answering questions about what its like to be a model

this isn’t me interviewing me. promise.

as part of a beauty shoot I did recently I was asked to answer some questions. I thought I might get some personal use out of them. My words are mine, the images of me aren’t and that why you shall not see them here :>

no fwee press

1. “How has your personal identity evolved with your career in fashion?“

Coming into the industry while I was still in high school fast-tracked the evolution of my personal identity. The industry exposed me to many different people and creatives, which liberated me from the desperate need to fit in much earlier than my friends.

2. “What has been the most challenging aspect of modeling for you, and how did you overcome it? What did you learn about yourself through the process?”

The most difficult part for me has been the amount of downtime and waiting that comes with the job. Sometimes, you can go for weeks without working, and if you are in a different country without roots, routine or personal pursuits – it can be soul-sucking. I have found things to keep me and my soul occupied and inspired and well, well. I study online through Open Universities Australia and have become pretty fricking good at establishing a place for myself wherever I am. Overcoming the challenge of feeling lonely and purposeless when work is slow has taught me how adaptable I am and how important it is to exercise my creative bits.

3. “Modeling can be as demanding mentally as it is physically. How do you maintain your mental health and well-being in such a high-pressure industry?”

A healthy, diverse support network of people outside the industry as well as a few external pursuits are non-negotiables for me in this job. It can be hard to delineate yourself and your personal identity from a job when your job values you on the face and body you were born with. Having a support network of friends and family who are completely removed from the industry helps remind me of my intrinsic identity and value, something I can control and doesn’t have a time limit. Also, therapy… duh lol.

4. “The fashion industry often deals with stereotypes. Have you faced any, and how did you challenge or overcome them?”

As a cis het white woman, I have been privileged enough to avoid the harmful stereotyping that is a real problem in the industry. Historically, the fashion industry has held up the tall, youthful, white, thin woman as the rule when it comes to beauty. False norms and values have been eroding, and the fashion industry has come a long way in terms of diversity. There is an incredibly long way to go, but much harm is still being done within the fashion industry and to society at their hands.

5.” What’s something people would be surprised to learn about the life of a fashion model? Any common misconceptions you’d like to address?“

The main misconceptions people have about the life of a fashion model are that it is glamorous and that the work is undemanding. 

more on that later…

yours truly and ggracelessly,

grace ❤

p.s. please let me know your thoughts, feeling, opinions. if this is at all interesting to you. if you would like more of it, then give me specifics etc etc

p.p.s. please and thank you 🙂