How Do I Become A Model?

The first piece of advice I would give is, be realistic. I'm not shooting you down. I just mean, if you're not a size 6-10 or over 5'8 then you are going to find it hard. Just because, the industry has conditioned itself to these requirements. But I'm not saying don't try! I'd suggest you to find a particular section of the modelling industry that you would like to contribute to, and go for it, just bear that in mind. There are various different sectors including: high fashion, commercial and glamour. Those are probably the most well known. I'm going to touch upon the first two.

Freja Behr Erichsen

Editorial: This is the hardest to break into. This type of modelling usually involves runway shows and campaigns in high fashion magazines. Specific requirements are key to being successful in this portion of the industry. It usually means being 5'9 and above, and being a UK size 8. However, those are the basic requirements. You may be 6'0 and a size 6, and you may still not be right. Your look might not be right for one agency/photographer/designer but it may be perfect for somebody else! It really does vary and people's perception of what you have to offer is different. Plus, it's not about necessarily being 'pretty.' It's about having a different look. People always categorise and say 'Well you can't be a model you're not pretty.' That's such a loose interpretation of the industry! Agencies want people who visually look different, who don't look the same as everyone else. So don't ever think, I'm not pretty so I can't make it. Remember, looking different is what makes you stand out, and when you stand out people remember you. Which is exactly what an agency wants.

Commercial: Although this is less prestigious than editorial modelling, never the less you can still make heaps! It involves modelling for everything from shampoo to jeans, and from perfume to health care insurance! This section of the industry offers more leeway compared to high fashion modelling, as the size, height and age of the models doesn't matter as much. There is no catwalk involved in commercial modelling, as effectively you are the face of a brand. You appear in print advertisements, magazines, on product boxes etc. Thus, why size and height usually doesn't matter. It entirely depends on what you're modelling. For example, a company advertising dentures aren't going to want a young, buff male model. They're going to cast people who fit the brief! Plus, the fact that there is a continuous creation of new products being brought out constantly, there's always going to be something that someone needs to promote, hence where us models come in.

The next step is building up a portfolio. A portfolio is a collection of images that showcase your abilities and your work. It is good to have a mixture of different types of shots in your portfolio, to show your diversity. Portrait and full length show your body and face as a whole, and let clients see what you're capable of.

But whatever you do, please don't pay for a fancy portfolio! You can get professional shots for free, by collaborating with local photographers and taking part in fashion projects in your community. Just search for people, fashion pages, photographers or fashion groups in your local area and get involved! That's exactly what I did. I looked around on the internet for castings of fashion shows and went on my own. I turned up, unsure at first as to what I was supposed to do, but that's the beauty of it. You learn and gain experience. You can work with photographers for free, on what is known as a TFP basis. This stands for 'Trade/Time for Prints.' You can build up a really strong portfolio by doing this, without the need to pay hundreds to a person who would do exactly the same thing!

So, when you've found the people you want to work with, it's always a good idea to know how to act. If you're meeting a client for the first time remember:

