- This video is brought
to you by Squarespace, an all in one platform
for building your brand and growing your business online. Hello, my beautiful doves. Today's video is gonna be on
all things fashion modeling. So the history of modeling, the concept of the supermodel, et cetera. I actually got this idea because there was this
video going around on TikTok about how we have no more
it girls in the 2020s, which I don't necessarily agree with, but I'll just play the video for you so you know what I'm talking about. - The era of the it girl is dying and we are killing it
because everybody wants to be or is trying to be an it girl right now. And that's where the
problem introduces itself because if everybody is doing and following the same guidelines, playing by the same
rules, who is doing it? So to say. There are no trademarks and no signatures because everybody's playing
by the same matcha, Pilates, neutrals, tape-ins, playbook. - So I don't agree with this take because I think that
there are lots of women who have the ick... Not the ick factor, the it factor maybe because
we're living in a time where there's like an oversaturation of celebrities and influencers so it's harder to say now who exactly is shifting the culture. Okay, I realize that for
this section, this intro, it doesn't really make that much sense. Like it's giving unscripted, so I just wanna clarify. What I mean is that, yes, what this person is saying
in the video is correct. There are lots of people who are just doing the same things online. The Pilates, the green
smoothies, et cetera. But there are also a good number of people who are doing things
that are very different. The problem is that there
are just so many celebrities and so many influencers these days that someone who's making
an impact in my circle is not necessarily someone
that you would know, and vice versa. Like, I do not know every influencer, every celebrity, that is
currently making waves, but that doesn't mean
that they don't exist. The reason I wanted to
talk about supermodels is because it got me to thinking about how a lot of the it
girls of the '80s and '90s were supermodels. Naomi Campbell, Linda
Evangelista, Kate Moss, et cetera. I definitely think there
are a lot of models that are very popular today,
like the Hadid sisters, but there are way fewer models that are making the same kind of impact as the '90s girls. So I definitely wanna delve into that, but first we gotta get
started with the history 'cause you know I love
history on this channel. But first a word from our sponsor. Thank you Squarespace for once
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purchase of a website or a domain. (static buzzing) Content warning, in this video
will be discussing dieting, body weight, body image, et cetera, so please tread lightly. (gentle upbeat music) So back in the late 19th
and early 20th century, the term for model was, most often than not, living mannequins. Like, you wouldn't call someone a model, you would call them a mannequin. Which sounds kind of dehumanizing, but at the time, I mean, I can't really say whether I would've liked
to be called a mannequin if I was a working mannequin at the time. But the modeling job was a lot simpler. Like, you were really just a
vehicle to display clothes. It was not considered a
lucrative career choice by any means. Mannequins were also
usually working class girls, and they were often
characterized as morally corrupt because their job entailed
showing their bodies. In Paris salons, mannequins
were not even allowed to make eye contact or
talk to the clients. What's interesting about the whole moral corruption complaint though is that like, in the Victorian era and
all the way up to 1907, whenever models were in parades, which is like the term
for an early fashion show, whenever they were modeling
clothes out of parade, they had to wear these long undergarments over their corsets called maillots. And the maillots covered
like all exposed flesh for decency's sake. I wish I could have found a
photo of a maillots to show you, but I couldn't find one anywhere, and I don't know if it's just because
photographs weren't as common and no one thought to take
a photo of this garment. Who knows? If any historians are watching this and know what I'm talking about and have a pictorial reference, I would love to see it. Please, DM me on Instagram
just for my own curiosity, and then I'll like repost
it on my story or something. But fashion historian, Caroline Evans, did describe them in her article
"The Enchanted Spectacle" for The Journal of Dress
Body & Culture culture as, "V-necked, tight fitting,
and worn over the corset and under the dress." They were also usually made of black satin or a crepe de Chine. Couturier,Charles Friedrick Worth, is often considered the first designer to utilize living mannequins
back in the 1850s. His first mannequin was actually his wife, Marie Vernet Worth. Charles would dress her and his creations and have parading down the
horse races at Longchamps to basically like market his designs. The success of the collaboration ended up inspiring him
to look for other models or living mannequins to
model his other designs in his showrooms. A lot of designers who
recruited mannequins had a cabine, which was an established team of models that worked specifically for them. French designer, Jean Patou, was another designer who used mannequins. In 1924, he organized a highly publicized casting call in New York to recruit American mannequins so that his North American
clients could feel seen. Because, you know,
French and American women look very different. At this time, there
were no strict standards of what a mannequin had to look like. They just normally had to be
on the tall side and slender. And they had to be white.
