“It’s really hard work being a model.”

Jasmine Guinness, Designer

Pros and Cons of Working as a Model

You think about becoming a model? Great!

However, before making your final decision in this regard, you should check out all the pros and cons of being a model in this article.

After evaluating all the arguments in the following chapters, you may want to go for an alternative career instead.

Being a Model – Key Facts

Advantages of Being a Model

1. You can become famous
2. Models can make good money
3. Being a model gives you access to fancy events
4. You can be part of a glamorous elite
5. Being a model allows you to work indoors
6. Models have an easy time in the dating market
7. You learn how to deal with negative comments
8. You can wear many different outfits
9. Models are in the spotlight
10. Especially suitable for you if you love fashion
11. You can build a strong network in the fashion industry
12. You don’t need to go to college for becoming a model
13. Can be a chance for people from poor countries to get out of poverty
14. Barriers to entry are pretty low thanks to social media
15. You can travel the world as a model

You can become famous

One advantage of being a model is that you can become really famous in case you look awesome and also are really good at what you are doing, similar to singers and artists.

In fact, almost everyone in the world knows the best models of our planet and their names have plenty of glamour in the fashion world and even outside of it.

As a renowned model, many people will recognize you and fans will try to take pictures with you.

Consequently, a career as a model can be great for you if you love attention and the admiration of others.

Models can make good money

As a world-class model, you can also make really good money from your job.

The best models out there earn 7-figure incomes and have become quite rich during the course of their careers.

Of course, most models will never make near that much money.

In fact, the vast majority of models will be barely able to make a living out of their jobs and often have a second job to pay their bills.

However, there is at least a small chance that you can make a fortune from being a model and this is not true for many other jobs.

Being a model gives you access to fancy events

As a model, you will also get access to many exclusive events.

If you reach a certain level of popularity, you will be invited to fancy meetups that normal people will never have the chance to attend.

In turn, your family and friends will be really jealous and secretly admire you for your success since they would love to be part of those fancy events themselves.

Thus, becoming a model can also make sense in case you love those events and it has been a childhood dream for you to be part of this world.

You can be part of a glamorous elite

Through your job as a model, you will also become part of a certain glamorous elite.

The modeling world has a special charisma and it attracts many interesting personalities.

During your model career, you will also meet many interesting people and chances are that your job as a model will also never become boring since no day will look the same.

Being a model allows you to work indoors

Another upside of being a model is that you can work indoors.

While many people in our current state of the world work indoors, some people still have to work outdoors in the cold or in extreme heat.

In fact, you should never take working inside for granted since there are many people out there who have to work under extreme conditions like snow and heavy rain.

Thus, having the opportunity to work indoors protected from those extreme conditions is a real luxury that you can enjoy as a model.

Models have an easy time in the dating market

Thanks to your career as a model, you will also have a pretty easy time in the dating market.

Not only will you look pretty good and attractive, you will also meet many famous people on your journey if you work hard for it.

In turn, you may even be able to marry a real celebrity one day.

In fact, models will always have plenty of dating options and you will therefore have more than enough choice to pick the best match for your individual preferences and circumstances.

If you don’t get to the level that is required to earn really good money as a model, you may still be lucky and can marry a rich person so that you can enjoy a luxurious lifestyle this way.

You learn how to deal with negative comments

In the modeling world, not everyone will be nice to you.

There will always be people who will try to bring you down and who may even insult you.

While this can be pretty exhausting and can also lower your quality of life, it forces you out of your comfort zone and gives you the opportunity to learn how to deal with those negative people.

In fact, when people try to bring you down, there is nothing wrong with you.

There is something wrong with those other people who try to make fun of you and are secretly pretty insecure themselves.

Recognizing this and implementing this knowledge in your daily life can really help you just to laugh during those situations and you will no longer care about those snarky comments after a while.

You can wear many different outfits

Another benefit of becoming a model is that you can wear numerous different outfits during your career.

While most other people have to spend plenty of money on clothes, you will get those clothes for free and will even get paid to wear them once you have reached a certain level of popularity.

Hence, as a model, you can not only save lots of money on fashion, you can even wear clothes you would never be able to afford otherwise.

Models are in the spotlight

Being a model is all about loving the attention.

In fact, models are in the spotlight all the time and it is therefore crucial to make sure that you really love this kind of life.

If you are a rather introverted person and don’t like to be the center of the universe, becoming a model will probably not be the best career path for you.

However, if you love the spotlight, there will be barely any other job that will make you as happy as being a model.

