Personality Requirements to Become a Model

The successful model realizes that modeling is 50% physical and 50% mental. The unsuccessful model will skip right over this section, thinking that modeling is all about having a beautiful, toned body. While we cannot devalue the importance of having perfect physical qualities, the other half that usually gets ignored is the mental side of modeling.

In fact, that very “mental” model herself, Janice Dickinson, typically tells aspiring models that it’s all in the head.

Major Attitude – Without the Arrogance
Attitude is the number one quality that models must have. Attitude does not mean being harsh, wicked, mean, stubborn, airing and. Attitude means having a strong sense of your own abilities, and feeling entitled to your position as a model within the modeling world. Attitude is very difficult to describe, but you know it when you see it. Attitude means that you can keep your head held high in you hold strong against people who try to tear you down, because in this industry you will always find people trying to tear you down.

Can They Count On You?
The idea in most people’s minds of a fashion model is of a person who parties all night until 5:00 AM wakes up with a bottle of champagne in bed, and then drags off to their shoot 2 ½ hours late. The other idea that a lot of people have is of a very temperamental, flighty person who angers everyone and can never be counted on.

That image cannot be farther from the truth. True, some models do behave that way. Out of that group of models who behave that way, only a very small percentage excel within the field of modeling. Most of the very successful, famous models can be counted on and are very responsible. And it should go without saying that even less successful models have a greater motivation to be responsible.

Arrive on Time
Punctuality. Do you think you left that back at school or your old job? Hardly. Even our favorite example, Ms. Dickinson herself, says that much of her success can be attributed to the fact that she is an “old school” model who believes in extreme punctuality.

Why is this so important? Because clients are paying a lot of money for your time, and for the time of photographers, assistants, directors, and studios. Every minute of time that you waste costs big bucks and stains your reputation as a model.

Self-Starter
Fashion modeling is very much an independent world. You are self employed. You’re not punching a time clock, 9 to 5, every day. You are what they call a free agent. Your name and your face and your body are the same as what a storefront is to accompany. You need to treat it well and you need to realize the fact that you are your own business.
No one is going to tap you on the shoulder and tell you to keep working or to do any of these responsible things.

It is up to you to hunt down jobs and to follow promising leads. If you are feeling slightly sick in bed one day, and you have a very important shoot coming up, in most cases you will be expected to push on ahead and make that shoot. Now we’re not advocating that you go into to work if you are extremely ill, but we’re saying that in most cases the successful in a self starter who can push through many obstacles for their goal.

Your Inner Circle
So maybe you’re not at the point of having your own entourage, but let’s just call this your inner circle. By inner circle we mean a close group of friends and industry contacts. These are people who know the modeling industry and are interested in issues relating to modeling.

We’re not talking about friends and relatives outside of the industry, even though that is another layer of important friends that you do need to retain and maintain. But you do need to arrange around yourself a good support system of people who know the language of modeling, understand all of the ins and outs, and who generally know what you’re talking about. You will find that it is difficult to develop a support system of friends who are in higher or more experienced modeling ranks than yourself–at least at first. But every now and then you may find yourself in the company of a group of people like yourself, along with one person who is capable of helping you.