My long-time readers know I’m not one who favors drama and have a general disdane for gossip. Unfortunately, I worked an assignment in late 2007 that is worth mentioning, especially to those hoping to pursue a career in modeling. I had the misfortune of working with some models who felt they were “better” than me. I don’t mean to say they felt they were more capable of doing the job. I mean to convey they regarded me as a “lesser” individual.
Models come in many shapes and sizes. My size is 2-4. I’m average height and curvy. Compare that to the typical dimensions of a fashion model and I’m vertically-challenged and bovine in proportion. The models who felt they were better were built as a fashion model generally is. Theier comments were catty and rude, not only to me, but to the staff. In fact, professional kindness was in extremely short supply during this shoot. The cattiness and dreadful attitudes filled the shoot with a tension I’ve never before encountered.
I could end the story on that note. It would be sufficient to say, “if you bring your shitty attitude with you, it only serves to make things worse - for everyone.” But then I’d be leaving the jewel out of the crown of this story.
I was hired, by name, to perform this job. I was not chosen from a random selection of models. Despite their arrogance and cockiness, the other models were simply picked from a line-up. When the assignment was over, I left as I normally do, thanking everyone for working with me. The casting agent was particularly kind.
In the end, I was paid 50% more
than the girls who brought the attitiude.
We all worked the same amount of time!
Modeling is not an easy job - no job in the entertainment industry is easy, for that matter. Bringing the attitude makes it intensely harder! Giving all your energy toward being a bitch keeps your phone from ringing, both personally and professionally. With women having to overcome SO many obstacles in society, I can’t fathom why some women feel they need to be another obstacle. Here’s proof-positive it doesn’t pay! 
Onward and upward!
Teresa Noreen
NOTE: This advice applies to glamour modeling.
I started modeling in August 2005 and immediately started trying to get published. I wasted a LOT of time chasing magazines and attempting to win their online contests before I really started to define exactly what it was I was seeking from being published. I finally realize, all I wanted was the “tear sheet”, but beyond that I didn’t have much of an idea of what I would do with it or what it was worth. As it turns out, its value is still imperceivable. Think about this; do a mental rewind, without using Google, and tell me who was Playmate of August ‘06, or who was Miss FHM of 2005, or winner of Maxim’s Hometown Hotties contest of the same year. Chances are, that you can’t! I’ve even had the opportunity to talk to one of the winners of the aforementioned online contests. To my surprise, the contest didn’t help launch her career as many of us models would have thought! Nope, it kept her busy for a few months, but the moment the next contest started, she was old news and left with a suddenly-open schedule.
Another issue I discovered the hard way was the top men’s magazines don’t like to publish or promote a girl that’s been in a competitor’s mag or on their website. Sometimes they’ll bend the rules, but generally speaking, if you’ve been in a contest at fhmonline.com (for example), chances are you won’t be welcome in Maxim OR in one of their online contests.
With that in mind, you need to determine two things:
A) Do you want to spend much effort chasing a tear sheet?
B) Which magazine will do the most for you?
Playboy has long been regarded as THE magazine that will launch a girl’s career. But consider how many playmates you can name from the last three months. Playboy sells the most mags with 2006 circulation (in the US) in the range of 3M copies. And, shooting for a Playboy photographer doesn’t mean that you’ll be a Playmate. It’s becoming increasingly common for them to use “test” images as cyber-girl-of-the-month and based on web user’s reaction to those images, they may use the model in the magazine - MAYBE! And that assumes the model is willing to pose nude. Be cautious about posing nude. If you are wishing for a career in Hollywood, be forewarned that posing nude will likely leave you typecast and possibly stall or terminate an acting career - google Julie McCullough if you need an example.
So, back to Maxim. Considering that they’re younger than Hef’s empire, they’re doing quite well at second place with 2.5M copies circulated in ‘06. (Trivia: According to the ad revenue numbers, they’re able to capture higher earnings on their circulation [reference]) Add to the fact the model doesn’t have to bare all and its appeal is even stronger.
Stuff, owned by Alpha Media Group along with Maxim Magazine, has fairly respectable circulation numbers that are roughly half of Playboy’s. That’s not too shabby, but try to assign those circulation numbers to the value of appearing in the magazine. I’ve worked with a Stuff model who received a LOT of promotion from them and Sony, but you’ve probably never heard of her. I don’t intend that as an insult. I’m simply trying to point out, a tear sheet’s value isn’t everything you might think it is.