Especially suitable for you if you love fashion

Many models are also real fashion victims.

Some models even started out with modeling since they simply needed money to be able to afford clothes and other fashion items and stayed in this industry for much longer than they initially thought.

Becoming a model can be great for you if you love trying out new styles and accessories and for some people, modeling just doesn’t even feel like real work but rather like a nice hobby since they simply enjoy what they are doing quite a lot.

You can build a strong network in the fashion industry

As a model, you will also have the chance to build a really strong business network in the fashion industry.

If you are really good at what you are doing and reach a certain level, you will get to know many famous designers and will be able to work for them.

In turn, you will even become really good friends with some of those important personalities and this can greatly help you for the time after your active modeling career when you need to find job alternatives.

Always remember that nothing is forever and also your popularity as a model will fade once you become older and you should have a backup plan for this time.

You don’t need to go to college for becoming a model

Another advantage of becoming a model is that you also don’t need to get fancy education.

In fact, what matters is your looks and how you can perform on the catwalk and in front of a camera.

It doesn’t matter whether you had been to a renowned college or even dropped out of high school.

This also means that you don’t have to get any college education for becoming a model.

While many of your friends will have to go to college to get a degree for pursuing their dream jobs, you don’t need to get many years of additional education.

You can also avoid getting into student loan debt which is pretty common in our current state of the world and which poses significant financial issues for millions of people later on in their lives.

Instead, you can even start earning money right from the beginning of your modeling career.

Can be a chance for people from poor countries to get out of poverty

By becoming a model, many people from poor countries have also managed to get out of poverty.

In fact, if you are really good at what you are doing and are also born as natural beauty, you may get the opportunity to leave your home country and to work in the richest countries in the world.

This will not only give you the opportunity to get out of poverty and to live a life you might have never even dreamed of, but it may also allow you to financially support your family so that also your family members can eventually get out of poverty.

Hence, becoming a model is especially attractive to people with a weak financial background who aspire to a better life abroad and who have not many other options to get out of poverty.

Barriers to entry are pretty low thanks to social media

It has also never been easier to become a model than it is right now.

While the competition is still pretty fierce, you can increase your popularity by using social media channels at virtually no cost.

In fact, almost everyone can make videos with their smartphones and upload them for free.

If you are really talented, you can show your talent to the world by publishing those videos and by contacting famous influencers in your industry.

If you are really good at what you are doing, designers and other important people in the fashion industry will contact you sooner or later and this can be a great start for your career as a model.

You can travel the world as a model

Being a model also gives you the opportunity to travel the world and to see many different cultures and ways of life.

This can not only be a lot of fun, but it also allows you to put your life in perspective and to realize how good you really have it compared to many other people who even struggle to survive.

In turn, chances are that you will be much happier with your own life in the long run and you will also become more relaxed regarding minor issues in your daily life.

Disadvantages of Being a Model

1. You earn money with your body
2. Your career will not last forever
3. Being a model implies serious stress
4. Job security is almost non-existent
5. Many models suffer from anorexia
6. You will often be away from your loved ones
7. Problematic if you want to have children
8. You have to make many sacrifices as a model
9. Irregular working hours
10. Models need to be flexible
11. You may not like the company you should work for
12. There is no heart in the modeling industry

You earn money with your body

While there are many advantages to a career as a model, there are also many issues related to it.

For instance, one problem with being a model is that you will just make money with your body.

In turn, many people will rather see you solely for your looks and will not care too much about your character.

Moreover, your looks will fade sooner or later and there will be nothing left that people will value about you once this happens.

The modeling industry is a pretty shallow business and you should make sure that you really want to go this career path where success is mainly based on your looks.

Your career will not last forever

Models will also only have a pretty limited time to make a living out of their profession.

In fact, most models lose their looks in their 30s and this means that there is only a 10-year-window in which most models will have the chance to make really good money while people working as compliance officers and many other office jobs can work until retirement age.

In turn, this also means that you will have serious problems after this period since you will have to find another job to cover your expenses.

However, if you haven’t learned anything that might be valuable to companies outside the fashion industry, chances are that you will end up unemployed.

If you are no longer able to pay your rent, you may even end up homeless.

Hence, if you still want to go for a career as a model, at least make sure that you save some money during the best years of your modeling career and that you get additional qualifications so that you can start a different career after your prime as a model is over.

Being a model implies serious stress

Many people also underestimate the level of stress that comes along with being a model.