(tense music) But other than that, there were no like measurements
they had to fall into. French couturier, Paul Poiret, even fondly described his favorite model. "Paulette was for a long
time the one I preferred. With round arms and rounded shoulders, she was plump and elegantly
rolled as a cigarette. How comely, how French." As a mannequin, you weren't supposed to
be unique or individual. Most mannequins would
wear the same uniform when out and about with the designer. Part of the standardization was influenced by US President Henry Ford. Yes, stay with me. This seems random, but it's all kind of connected. So in 1914, Henry Ford introduced
the eight hour workday, and basically he organized industries to work in assembly lines to
create a standardized product. Some scholars have linked
the standardization in the industry plant to entertainment, specifically with chorus lines. German film writer, Siegfried Kracauer, argued that the chorus lines symbolized the capitalist system. Each girl was zapped of her individuality to assume the identity of a mass ornament. Media studies researchers,
Stuart and Elizabeth Ewen, add, "By the 1920s, fashion had begun to emulate
the logic of industrialism. The fashion ideal for
women increasingly became that of the young, agile, long limbed girl whose naturally shaped body is well-suited to the working requirements and mobility of the modern world. Her well proportion
figure is easily clothed by a standardized manufactured garment." Also, with the boom of consumerism, department stores started
competing with each other by hosting more and more
elaborate fashion spectacles. And by 1915, fashion shows could be found virtually in every major
city in the United States. Journalist, Michael Gross, observed, "Mannequins became an important factor in the American fashion scene." So needless to say, in the 1920s, modeling became an important
work option for young women. Don't get me wrong, the occupation was still
like pretty poorly paid and informal labor, but it was the fact that
you could surround yourself with these like aristocratic ladies who could potentially offer
you like a better job. Or if you're really lucky, take you under their wing
and support your lifestyle. In 1923, John Robert Powers opened up the first
modeling agency in New York. And with agency representation,
models fees increased. By the 1930s, American models
earned on average $65 a week for photographic work and $40
a week for wholesale modeling and fittings and showrooms
on Seventh Avenue. Just for perspective, $65
in 1930 was about $1,155, which is especially not bad considering The Great Depression. Powers was also one of the first people to have his models adhere to a strict height and weight requirement, and, of course, these measurements
only slim down over time. For instance, in 1930, at least 10 of Powers's
models had 39-inch hips, several of them were even
five foot five and under. But by 1932, all who did
not fit the slender, tender, and tall standard had mostly
disappeared from his roster. Similarly, Eileen Ford,
founder of Ford Models which was set up in 1946, she was pretty rigid in how
she wanted her models to look, telling them if and when
they needed to lose weight. An early Ford model named Gayle explained, "We always had our makeup on. We wore high heels, and there was a time we wore white blouse and full black skirts with
crinolines underneath it, and you had your little black hatbox, and you looked the part." Not every modeling job
was created equal though. If you wanted to be a model, there were two career paths
you could choose from, or that you were pushed to, runway modeling or photographic modeling. Runway models did catwalks,
fittings and showrooms. They were more prevalent in Europe as they usually worked
full-time for couturiers. Also to note, before the 1960s, runways were not what we
imagined them to be today. Models were not strutting
down at high speeds like in a Victoria Secret fashion show or on a Versace runway. Fashion shows or parades,
as I mentioned before, were really slow. They could last as long as three hours. Models would languidly
walk around the room and strike dramatic poses
more than just once. Sometimes they would carry a small card which denoted the name of
the gown they were wearing for ease of ordering. As Evans observed, in the 1950s, models slithered along the catwalk, at most, pulling on or off a glove. Runway models were not
necessarily good looking. These fashion shows were
not like big media events, there were no photographers
trying to get closeups or anything, so you didn't necessarily
