Expert: Kitty Kavey - 12/13/2006

Question
I am told i should be a model and recently someone asked me if I was one. I was wondering about the first step to becoming one I am 17, and have been thinking about it forever but don't have much money or time after work and bills. What is the first step? I know virtually nothing about the modeling industry except you are supposed to be skinny. I am 5'9" and 138 pounds, hip size is 36' and waist is 27' my bust is 34A. Will those things effect the fact that I want to be a model and and is New York the best place to move if you are an aspiring model? Thank you for your time.

Answer
New York City is the best place for an aspiring fashion model.  You may want to mail in your information to the agencies you're interested in, as it's less expensive than taking a trip there - unless you're within driving distance.  The agencies tend to have open calls on different days/times, so you could coordinate a short trip to visit a few of them.  Whether you mail in your information, or attend an open call, I would definitely call first to see what their criteria is for new faces.  For some agencies, the ideal measurements (it's not done by weight) are 34-24-34, and you should be able to wear a size 4-6.  Your height and age should be fine - but make sure you let them know you are under 18.  The agencies in NYC tend to be more involved with their models, and can sometimes even assist with locating housing.  There are modeling agency directories available in print and online.  The Ross Reports is good (www.rossreports.com or on newsstands in the NY area) as is the online list:
http://models.com/model_culture/top10agencies/women/10-6.html
You can look up any of the individual agents listed there on your favorite search engine for free, or use one of the modeling agency directories to get contact info.
Good luck to you,
~Kitty