The 8 Personality Traits of Successful Models

1. Fashion is Key
Almost everyone who aspires to be a model loves clothing and also loves to put together clothing in interesting ways. Because a model’s job is to model clothing, it would be hard to be a model without having some kind of fashion sense.

2. Comfortable with Attention
Being the center of attention doesn’t mean you’re an egotistical jerk. It just means that you’re comfortable with being in groups of people, perhaps dancing, singing, or acting. Models either have an inner self-confidence for this, or they are willing to develop it.

3. I Want to Make Money
Yes, there are other ways to make money. You can become a doctor, dentist, lawyer, or banker. But who wants to be a doctor, dentist, lawyer, or banker? How many dentists do you know who model current fashions on runways in Paris and Milan?

4. I Want to Be Incredibly Famous
Hmmm. This is a tricky subject. Yes, there are a lot of famous models out there. Think of Stephanie Seymour, Linda Evangelista, Tyson Beckford, Kate Moss, or Heidi Klum. But here’s the big secret: you can also be a Six-Figure model without being famous. You may be well known within the modeling world, but you may not be well known on TV to the general public.

The fact is, there are burdens on a person who becomes incredibly famous. Why take on these burdens (no privacy, everyone knowing your business, stalkers, etc.), when you can enjoy the same money, freedom, and creativity without being famous.

5. Creative
Now we’re talking about some of the real reasons why men and women decide to become successful models. Unlike your friends who decided to get jobs at Starbucks are selling shirts at Eddie Bauer, this is a job where you become creative, and more importantly your surround yourself with some of the most creative people on earth. Remember, in many cases you’re at the mercy of the photographer and many times you can deal with some very dictatorial photographers who simply want you to do what they say. But more often than not, you’ll find yourself and working collaboratively with creative directors and photographers to set the perfect mood. As a model, you are an actor or actress, writer, artist, and more: all wrapped into one.

6. Build Self-Confidence
It is kind of ironic. Many of the girls who were called skinny and string bean back in high school often become stunning supermodels: look at Christy Turlington. Many of the guys who become stunning models were homely and wore glasses, until the moment they flowered, grew muscles, and learned how to light the world of modeling on fire.

Modeling can build your self esteem. Within the industry, you often get talent agents and other professionals who are stroking your egos and making you feel like you’re the best thing the world. Outside of the industry you have ordinary people who are star struck by the very idea that you are a model.
Taken correctly and with maturity, all of these things can do wonders for a person’s self-confidence. Taken incorrectly, these things can destroy a person.

7. Sheer Independence
Independence is the number one thing that models love, other than those big paychecks, fame, and glamour! Most models are free agents, living in the big city and scheduling modeling appointments when they have time and when they need money. This is not to say that modeling shoots are not grueling affairs. But modeling is anything but a 9 to 5 job.

While your old classmates and friends are getting their pay docked because they were five minutes to late to their job at the Kmart – you’re pulling down over $100,000 per year by setting your own hours.

8. Exciting and New Things
If you want to be stuck in your old home town, then go get the job at the Kmart. But if you want to travel to places like Paris, Singapore, New York, Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro, then modeling is for you. Not only that, but you’ll be exposed to new and creative ideas, fashion, in new people.