have to be photogenic to be a runway model. One historian deemed Bronwen Pugh, a famous runway model at the time, "an untidy sulky-looking girl who made an overnight
reputation for herself when she first modeled
for Balmain in Paris. A reporter described her as, "That Welsh girl who drags
a fur along the runway as if she had just killed it and was taking it home to her mate." Scathing. But something that has continued
into the present is that, even in the early days, models tried to embody the aesthetic of the designer they were working for. Like, there was a Christian Dior walk. There was also a very famous Chanel pose where the model would
have one foot forward, a flat belly head, held high, chin up, and one hand in the pocket of her skirt. Photographic models on the other hand posed for magazines and catalogs. They were usually working
with Vogue or Harper's Bazaar and paid on an hourly rate. They were more visible, and therefore more
prestigious and better paid. These models also had
to be more photogenic than runway models for obvious reasons. It wasn't until about the 1960s when fashion became more and
more inspired by the youth and by subcultures rather
than by high society. Couture was out and ready to wear was in. One of the most major shows of the '60s was the 1964 Mary Quant show, which I have tried to
find video footage of, but, I don't know, it's probably like deep
in the archives somewhere. I was able to find like
the 1963 Mary Quant show, but for some reason they
skipped over 1964 on YouTube. I have no idea why. But allegedly what happened in 1964 was Mary Quant's models
burst onto the runway, smiling, kicking, running, dancing. According to Mary Quant's
autobiography, "Quant by Quant," one girl was carrying a shotgun and another girl was swinging
around a dead pheasant, which spurted blood out everywhere even onto the journalists. Quant explained, "We managed to persuade nine
of the top photographic girls to model the clothes for us. We did this because they wanted
to show the clothes moving, not parading, and these girls move
beautifully and naturally. They walk swingingly and when they are still for a moment, they stand arrogantly." Other designers followed Quant's direction going for impact rather
than for information, which of course made fashion shows into these major media events. And then it just kind of
like built up from there because a lot of designers were now looking for major magazine stars to walk their shows to
get more press coverage rather than resorting to
traditional runway models that were not photogenic and basically could just walk really well. Elizabeth Wissinger writes, "Models soon had to be
an all-in-one package with the right walk for the runway, the right face for the camera, the right verve to stand out, making it look natural
and easy all the while. Models with personality were
sought after and revered. No longer a pin-money job, modeling became all-encompassing work. One did it as a career, a career so absorbing
it grew into a lifestyle packaged and sold as a commodity itself." And then by the 1980s, there was a turn towards
aspirational advertising, a.k.a. advertising that pushed
emotional selling points linking products to symbols. To give an example of
this, in the early days, a lingerie store would just
be trying to sell underwear based on the way that
the underwear looked, the design, just by aesthetic value, sometimes functional value, but they were just pushing a product. But, you know, Victoria's Secret ads of like the '80s and onwards, they were selling not just underwear, they were selling a lifestyle, a sexy lifestyle that
would only happen to you if you bought their underwear. So in saying that, the model played a critical part in this kind of advertising. (upbeat music) The major supermodels of the
'90s were Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Claudia Schiffer, and sometimes Kate Moss
was included with them too. Linda, Naomi, and Christy also were part of a subgroup
known as the Trinity after working consistently with
photographers Steven Meisel. So what made these models super? Other than like the skill
of walking and posing, the supermodel craze of the '80s and '90s was different than in previous decades because these models were
now major celebrities. Beforehand, only one or two models like Barbara Golan and
Twiggy would get a spotlight, but this was a whole group, and their reach was even more global because of the '80s entertainment boom. These women had whole issues of Vogue magazines dedicated to them, they had appeared on
various celebrity TV shows. Cindy Crawford even published
a workout video in 1992 called Shape Your Body Workout. And in 1994, Naomi Campbell
