Who are we?
-Models!
What is our job?
-To be pretty!
Is that all?
-Yes!
WRONG!
So wrong. Yet somehow this prejudice lives on, and helps create new generations of pretty faces with nothing more to offer. This is an alarming issue, especially in the alternative modelling world, where we do not serve just as clothes hangers to walk down some runway. We represent a lifestyle, a culture, a whole world within the world. Every single woman can be a princess and a breathtaking beauty in the 21st century- powerful makeup, wigs, extensions, add-ons made from plastic and silicone, lenses, lashes, lips pumps, you name it! Even more so in photos- where you don't need any of this. Right software and some editing skills and tips, and you can create a whole new face! Seriously, you could take a photo of a chair wearing a dress and make it into a model, if you are good enough
And we all love it and use it and abuse it
Bad hair day? Lipstick out of lines? Dirt and leaves on your skirt? No problem, photo edit will take care of everything. I am not saying that girls and women who become good models aren't beautiful as they are, and without any retouching, I am just saying that it shouldn't be enough. Because, at the end of the day, behind every brand and dress, every sparkly necklace and killer shoes, there is a person who created it, who makes a living out of it, and that is who we work with. People. On the other side, there are those sweet thousands of "followers" and "fans" who are connected to our social media, who buy what we tell them to buy, who read magazines which publish our photos, who go to us for advice on what to wear and how to do their makeup, where to get a good deal for some cool outfits, etc. But i that really all that we are? Dolls and advertising panels? Is that all we really want to talk about? Nothing more to say? Should we let our days be shaped by likes, shares and comments, and our self worth by numbers which don't mean anything outside of Internet? What happens when you reach a certain level, when so many people have their eyes on you? You become a role model, like it or nor. You have an influence that can be grater than giving shopping and beauty advice. When all lights are on you, it is time to shine. But those lights might show what is really in there.
That is when you stop being just a model, and start being a PERSON who is a model. That is a though part. Education, skills, achievements, relationship with fans and coworkers, loyalty and respect. It is impossible to add these with a click of a mouse. If you are vain and arrogant, and think you own the world, it will show. If you are empty and have no beauty within, it will show. And no program or level of editing will be able to create that for you, and hide that huge gap. And, if you are kind and grateful, creative and strong, it will set you apart, and believe me, it can be seen even in photos, in your eyes.
Many models don't realize the impact they make on their followers, especially girls or boys who admire them, and want to be like them in a way. If you show them that only looks matter, and that the whole world is just about makeup, bats and lace, parties and photo sessions, what kind of message are you sending? Don't be just a pretty face, because anyone can be one. Be a person, with thoughts and attitude, with ideas and dreams. be there for those people who look up to you. Be aware of the world around you and show what is it that makes you different and unique. It i not your lipstick and eyeliner, it is not your new corset. It is your heart and your light you have inside. Don't be fooled and corrupted by the false feeling of huge importance and success. It is just a career, or a hobby. You did not save the world.
You don't get to treat people like they are less worthy. You don't get to demand things and acknowledgment. You don't get to act like you are some kind of celebrity who deserves this or that. You don't get to disrespect people who helped you get where you are. I wish brands and designers would pay more attention to this, because I see so many amazing people who are not appreciated enough, and who have so much to offer. And so many divas and mean beauty queens who get ahead. It is a superficial world after all, and personalities aren't something that is very important, especially if they don't fit a certain mold. Even in our "free" alternative culture.
The time is long overdue to start changing the stereotype of a pretty girl, and to put some limitations to where looks can take her. It is time to take the mask down, and show that we can be so much more, not just can, but must be.
