Friday, April 13, 2012

How tall do I have to be?

Do I Have To Be a Certain Height or Size To Work as a Model?


For fashion/catalog work, agencies and their clients usually have very specific and very strict requirements for height and size. While these requirements may vary from agency to agency, client to client, and region to region -- the following are typical for the better agencies in the Northwest.

For Women's Clothing:

• Height between 5'8" and 6'0"
• Measurements at or very close to 34" bust, 24" waist, 34" hips
• Dress size 4-6
• Age 15-24


For Plus-Size Women's Clothing:

• Height between 5'8" and 6'0"
• Dress size 12-16
• Waist at least ten inches smaller than bust & hips
• Age 19-30


For Junior's (Teen Girl's) Clothing:

• Height between 5'6" and 6'0"
• Measurements 32-34" bust, 22-24" waist, 32-34" hips
• Dress size 3-5
• Age 13-19
• Shoe size 8 or larger


For Men's Clothing:

• Height between 6'0" and 6'2" for adult men
• Height between 5'10" and 6'2" for teen men
• Suit size 40R
• Shoe size 10 or larger


For swimsuit and lingerie catalog work, a slightly curvier appearance is usually desired, and height is less important, so the agency's requirements for height and size may be relaxed by an inch or two for models with outstanding figures.

For glamour, figure/art, and most other types of freelance modeling, a wider variation in height and size is tolerated.

These types of modeling put more emphasis on the model's figure and less on the model's height and size, so these models are often up to 3-4 inches shorter and several sizes larger than catalog models.

In the case of figure models, the kinds of looks that artists seek in their models can vary considerably from artist to artist. Some artists even specifically seek out models that look as different as possible from the fashion model stereotypes.

For commercial work other than catalogs, the agencies still tend to prefer models that fit the guidelines for catalog work, since those models can be marketed to the largest number of clients.

However, there are some commercial modeling assignments that have entirely different requirements. For example, models over age 55 of all sizes and heights are used in print advertising for health products, medical services, retirement communities, and a variety of other products that are marketed to senior citizens.

Unfortunately, there are fewer opportunities in the Northwest for these non-traditional models, so a commercial model's ability to find any work may depend on working with an exceptional agency that handles a wide variety of print assignments beyond just department store catalogs.

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