published her novel about the industry called, "Swan". In 1996, Karen Mulder, Naomi Campbell, and Claudia Schiffer were immortalized as action figure dolls. And in 1998, two well-known authors published novels about models. "Model Behavior" by Jay McCaney and "Glamorama" by Bret Easton Ellis. Even teen novels were part of model mania with books like "Model Flirt" and "Picture Me Famous" hitting Shelves. Many of these models also had highly publicized
relationships with famed actors, athletes, and celebrities. They also made tons and tons of money. In 1991, designer Gianni Versace decided to pay supermodels double and even triple their rates as long as he was the only designer that the models could work for during his march couture show. Vanity Fair correspondent,
Colacello, explained, "Versace was the designer
who pushed that concept of the supermodel as a group the furthest. Reportedly he would outbid the competition to ensure that he got
all the biggest stars for the same show. In the process, inflating their rates from 10,000 to 50,000 for
a half-hour appearance." Journalist Michael Gross observed that once Versace started paying extra for exclusive bookings, then all the other designers said, "I'll match that. I'll pay you the same thing, and you don't have to be exclusive." After appearing on over
300 magazine covers, Cindy Crawford won a contract
with Revlon Cosmetics and also became the
All-American face of Pepsi. In 1994, her gross earnings
were estimated at 6.5 million. By 1988, her earnings
reportedly reached 8 million. Other sources reported that Crawford, Turlington,
and Evangelista, and Campbell were all earning between 20
and 30 million by this time. And by 1999, like in general, the potential value for an
average model was so high that even like an untried 14-year-old could make a starting salary of $70,000 and grow to be worth
like a hundred thousand to a million dollars within a few years. But it wasn't just modeling
that grew as an industry, it was like the entire fashion
industry that was explosive. Cable shows like CNN Style
series hosted by Elsa Klensch, Behind the Velvet Ropes
with Lauren Ezersky, and MTV's House of Style
hosted by Cindy Crawford, brought fashion and modeling
into everyone's living rooms. Interest in fashion was so
high by the end of the 1990s network television produced two shows, "Veronica's Closet" about
a lingerie designer, and "Just Shoot Me", a sitcom
about a fashion magazine, which at the time represented a large portion of the primetime market. To paint a picture, in 1986, the Paris shows were
attended by 1,875 journalists and around 150 photographers, which was nearly a fourfold increase on the figures recorded for 1976. Unfortunately, all good
things do come to an end and the supermodel bubble did burst. In the late '90s, actors start endorsing
commercial and fashion products virtually taking over the model's job. The reason why most actors didn't get on this business like earlier is because they felt that
doing product endorsement would lower their value
as a serious actor. Another big thing that happened was 9/11, which actually fell on the
day that Fashion Week started in New York City. So obviously, all the
shows had to be canceled, and the aftermath of that
was that a lot of collections were left unsold. And then the aftermath of that is that a lot of models had
to absorb the economic shock. By booker's estimates,
some clients now pay just half of what they did before 9/11. Another negative thing for
the modeling industry is that, the invention of TiVo. Basically, TiVo, because I know a lot of people
don't even watch TV anymore, but TiVo is this technology
where you can record a program and watch it later and like skip through all the commercials. So in the end, TiVo diminished the power
of television advertising, which slashed models rates in this once very lucrative
area of marketing. And then, also with how
glamorized models lives have been marketed as
being in the '80s and '90s, but even now today, who wouldn't wanna live the lifestyle of Bella Hadid or Kendall Jenner? So because of all this
like glitz and glamour around the modeling profession, modeling has become a
hyper competitive industry and it has low entry barriers, so what ends up happening
is that there's overcrowding with a great deal of struggle
for success and to stand out. In 2009, Gisele Bundchen gross 25 million in modeling contracts, but according to the occupational
employment statistics, in the same year, models earned an estimated
median income of $27,330. In terms of plus-size modeling because I have been talking about straight-size this whole time, even though there are some models like Ashley Graham and
Crystal Renn who make bank, one plus-size model