1. Be on time: It's never a good idea to turn up late, especially if you are working with this person for the first time. Punctuality is key for establishing a good rapport, as you've turned up when you're supposed to, getting the session to a good start and keeping everyone on track. If you are going to be inevitably behind schedule, it's always good to drop them a text/e-mail or call them, apologising and saying you'll be there as quick as you can.
2. Be polite: Nobody likes a diva. You can't come onto the set and start stomping around, giving marching orders and being stroppy. Modelling involves a lot of waiting around, which is boring and tiresome, however it is part of the job. You might be waiting for the others to finish in hair and make-up or you might be waiting to go in. There might be a delay in weather conditions, anything could affect how the schedule was meant to pan out, and all you as a model can do, is wait. Also, remember modelling is about creating someone else's vision, not your own. You might not like what you're wearing, the make-up or your hair, but it's about working what you've been assigned and generally just getting on with it. Be humble and talk back, engage in conversation and show your personality. People will be more likely to hire you if you were nice to be around, cooperated well and were good to work with.
3. Appearance: If you're going to a photoshoot, make sure your hair is clean and free of products, with nothing done to it unless specifically asked. If you have curled your hair and laced it with hairspray, it may not be what the client wants for their image. Just leave your hair natural and they can then do with it what they like. In terms of make-up, don't wear any! (Or fake tan either! Your skin shows up an off yellowy colour on the camera, which tends to annoy the photographer as it means hours of retouching in photoshop.) There's no point wearing a full face of make-up just to get to the location when, again it probably won't be the look they're after, and it will waste time when the MUA has to take it off. Just make sure your face is clean, and is moistured to create a good base for applying make-up. A good tip, it's best to take with you facial wipes. Just in case the make-up is slightly crazy and you don't want to go home wearing it! So basically, turn up to a photoshoot as a blank canvas, ready to be moulded.
4. Castings: If you're going to a casting for a fashion show, the above rules all apply. However you can get away with wearing a very thin layer of make-up. I would usually recommend just some concealer and mascara. This makes it easier for the casting agents to see your natural beauty. In terms of your hair, tie it up in a pony tail or bun. It's best to get your hair away from your face and neck so that people can see your bone structure and face shape. Clothing wise, wear something that shows off the shape of your body. They usually ask you to wear skinny jeans and a vest top, with heels to see how you can walk. Again, when you go in, be yourself. Smile and introduce who you are, showing off your personality.
5. Contacts: It's a good idea to promote yourself, enabling people to get hold of you and book you for jobs. Make an e-mail, just for modelling. It keeps it separate from your personal e-mail so it's easier to realise when it's a potential client trying to contact you. Use social networking to your advantage. Facebook and Twitter allow you to post and promote your images and portfolio, making them available to see to a wider and broader audience, again increasing the likelihood of bookings. It's also a good idea to make a website. It allows you to easily display all of your work in one place, and looks professional when displayed on a business card. A business card is also a good way of getting your name out there. You can take them with you to events/casting/photoshoots and give them out to clients, enabling them to contact you in future.

Modelling is all about promoting a healthy body image. Therefore use the philosophy 'your body is your temple.' You never know when you are going to be asked to model for a client, and so you need to look your best at all times. This includes skin, hair, nails and eyebrows.

1. Skin: Breakouts are inevitable, unless you're a robot whose skin doesn't product sebum (The skins natural oil) then you're going to get spots from time to time. The best way to take care of your skin is to wash it every morning with a facial cleanser. Splash your face with warm water to open the pores then use the cleanser, not scrubbing too hard. Use your fingertips and exfoliate the skin using small circular motions, concentrating on areas that tend to get greasy the most, such as around the nose, forehead and chin. Afterwards rinse with cold water, this closes the now clean pores, preventing immediate build up. It's always a good idea to follow this with a toner. Apply to cotton wool and sweep over the face. Follow with a light moisturiser so the skin doesn't become dried out. Another tip: Always take your make-up off before bed. Sleeping in make-up over night can cause the pores to become blocked, increasing the liklihood of getting spots.
2. Hair: Having healthy hair is always a positive. It's easier to style if you have no dead ends. Go for regular cuts every 6-8 weeks to ensure that the hair continues to grow and is free from split ends. If your hair is coloured, keep up with your roots which inevitably show up on camera if they're too grown out. Once a week it is useful to use a deep conditioner to nourish the hair keep it strong and healthy.
3. Nails: Medium length with no nail polish, except usually clear, is usually what is asked for. Stained nail beds or half picked off nail polish isn't a good look. Make sure you take off all old polish, file the nails and make sure they are clean underneath.
4. Eyebrows: Keep your eyebrows tidy by plucking them into a neat shape. You know what works with your face and what you are used to so stick to that. Top tip: Use a bowl of hot water and cotton wool. Squeeze out the cotton wool and apply to the eyebrows before plucking. The heat will open the pores and soften the hairs, making it easier for you to pull them out.

Diet and Excersise

You'll feel a lot better, both inside and out if you eat clean and do regular excersise. Drinking plenty of water will aid the skin, nails and hair, helping to keep them healthy and strong.

