category on our platform, but it’s the first year we launch a Curvy Edition on our Fresh Faces Model Contest. Last year, Francia Models, the Spanish agency we associated with for Fresh Faces Spain, had a subcategory on their contest from which they selected a Curvy winner. But this year ModelManagement.com wanted to make something better, a worldwide contest only for Curvy Models and till now it has been a great success! There was a big demand on the Market! This is the 5th year of Fresh Faces and now that we are established, we want to open the doors to different types of models. More contests will come in the future.
How did the association with Francina Models come about?
Francina Models is one of the most recognized agencies in Spain, they represent models such as Tara Lynn and it’s one of the first to represent curvy models in this country. Last year was the first one we collaborated with Francina Models, and it was a great success for both sides, so we decided to associate with them for this year’s Fresh Faces Spain edition and we hope to keep this collaboration in the future.
I recall Model Management interviewed me back in 2010 after I had taken the runway for John Galliano and Jean Paul Gautier, how do you think the Plus movement has evolved since then?
John Galliano and Jean Paul Gaultier were indeed among the first to include plus size models and it was quite a shock for the time. Now, people are slowly but surely realizing that being a model doesn't necessarily mean having perfect proportions. Plus size models are also usually closer to the average size of the women, so it's a real relief for many of us to see people in magazines we can identify with. It makes you feel more confident somehow. I strongly believe and I hope that this change is not just a fad.
You acknowledge of the rise of Plus Models in fashion in your contest, do you see a day when there is a genuine diversity of body types when one opens a fashion magazine down the line or do you think there always has to be an exclusionary element in how beauty is seen?
Georgina Burke once said: “The day where we don’t get so excited about seeing a plus-size model in a magazine is the day we’ve made it.”
I cannot agree more with her, and this doesn't only apply to Curvy models but to all kind diversity. Plus size modeling is still at its beginning and currently trying to educate the world to change their vision. Such a project cannot be done overnight but we can already see some inspiring results!
There is quite a debate on Dropping the PLUS, (http://droptheplus.org/) what are your thoughts on this?
It is an interesting debate. I agree on the fact that the word “Plus”is a debatable choice. We should not emphasize so much about the fact that these models have a larger size; this can make aspiring models uncomfortable about themself to be tagged as "bigger" while the whole idea of this rise is self-acceptance. A vast majority of those “Plus” models are actually healthily proportioned while the traditional models are the tiny ones. This might all be about a poor choice of scale. I rather use the term "Curvy Models" which is, in my opinion, more flattering. But of course, in the end of the day, all models are just models no matter what they look like.
I get around 50 emails a day asking about how to become a plus size model, why do you think so many people are so drawn to modeling? And what is the biggest misconception in what it means to be a model?
Many of the little girls who wanted to model while they did not have high fashion proportions got pushed down, back in those days. Now that Curvy modeling is getting more present on the fashion scene, it's a new hope for their old dreams that should have not been crushed from the first place.
The biggest misconception is the glamorous aspect many dreamers assume they will find in such a career. Modeling is time-consuming, requires a lot of inner strength to be able to face remarks or rejection. Plus, it is not only waiting for someone to take a picture of you. Modeling could be seen as teamwork -with the model, the photographer, the product, the scene, etc.
Plus models are left out but a lot of others are ignored in fashion such as elderly women, differently-abled people, amputee's, do you ever see opening the Fresh Faces contest to other out of the box models?
We already planned to launch more diversified contests in the future to accompany and take part in the evolution of the modeling world. As curvy models did, other kind of models are also getting a voice! One of the best examples is Jillian Mercado, this fresh face who has muscular dystrophy and was chosen by Diesel for its new campaign.
What is it you are looking for in a winner of your PLUS Fresh Faces?
Exactly what we are looking for in any model! Confidence, determination and personality, all mixed in a professional behavior.
Give us 3 tips on how to become a plus size model.
1. Take care of yourself: a clear skin, healthy hair and a tone body!
2. Before trying to launch a career as a Plus size model, make sure you do feel comfortable with your body. It may be really confusing when you get rejected by agencies or professionals. But don't let this stop you, the situation is the same for every model when they try to break into the industry.
3. And finally, double check the pictures of your portfolio before sending it to all the agencies with a curvy department. Not all professional photos are good. Shooting a curvy model is different than a high fashion model, and not everyone knows how to do both.
How can a model be part of your Fresh Faces Curvy Edition?
Very easy! All those models who want to be part of Fresh Faces Curvy edition just need to create a profile on our platform and apply to the contest! Thanks to the contest they will get massive exposure to the top industry professionals that matter!
Still curious? Hear from a contestant taking part in the contest below:
Written by Velvet d'Amour