named Marilyn explains, "Plus modeling is very competitive. There are less jobs and lots
of women vying for them, so therefore there are only
a handful of plus models that are able to solely
support themselves by modeling. Think of how many retailers there are of straight-size clothing. Literally thousands. How many plus retailers are there? See what I mean?" So what makes a successful model? How come some women are able to stand out, make millions and millions of dollars, while some are living
like working class wages, having to do multiple jobs just to get by? (upbeat music) So a term that is really
hard to describe is the look, which I'm sure anyone who's like got their
eye in the fashion industry has heard that term being passed around by modeling agents and scouts, but you know it is something
that's very hard to define. It's like the it factor for it girls. Ashley Mears describes the look as, "A special type of human capital. What sociologists Loic
Wacquant in his study of boxers calls bodily capital. She goes on to describe
the physical attributes that a model is supposed to have. Youthfulness, clear skin, healthy teeth, symmetrical features, and, of course, the narrow height and weight measurement requirements too. Currently, the female model
is typically at least 5'9", with body measurements of a 34-inch bust, 24-inch waist, and 34-inch hips. Male models typically are 6' to 6'3", have a 32-inch waist, and
a 39 to 40 inch chess. For plus-size models, they generally have to be somewhere between a woman's clothing size 10 and 18, and a minimum height of 5'8". However, most plus-size models
and top modeling agencies are between sizes 10 and 14. But Mears clarifies, "This formula does not, by
itself, constitute a look. Beyond this basic physique, small and subtle differences lead clients to prefer
one model over another. Models, bookers, and clients
refer to these differences as a model's look. Part of this something else
is in the model's personality. It's the whole package of a model's being, including personality, reputation, on-the-job performance, and appearance." Yet a whole package is arbitrary. It's subjective. Helen, senior booker at Scene explains how tough it is to find the look. "Everybody's looking for the Kate Moss and Natalia Vodianova. The girl that is going
to make the mega bucks. And the fact is, you can't tell
whether you've got it or not until way down the line, so everyone just keeps on searching and everybody gets scouts. I find it really tough. They take people from places, and it's a lot of wasted time and a lot of people
are sent home and told, 'Oh you're no good.' I think it's a shame." Obviously a model that
can do any job is ideal, but most models are categorized as being editorial or commercial models. The look for editorial
work tends to be edgier, and the look for commercial
work tends to be softer. Most commercial girls are
conventionally attractive and affectionately referred
to as money girls by bookers. They work predominantly
in showrooms for catalogs and for commercial print advertising. The commercial girl is cheerleader pretty, manicured, classic, and clean. A lot of bookers claim that
she doesn't have to be white, just coated as middle class. Brie, a New York booker, describes her as, "Definitely pretty, like a girl that would be
walking down the street and you go, 'Yeah, she's hot.' You know, heads are turning. That's what I think is catalog. Clean, all-American, very wholesome. Usually if a man from middle
America thinks she's hot, then that is sort of catalog." I think that even though
like everyone wants to say that this model doesn't have to be white, and obviously we are seeing
a lot more racial diversity than in years past, it is a gradual progression. There's still a lot more
white models in the industry, and much of the beauty
standard is still based on like white Eurocentrism. And there are countless stories too where black models will show up to set and they have to bring
their own foundation or they have to do
their hair ahead of time because the makeup
artists and hairstylists that are brought on to do the shoot don't know how to work with black hair, or they're just not carrying a diverse range of foundation shades. - [Voiceover] The realities
of being a black model during fashion week. I ask who could do black makeup. Why do I look like I work in the mines? Wow, I am clapped. I told him this wasn't my color. He is trash. Ouch girl, you're hurting me. Was told to wash my hair. No one dried it until last min. The white leader tried to fix the makeup. Good try girl, but I felt ugly Af. Redid my whole face in 10 minutes. Can't go outside. It's the contour for me.