Eating better will reduce the liklihood of you getting spots from eating foods higher in fat, in turn again helping your skin. Plus, you'll feel less bloated and better for eating clean.

Excersise will help in more ways than you think. You will have a better sense of well being, in addition it will increase your endurance levels, great if you're shooting all day/travelling, you'll be able to last all day! Plus you'll be able to increase your flexbility, enabling you to create a diverse range of poses.

Overall, it takes a lot to be a model. It's not all glamour and glitz, being served on a throne all day whilst people pamper you. It's hard work. There's lots of travelling, waiting and long days. It's being out in the cold, it might be raining, you're shivering, you hate your outfit, you're tired...but you work it. You perform the best you possibly can to get the shot that your client wants. That's the attitude that will get you bookings time after time, and will help you to succeed in this industry. It's the perserverance and determination in someone that prevails over their looks anyday.

Penelope Williamson: Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model!

Penelope Williamson is the latest casualty of the BINTM judges. The Leeds lass, who prior to the show worked in a call centre, stood out for her ability to voice her opinion (Especially to designer Julien Macdonald) and stand her Northern ground.

But her heels weren't dug in hard enough and she was criticised for lacking confidence, resulting in her eviction from the show on Monday night. I caught up with Penny to find out about her time in the model house, what the judges were really like, and her thoughts on her less-than favourite model makeover...

Image subject to copyright/Sky Living.

How long have you been modelling for?

I had no experience before BINTM, so a few months...not long at all!

What made you audition for BINTM?

Boredom! I was at university but dropped out. I always wanted to be a model but I know I'm not quite as thin and toned as you need to be, but due to the TV side of it aswell I thought I'd try my luck with my personality, haha!

Tell us what the casting day was like.

Casting was literally ten minutes in front of producers and a Models 1 scout. Really quick and didn't give you much of an idea if you had done well or not!

How did you react when you found out you were going to be on the show?

I was so excited! But I still didn't know how far I'd gotten, so I didn't let myself get carried away. We didn't know we were in the top 20 until the day!

It was so great seeing a Leeds lass representing us Northern girls, how was it living in the model house?

The model house was a good crack. The sink did get blocked and we didn't have hot water for a while though, so it's not all glamour. But there was plenty of wine to distract me and Anita!

Now, you made it pretty clear that you didn't like your makeover. Tell us about your initial reactions to your 'new-do.'

I started crying! So unlike me. I like to think I'm tough, but I just though what the f*ck have they done, I look like a stripper, haha!

Penny with her 'mega blonde' extensions in a photoshoot for Casio watches.

We take it you didn't keep the extensions then?

The extensions were out the day I got home! I totally get where Elle was coming from, I have quite a round (chubby) face, so I do need long hair. So I am trying to grow it and am keeping it mega blonde! So hopefully I am en-route to the Bardott look after all!

The golden question. What are the judges really like?

It's hard to say what they're really like, there are always cameras which everyone is really conscious of. I think their TV persona's are pretty much what everyone sees. Elle is very calm and caring. Whitney is feisty and honest, with amazing style. Julien, utterly bonkers! Tyson, a bit arrogant and boring, haha!

If you could relive the experience, would you do anything differently?

Naaa. I would love to have gotten further but I'm not going to change or kiss people's arses to get far in life. I'd rather achieve something for being good at it and sticking to my guns!

And finally, what advice would you give to any aspiring models out there?

Don't be unrealistic! If you're not 5'10 and a size 8, things are going to be hard. Even if you're 6ft and a size 0, you still might not be right! Do test shoots, see what you're good at, find out what angles are good for you and find an agency that suits your look! Don't let things get to you and don't get upset or body conscious, embrace what you have and make it work! If not, try doing something else in the fashion industry, like photography (which can probably pay more anyway!)

So Penny's journey in Britain and Ireland's biggest modelling competition is over. So what's next for the blonde beauty? Well, she recently moved to London to carry on pursuing her modelling dream, with the hopes of making it big. It just shows that with enough determination, a strong personality and a winning Leeds lass charm you can get noticed by the industry giants. Just stay grounded, speak your mind and stick to your guns!

