Diary of a model
Lily spends her days as a model, rushing from shoot to show and on to yet another casting. On Amayzine, she tells you all about what her life is really like. Under a different name, of course, but that means she can share all the juicy details. This week: is it true that everyone takes advantage of a model?
Recently, a lot has been written about the abuse of power by casting directors, photographers, and stylists. Entire Instagram pages have emerged where girls and boys can share their stories. Of course, I have experienced strange things and heard crazy stories, but I must say that I was very shocked by the things I read. I think it's incredibly good that people are now daring to come forward with these kinds of stories and that something can be done about it. My agency has once again impressed upon me that if I ever feel intimidated in any way, I should report it immediately so that something can be done. I am so grateful to have such nice and kind bookers.
Despite the fact that there are certainly things that are strange, I have never felt insecure or abused. Therefore, I would like to write a piece about all the fun, special, and nice moments I have experienced in my modeling life.
A group of friends spread all over the world: when you are waiting at castings, you often end up chatting with your neighbors. Many girls are only in the modeling cities (Paris, New York, London, Milan) for a short time, and because of that, most are always up for a coffee with a colleague. Since everyone is in the same boat, it is very easy to make contact and quickly meet many people. Of course, you don't become friends with every fellow model, but I have certainly made a very large and fun group of friends in the three years that I have been doing this work. Especially at the beginning, it is scary to arrive alone in a new city, but in most cities I go to now, I always know a few people.
The industry is run by creative types. The people I meet through my work are so different from the people I meet at home. People from all over the world are brought together to create something beautiful. Recently, I worked with a makeup artist from Peru, and the way of growing up there is quite a bit different from what we are used to in the Netherlands. I have learned a lot about different cultures and lifestyles from all over the world, and from every encounter, I take something with me to apply in my own life.
The beautiful places you travel to: if you are lucky and book a job at a location, you end up in the most beautiful places in the world and get paid for it: double win. The Bahamas, Iceland, Peru, Morocco, Mexico; you name it. Every time, I am amazed at how big the world is and how many special places there are. Even though you are often there for just a few days and fly home with the same flight crew, it is a-ma-zing.
The many cities you can call ‘home’: if you stay somewhere for a while for castings, you get to know cities as if you live there. I know London, Paris, Milan, Barcelona, New York, and of course Amsterdam so well by now that I have lists of hotspots and to-dos (I will definitely write a piece about that too). I can't wait to show my kids later where I have lived or, you know, to my friends now. That is actually even more fun.
So you see: the life of a model is not all roses. Every rose has thorns, but my oh my, how you can sometimes enjoy it!
xx Kisses from Lily