(upbeat music) Yes, I ate it up like I always do. But by the time that I walked the runway, I wanted to go home. Please hire more black
hair and makeup artist so we don't have to go through this. - Beyond just the fact that
it's harder for models of color to get well paying jobs,
or just to get jobs at all, there is is something
more dangerous at play on like a widespread scale. For instance, in 2004, Harvard psychiatrist and
anthropologist, Anne Becker, conducted a study and
found that three years after the introduction of
television into Fiji in 1995, 11.9% of adolescent girls
suffered eating disorders while trying to change
their Fiji and build into one that resembled the western images they were exposed to via their television sets. But anyways, back to like
straight-size modeling, usually, straight-size models don't have to be like as
slim as runway models, they just have to fit
into sample size garments, which usually like are
around a size small. But what's messed up
for plus-size modeling is that a lot of retailers
want to work with models on the slimmer end, so size 10s and 12s, and will just have them wear extra padding so that they can fit
into the larger clothes. Sharon Quinn, a veteran
plus-size model, said, "While not fully admitting to the practice of purposely hiring smaller models, Sharon Lippincott,
spokesperson for Lane Bryant, acknowledged that the
company used size 14 models in their advertising campaigns who were sometimes only size 14 on the bottom half of their bodies." A fit model named Samantha also noted, "They'll use padding to size a girl up. A girl may be a size 10, 12, but the client wants a solid size 14. They like her thinner face
but want a bigger body, so they'll make her wear foam
padding under her clothes. It's a win-win situation
for smaller models. The model gets the job and the client gets the look they want. Unfortunately, it hurts larger models." Hearing this also just
makes you think about how plus-size modeling
is often like thought of as more representative and more inclusive, but you're still expected to conform to a set of proportions. Larissa Laurel told PLUS Model Magazine, "Some models like me are
blessed with big bottoms, but our bust is on the smaller sides. So, do you know what we do? We stuff our bras with the pillow cups, which we lovingly refer
to as chicken cutlets. One model I personally
know wears a padded panty to help her rear end look fuller." For editorial, models are usually edgier. They look a little odd and unconventional. Their look doesn't necessarily
appeal to the mass market, but editorial fashion, in general, is not supposed to appeal to the masses. She doesn't move merchandise, she communicates prestige and exclusivity. As Mirrors writes, "The more types of people with
whom a model can resonate, the less exceptional she is, hence the lower value perceived or real, attached to a commercial look. It's also important to note the power of makeup in hair styling because if a model is getting
recruited to be editorial, and if she's marketed as
having like an edgier look, she's probably gonna get
told to bleach her hair or shave her eyebrows or get a mullet to make her look even edgier. I think Iris Law is a
great example of this. Before Iris shaved her head, she had a way more commercial look. But after she shaved it
and bleached her hair, her look is now very
edgy and high fashion. Overall, a lot of a model's
work is glamour labor. And while this isn't new, like
for much of the 20th century, you were expected, if you were a model, to have certain grooming habits or to follow... Or to follow a consistent... Or to follow a consistent diet. But it feels like in recent years, models have had to really nitpick certain features about themselves, like from their nail
beds to their eyebrows. A makeup artist named Kay explained, "I say this is your product, and you're going to invest in it, and it is an investment, or you're not. Either you're going to find
the right dermatologist, a good facialist if that's what you need, or you're going to apply yourself. Either you're going to go to a gym and you're going to tone
your body the right way. You may be as skinny as a pole, but that doesn't mean that
you're in the right shape. Or you might not. I'll ask if they're eating right. I'll talk to them about
going to a nutritionist. Finding out what works
well with your body. What they should and shouldn't be eating, and that's going to react
to their energy level, how they feel emotionally, their hair and skin quality
as well as their weight." Mears writes about the consequences of this hypervigilant glamour labor. "When would-be models are encouraged to think of their bodies in parts to be addressed
individually and managed, in turn, women, most certainly, although recently, at least some men also, feel the pressure to seek
to resemble those models by going to the gym,
getting plastic surgery, and buying makeup that
leaves them pixel protected." It's also a myth that plus-size models have it so much easier
than straight-size models. Like I think there is a lot of talk about how plus-size models can
eat just whatever they want, but there are still things