Follow Penny at: @PenelopeLane8

Keep following the remaining British beauties on Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model at 9pm, every Monday on Sky Living.

Kirsty's A Model, Why?

So, I get a lot of questions about my modelling. The main one being how did you start? That's a story for another post. I think a better one to focus on is 'Why did I start?'

I've always loved fashion, and used to spend my pocket money as a teenager on buying fashion magazines. It was a place where 'skinny' girls were considered beautiful and pretty. We all know that kids can be cruel, and my childhood was no exception. I was the girl who was always the tallest, with a spangley frame and no boobs. The first in the queue for the back row on picture day, being the only girl in a back-row sea of boys. 

Being so made me a prime target when I went up to high school. When the other girls were all filling out and becoming more curvacious, getting rounder hips and actually having something to put into a bra, I just stayed the same. No curves, just straight up and down. The names flew about, naturally. I was always called a boy for not looking more womanly and called 'chicken legs' because mine were so thin. I hated being thin, I hated it.

August 2007, aged 14. (I'm the one on the left.)

Non-uniform day was the worst. I couldn't find jeans to fit me. The length was fine (I had to buy a womens size 8) but at only 11 years old, my waist was too small!  Without a belt they just fell to my knees; and with a belt, the material was all scrunched up around my waist and you could see it through the t-shirt I wore. Nightmare. Not one belt I had didn't have a custom made hole, forcefully created by my Mum and her knife she used for chopping vegetables.

I saw being thin as some kind of curse. I longed to be able to wear a bra and actually have something to put in it. Be able to go out with my friends and buy pants that fit, not constantly having to wear draw-string tracksuit bottoms because they were the only thing that stayed up.

I should have gone to an agency then. But confidence was the issue. Being set back by so many people made it hard for me to believe I had it in me. So I just battled on, through my teenage years. Thank God for the jeggings trend, that's all I can say.

When I got to around 18, after I had left school that's when I started to look into modelling more. I had never lost my love for it, I was addicted to America's Next Top Model and was even more excited when they introduced a British version. Tyra was my Goddess. She's taught me so much, and even though at this time I was too shy to put it into use, it was all up there.

I used to practice for hours, poses from magazines, the way light creates shadows, making different shapes with my body and the most famous, the smize. Smizing was key. The signature move, created by Tyra herself involves you 'smiling with your eyes.' You name it, I had tried to learn it.

Admittedly, more than anything I wanted to show the people back in school that being skinny wasn't a curse, it was a beauty and that you shouldn't fight it. (Well I my case I had no choice, having a Dad who was 6'4 with the same build as me made it inevitable. Also having a ridiculously fast metabolism meant I burned off fat quicker, making me unable to store it.) So there was actually nothing I could do. Overeating became a habit. Snacking on chocolate and crisps in the hope I'd gain weight became a regular habit, but nothing worked.

People always say. 'Oh my God, tell me what diet you're on' or 'I bet she doesn't eat.' I had that a lot, people thinking I had an eating disorder because I was so slim. Nope, I ate (and still eat) like a horse; and didn't my family and close friends know it. I can put food away, no doubt about that just see me at meal times, I'm always the first person going up for seconds.

So how about now? Well I'm still thin, my overactive metabolism makes sure of that. But I've learned to embrace by figure and see it as a blessing and not a curse. What do people say now? I get most women saying 'You have such a lovely figure.' 'Aww give over, thank-you.' I reply modestly. But to hear that means lots. Although it was just comments, it hurts more when you're younger and the verbal scars don't heal as quickly as you'd like. They've stayed with me for a long time.

Me earlier this year on my 20th birthday, slightly more filled out.

It was kind of justification when I ran into one of those guys I used to go to school with, on my recent birthday. He came up to me and said 'Are you a model now?' As much as it's kind of petty to say, I loved it. I just nodded my head and smiled, and replied with. 'Yes, yes I am.'

See my modelling progess at www.facebook.com/kirstybuttlemodelling.

Thanks for reading guys, feel free to ask me questions by e-mailing me at kirstybuttlemodelling@hotmail.co.uk, or add me on Twitter @KirstLeedsModel. :)

Kirsty xxx