You will always have to compete for jobs and especially if you are just starting out and don’t have any connections yet, it can be really tough to keep your faith and to push through difficult periods when nobody wants to hire you.

Moreover, even if you get to the point where you are really popular, you will have to deal with different sorts of stress.

For instance, you will have to deal with many haters and some of them may even stalk you.

As you can see, life as a model can be pretty tough and it can really break you if you don’t have the stomach to deal with these issues.

Job security is almost non-existent

There is also a hire and fire mentality in the modeling business.

You may get one job and perform well, but you may perform pretty poorly in another one.

If you make too many mistakes and don’t deliver what is expected from you, chances are that you will be out of this business pretty soon.

The same is true if you don’t get along with important people in this field.

Consequently, job security is almost non-existent in this industry and if you are the kind of person who wants to be able to plan way ahead in the future, you should definitely go for an alternative career path instead.

Many models suffer from anorexia

Another downside of being a model is that you will always care about your looks.

This also means that you will have to be on a strict diet so that you stay lean and attractive.

Many models also exaggerate it and are on the brink of anorexia.

Many models also lose their appetite since they often just put their careers first instead of caring more about their health.

Therefore, you should be aware that there will be a real risk to suffer from anorexia and from the issues that come along with it as a model and you should ask yourself whether you are willing to pay this huge price.

You will often be away from your loved ones

As a model, you will also travel a lot. While this can be fun if you are the kind of person who loves to see many different states or even countries, it can be a nightmare for people who just want to stay at home and enjoy their lives with their partner.

Problematic if you want to have children

Since you will have to travel a lot as a famous model, this can also be problematic for your family life.

In case you are barely at home, you will not be able to see your kids grow up and you will even miss important holidays or your kids’ birthdays.

You have to make many sacrifices as a model

In general, models have to make many sacrifices if they want to get to the top.

Apart from dieting all the time, they also have to work out on a regular basis.

You will also have to avoid alcohol or other substances to stay fit and vital and to succeed as a model in the long run.

Thus, while other people will have fun, you will have to work on your body as a model and this can also lead to social isolation in the long run since you will stop hanging out with many people you were previously used to.

Irregular working hours

Models also don’t have the luxury of regular workweeks.

Pretty often, models have to work when the client wants them to work.

Moreover, there may also be some evening events you will have to attend as a model to make important connections.

Hence, your workday could end pretty soon or go on for pretty long and you will never know what will happen the next days, weeks or even months as a model.

Models need to be flexible

You will also need a high level of flexibility as a model.

Pretty often, you will have to wear clothes which you may not like at all.

You will also have to get along with people you don’t like during your career as a model and you will not have the luxury to be demanding and picky regarding your jobs at all, especially at the beginning of your career.

You may not like the company you should work for

Another disadvantage of being a model is that you will also have to work for many companies you secretly don’t like at all.

You may have ethical concerns or you may just not like the brand.

However, you will still need the money, especially if you are not famous yet and don’t have any alternatives.

There is no heart in the modeling industry

In general, the modeling industry is a pretty tough place and there is just no heart in it.

If you perform well and you look great, you may get the chance for a decent career.

Yet, once your looks begin to fade, you will just be treated quite poorly.

Top 10 Being a Model Pros & Cons – Summary List

Should You Become A Model?

You now know all the advantages and disadvantages of being a model. In the end, you have to decide for yourself whether a career as a model is still the right way to go for you or if you want to check out alternative job options instead.

If you still aspire to a model career, you should also get decent information on salaries, duties, future outlook, educational requirements, work-life balance and job satisfaction of models.

Also make sure to check out the following articles:

Advantages and disadvantages of becoming a bartender

Advantages and disadvantages of becoming a secretary

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_(person)

https://www.seventeen.com/fashion/news/a16797/tyra-banks-modeling-tips/

About the author

My name is Andreas and my mission is to educate people about the different career paths that are possible in our current state of the world. In my opinion, people often make the mistake to choose their profession solely based on how much money they can earn from it instead of doing what makes them really happy.

This is quite sad and I just want to give people a more objective picture of how a fulfilling career could look like. I did the same when I started working in consulting after finishing my Master’s degree in Economics. However, I’ve quit pretty soon after that since I haven’t found true meaning in my job.

Now I can do what I really love to do and I want to enable as many other people as well to go this exciting path towards happiness instead of money.

I conducted various interviews with employees to give you a good impression of what working in different fields will look like and that you can make the best possible decision regarding your future career choice.

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