that plus-size models can't do because, in essence, modeling is about
maintaining a certain look even when it's natural for her bodies to morph and change over time. One plus-size fit model named Janus lost weight because she got
a retainer to fix her teeth. And because the dentist told her she would have to brush her
teeth every time she eat, before putting the
retainer back in her mouth, she just ate less because it
became such an inconvenience. And because of that, she lost 20 pounds in a series of weeks. And because she lost weight, she also lost a lot of jobs as a fit model because she no longer fit in the clothes she was supposed to be modeling. She described one account where she tried to
button up a pair of pants and they just fell down to her legs. "I felt like I was being arrested. The looks I got from these people. I started to give a
monologue to the directors, saying I had just had food poisoning and made cracks about eating muffins to gain the weight back." After that happened, she started binge eating carbs and cheese. And instead of like properly exercising, she would go on these very slow walks with a jar of peanut butter and just like eat it by the
spoonful as she was walking. Obviously, this isn't a correct way or a healthy way to gain weight, but this is the thing that she had to do because she was literally
losing her income. So going back to my initial question, what makes a successful model? Well, other than having the look, which is this very like woo
woo, hard to explain trait, a lot of successful models these days are just like nepotism babies or have parents who are very wealthy. For example, the Hadid's
mother is Yolanda Hadid, Lela Moss is Kate Moss's daughter, Kaia Gerber is Cindy Crawford's daughter. These are just a few examples, but it feels like everyone
in the entertainment industry is related to, in some form or another, to someone else who's rich and famous. And I'm not saying like every
nepotism baby is untalented. Like, I think that Bella Hadid is a very talented runway model. I think that in the acting world, Laura Dern is a really
massively talented actress. She's one of my favorite
actresses of all time. - If you wanna see the
greatest performance of 2006, check out Laura Dern's
performance in "Inland Empire". - But when you do have a
parent in the industry, it obviously gives you advantages because your parent probably knows someone like a booking agent or they know a big photographer, or they know like a PR person that will help you get
your career jump started. Nepotism babies also
tend to have more money to put into glamour labor, like Bella Hadid famously had a lot of work done on her face. And just even on like the lower... (coughs) Oh my God. Even just on like the
lower end of glamour labor, like, getting your hair
bleached once a month, it racks up in costs. That's like $300 an appointment, which can be a struggle
for a lot of models who are starting out who
don't come from money. 'Cause even when you're
getting jobs like as a model, and this is just like what I've noticed with a lot of kind of
like freelancer-y jobs, you don't get paid until much
later after you do the job. A lot of the times, you
don't get paid for 30 days. A lot of the times, you don't
get paid until 90 days after. So for you to be able to float along between those pay periods, it requires you to have a
pretty comfortable balance in your bank account beforehand, which means not living
paycheck to paycheck. And just like beyond all those logistics, since like aspirational
modeling boomed in the 1980s, it's just more profitable for brands to work with well-known
people, with celebrities, with influencers than
it is for them to work with just like a random
model who's good at her job. Because brands know that if they're working with
a celebrity or an influencer, that person has a large following. So it's also like not just
using this person's image, it's getting their followers
to buy products too. There's multiple advantages than just having like a
really sick ad campaign. And also if like your mom
is a model or a celebrity, and you're like an 18-year-old who's just like starting to
come out into this industry, there's a lot of press
that is driven towards you because people are like, "Oh, is she gonna live
up to her mom's name?" There's more interest in following you, and brands know that, so they're gonna go for Kaia Gerber rather than like some girl
from Ohio, unfortunately. Okay, that's all I have for today. I feel like my video ended up kind of like deflating in
terms of like optimism, but it is a really, really tough industry. And I do have friends who are models, and some of them have like quit modeling, some of them still enjoy it. So I have like witnessed this
kind of like range of success, but it is really tough and I don't really know
if it's gonna get better just because there's just so
much competition these days. But I am interested in hearing what you all have to say about that, whether you think the modeling
industry has gone downhill. Yeah, just like your thoughts about other things in this video. As always, I hope you have
a lovely rest of your day and I'll see you next time. Bye. (lip smacks)
