04/02/11 04:47 Model Advice
Model Advice
We’ve all seen it before. A popular urban model
like Melyssa Ford, who gained her notoriety based on
her outrageous voluptuousness, starts to slim down
when Hollywood comes calling. But an interesting
thing often happens. Thrust into a much more
competitive group, this model who used to shine in
the urban world, starts to fade into the background.
Maybe she makes an appearance on a show like
Entourage, or has a small feature in Maxim, and then
nothing. What’s worse, because the model is no longer
thick, she’s alienated her urban following as well
and is stuck in limbo.
There’s no doubt that most smart women generally look
at urban modeling as a launching pad to bigger and
better things. For many models it’s a necessary evil.
If you’re 5’4” and 145lbs., there aren’t too many
commercial modeling or acting jobs you will be
qualified for. So why not grab yourself a SHOW cover
and maybe a couple music videos while you await
greener pastures?
The question becomes, when is the right time to
start shedding the pounds that made you a phenom in
the urban industry for the bright lights of
Hollywood. Obviously, there is no set answer to this,
but women often do it too soon in my opinion.
These days, well maintained thickness is a serious
asset. fn1. Just ask Amber Rose (fn2) or Kim
Kardashian (fn3). They both made millions by standing
out due to their curvy figures. And women are going
to drastic measures to obtain curves by any means,
getting butt implants and even riskier hydrogel
injections. So if a woman naturally has a 25” waist
and 40” hips, it might be a good thing to hold onto.
Certainly, if a model known for her curves is
starting to get smaller than Kim Kardashian due to
dieting, it's probably cause for concern.
The thing is, for the most part, no one is
going from the cover of SHOW magazine to the pages of
Sport’s Illustrated right away, even under the best
of circumstances. Even the most seasoned,
well-represented models often wait years to get a
chance at an SI feature. And I don’t know any urban
model that has immediately transitioned to a
commercial job of this caliber. In fact, the only
urban models who have really made it big in the
mainstream did so based on what made them famous in
the urban world! For Kim Kardashian it was her larger
than average backside; for Karrine Steffans it was
trading on her tales of struggles in urban modeling;
and for Amber Rose, again, it was based on her curvy,
exotic looks.
Svelte Lauren London transferred to the big screen
without using her urban appeal as a gimmick, but she
was never really a well-known urban model to begin
with. I think she had done one urban magazine and a
couple music videos before she started doing movies.
Vida Guerra successfully straddled the line between
urban and commercial, alternating between BlackMen
and FHM covers, but Vida started off in the white
world with FHM being her first magazine.
The bottom
line is, don’t be so quick to go out and lose
weight at the first sniff of success, or you
might wind up with no more urban fan base and
Hollywood’s doors firmly shut on you as well.
_____________________
_____________________________________________
fn.1 WHY CURVY GIRLS LIKE
KIM ARE IN... AND SKINNY KATE'S OUT Scottish Star
January 21, 2011
fn. 1 Rose
landed a contract with top modeling agency Ford
Models in the summer of '09 after posing nude with
Kanye West to promote his new sneaker line with Louis
Vuitton and Kanye West reportedly signed a
multi-million dollar deal to ``silence'' Amber Rose
When they separated,
fn. 3 The
Hollywood Reporter estimated last month that the
curvy Kardashians, who bypassed actual acting
careers, earned a whopping $65 million in 2010 with
their perfumes, reality TV shows and other
products.