My first and initial meeting with Zara, a young aspiring model, lead me to believe that her life comprises of glamour and is surrounded by beautiful people, lavish clothes, expensive jewellery and accessories and wonderful career. No doubt, I was thoroughly impressed by her lifestyle I could not imagine that at such a young age she can do so much in her life. For me, it was very hard to digest that everything is so much accessible to her, she is still 22 but can do whatever she wants to without any difficulty. But it was just a few hours later when I realized that the life that she is living is not as glamorous as it may look like. There are so many flaws surrounding her life that makes it impossible to explain everything in detail.
“I always wanted to be a fashion model but once I entered this industryI realized it is nothing but scary”, Zara told me. She is bound to look beautiful and perfect to survive in this complicated industry. The pretentious world of fashion has made models like Zara to pretend as if they are enjoying what they are doing but in reality it is far more than mere enjoyment. Behind their pretty face, lies a feeling of being scared and conscious effort to remain calm and relaxed but in reality every girl is worried about losing their position. Zara said; “My obsession with fashion lead me to be a part of this industry but now I find it very difficult to follow up but I can’t take rest because there are so many other models who would take up my place straightaway”.
The amount of competition is enormous as there are so many models and not much work to do. Though modelling is considered as a money making career but due to the lack of available work many models have been forced to work for less money. It has become hard to survive especially for mature aged models. It is unbelievable but true that mostly the models who are in demand are aged between 14 to 19 years and anyone who passes this age bracket finds it quite exhaustible to earn good money from this profession. But despite less money and such an immense amount of competition, still more and more models come pouring down into this so called fascinating modelling industry.
Unfortunately, today’s fashion models suffer from unhealthy traits like; depression and eating disorders. The reason behind it is that fashion industry has become a place for women who are extra ordinarily thin. The modelling industry is extremely competitive and perfection is the only demand. This puts an excess amount of pressure on the models to look good all the time or otherwise they will be out of this industry. Many young models died just because they wanted to fit in this industry. Modelling industry is something that has not only affected individuals physically but also emotionally. Although authorities tend to disguise these factors but there are ill advised people working in this industry who demand the models to be tall, extremely thin and extremely young.
“When I entered this industry I thought it is all about wearing clothes to display latest fashion trends, but later I found out how twisted this industry is and how negatively it has affected the lives of so many young girls and boys”. Zara said whilst we were browsing through different fashion magazines and it is so true because the fashion that the trends these fashion models follow is nothing but fakery. It is all about being tall and extremely thin rather than looks. The glamorized look given to the life of a model is in reality nothing but a life full of immense pressure and stress. They have to live a severely unhealthy lifestyle to maintain their physique and appearance.
Insecurity, stress, health problems, depression and fatigue are just a few words that would summarize the life of a fashion model. Many models find themselves in a whirlpool of never ending struggles to achieve what they want to achieve but in the end they are nowhere. Although they have to imitate as if they are living their dream life but the reality stretches in an opposite direction completely. The standard of behaviour put forward by the modelling industry is somewhat harsh and every model is obliged to fulfil that standard otherwise they would be categorised as misfits. Whether it is New York, London or any other part of the world, the harsh reality is most female models are not more than 19 years of age and you will find girls as young as 14 years old.
“I know after a few years I will not get any modelling contracts because I am getting old now”. 22 year old Zara said, “I have to maintain myself so that I meet those requirements otherwise I can’t be a model anymore”. Her career as a model has made her a slave to this industry and it has become her career’s necessity to wear expensive clothes and makeup even if she doesn’t want to wear. The unfortunate phenomenon is that the more they earn the more they have to spend to look good. Like Zara, there are so many other models who find themselves trapped into this world of modelling. Besides the challenge of looking good all the time there are so many negative energies that surround these models.
The excessive flow of money and influence of negative energies make the environment uncontrollable for these models and they tend to abuse their bodies by taking drugs and alcohol. Some of them find it difficult to survive in this industry therefore they do what others are doing to gel in with the environment while others kind of get blown away with so much money and power coming their way. It is hard to keep yourself on track but the bad string of luck is that those who try to gel in don’t survive for long in this harsh world of modelling.
During my interview with Zara I met her mother Ruby, who herself was a fashion model when she was young. Ruby said “Now looking back at my modelling days I remember bitter memories more than sweet memories because there was hardly any good thing to remember about those days, but that was the choice that I made for myself and now seeing my own daughter climbing up those stairs, sometimes I find it hard but again it is her own choice.” She added, “Now looking back, I find it so stupid and ridiculous! I used to spend hours and hours in buying expensive handbags and dresses”. Reflecting on what Ruby discussed, I can imagine her whole modelling career was based on how to look good in front of others rather than focusing on what she wanted for herself.
Life of girls like Zara is nothing but a complicated picture that has to be completed by others. A model’s personality is dependent upon what others want from her rather than what she personally likes or wants. It is just like a beautiful cage, where you can look glamorous all the time by wearing expensive designer clothes, makeup and accessories, you have money to buy whatever you want but still you are not free because you are obliged to go by the industry rules otherwise your worth is nothing. Although it is one’s own decision to be a part of fashion industry and modelling but once you enter into this glamorous world it is hard to pull yourself out of there. But still, there is hope that one day this harsh world of modelling would become a much better place for promising models like Zara. There is lot be done on the part of authorities who are responsible for organising fashion shows and other modelling campaigns. Today’s modelling industry needs an extreme makeover so that there are no restrictions on weight or any limited age brackets to fit in.
Sadly, today’s model’s life is just glamorous from the outside only and from inside it is layered by ugly scars and realities of life. The major concerning factor here, is that so many young girls and boys are fascinated by the lives of their favourite celebrity models and they dream and tend to follow their footsteps without knowing about the harsh realities of their dream model’s life. There need to be some steps made to make those harsh establishments more apparent. Apart from that, steps should be taken to make modelling industry a much better place for models. Every model has the right to live a glamorous life not only from the outside but also from the inside at the same time.
Works Cited
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