It may go without saying but personal hygiene is ALWAYS a big deal where modeling is concerned, after all you are hired to represent a brand or publication and no matter what your level of success you have been selected and are being paid to represent at the highest level. How you arrive on set or backstage counts, and it doesn’t go unnoticed if your personal care beforehand is a little haphazard. Finding yourself nearly naked and without hair and makeup is laying it all out there for the makeup artist, hair stylist and wardrobe stylist to see, and yes they notice that less than discreet tattoo, the nasty hair extensions, unwashed hair, body-piercings, unshaven legs, nicks, bruises, bad hair-dye job, un-manicured fingernails and toes, zits, and tan lines – ALL OF IT! And it matters! If you care so little about your own personal image how can you expect a client to think you care about their brand image?
It’s not enough to expect the hair and makeup people to cover all these nasty problems, or to “fix” your hair issues, give you a mani-pedi, or simply expect that the photographer’s retoucher is going to just quickly fix these issues in post-production. One of the quickest ways to get off on a bad footing on a job is give these problems over to the team as if it were their problem. It’s not their responsibility, but yours. And they will hesitate to book you again, or possibly report this to your agency. More than anything it is disrespectful to the team and the client and reflects badly on you.
I have spoken to photographers and makeup artists about these issues and if a model arrives with any of these problems without the agency or model warning ahead of time that “’so-and-so model fell down the stairs and has bruises on her shins”, or “so-and-so model has had a breakout on her face from frequent traveling this past week”, then it’s not acceptable, and most likely a call will be made to the booker. Makeup artists are completely grossed out by dirty hair, badly done hair extensions that haven’t been removed and washed in weeks and create bumps around the head, chewed off nails, and bad body shaving.
You are hired to arrive as a blank canvas, ready to be made up into the representation of the brand. It is your brand collaborating with theirs and the responsibility for a great outcome is as much your responsibility as theirs.
A profession model knows to:
Hair: arrive with clean hair, properly cut, and with hair extensions removed and cleaned.
Face: fuzz-free, eyebrows tidy, clean face, and facial skin maintained so as to be free of pimples and redness – avoid any dermatological treatments within a few days of a booking in case there is a reaction.
Body: remove all piercings, wax, or use your chosen hair-removal method; wear sunscreen on exposed skin daily to avoid any tan lines and discoloration, arms and décolletage included. If you have bruises, apply arnica regularly to expedite the healing process, and use over-the-counter creams and gels on cuts and scars to heal and reduce their appearance.
Nails: either learn how to give yourself a clean, simple, clear-colored manicure and pedicure, or book an appointment. Long or fake nails are out. Clear or nude shades are best since the makeup artist might need to use a particular color for the project.
We are all human, models included, and our skin does break out, we get bruises, and we sometimes have forgotten to wear sunscreen, but if you keep yourself generally photo-ready and maintain your hair, nails and complexion, then when something does go awry, an honest comment to the agency to give a potential client a heads-up before a booking can go a long way and shows you are committed to the job and professional.
Remember it is your job to arrive ready to go and it is not just your personal beauty day to have a free mani-pedi, or free hair trim, or free facial. More than anything it is just a matter of personal hygiene that is maintained. It is never okay to expect that any of these issues will be fixed by the beauty team or by the retoucher. It is not their job. It’s yours.
XOXO Shelley
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