Lastly, (in the U.S.) is FHM. They ceased publication of their print magazine in the U.S. and are now relegated to being an entirely-online publication. So being published in the U.S. version of the magazine doesn’t count as a tear-sheet in the typical sense. To make matters worse, compare their web traffic to that of their competitors and it seems that having a print version of the magazine helps to drive traffic to one’s website. Have you ever heard a co-worker say “doing a good job around this place is like peeing your pants in a dark suit; it gives you a warm feeling, but no one seems to notice“? I’ll let you read between the lines regarding that quote, but in the United States, FHM goes largely unnoticed, at least for now. Unless you’ve been under a rock for ten years, you SHOULD be fully aware that every form of entertainment is transitioning to the internet. With FHM U.S. focusing all of their attention on their site, they MIGHT surpass their competitors. But their traffic stats show they have a long way to go.
Penthouse is rumored to be attempting to alter their image to become more like Maxim & Stuff. They gave me a non-nude tearsheet in ‘06 and Tila Tequila was published in a non-nude multi-page feature in ‘07. They’ve solicited me SEVEN times for a pictorial and the last time I checked them out (before declining the offer, again), I was not convinced they’re on the right track to emulating the likes of Maxim magazine.
What does all of this mean? DON’T EXPECT BEING PUBLISHED TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE! Vida Guerra did pretty well with her tear-sheet opportunities, but she had a PLAN and used those tear sheets, well. If you’ve paid attention to the techniques being used to sell Maxim and Stuff, the cover models most recently are already celebrities. Being published alongside Eva Longoria means you will most likely NOT be the reason the magazine is sold, so you REALLY have to ask yourself how much that tear-sheet is worth!
In a previous blog, I suggested that real models should leave the online contests to the girls who want to be models and I still feel that is good advice. Let your manager, publicist and/or agent know that you’re interested in being published and let them know where you want to be published - feel free to use the information above to determine your magazine of choice. Once they know where you want to be, let them devote THEIR time to getting you published - that’s their job. As a model, you need to dedicate your time to modeling, not chasing a tear sheet for which a true value cannot be assigned!! Take your time - you’ll get there.
Onward and upward!
Teresa Noreen
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Hey friends, I worked a good portion of New Year’s Eve and I’m just getting in. Normally, I’d go to bed and get started on resting. But I heard something ‘tonight’ that reminded of a modeling scam that is being operated in my name!
This business is incredibly small, believe it or not. If you’re a model reading this, then you may already realize that. But, to my surprise (shock, horror), my name is being used to dupe aspiring models into signing contracts. I’m going to make sure this blog is permanently linked from the front of my improved profile and if you know a model (or hopeful model), please forward this blog to her or direct her to this address.
The way this scam works is quite simple. An individual claiming to be MUCH MORE than they really are, or someone falsely claiming to be my manager or agent, will claim that they arranged for “Teresa Noreen’s _________.” Now, you fill in the blank. I heard one con-man claiming he got me into Playboy. I’m not in Playboy! I’ve heard of cons claiming to get me work and other magazine appearances when I have no idea who they are!
For the record, my husband is currently my manager. So anyone besides my husband who is claiming to be my manager is being deceptive. My success is not entirely self-made, but I only have a tiny, tiny amount of people who’ve I entrusted with my business, life and career. Separately, I am signed in non-exclusive contracts with countless agencies. So, if you want to know how certain things have happened in my career, by all means, please ask. If you want to know how I got started, then read this. 
But, for example, if you are curious how I came to be in the January issue of American Curves magazine, I owe that credit to Andy McFarland of AMaginations.com. If you’re wondering how I scored the appearance in Stacked and Packed, credit goes to entertrainment lawyer, Jim Acheson. However, if you want to know how I got the Axe Body Spray gig, I secured that one through one of my non-exclusive agency contracts.
Anyhow, those are some examples. Beware of the scam artists (some of them are CEOs) and sincerely, models, please ask me, if you want to know the real story behind some of the things I’ve accomplished.
Onward and upward,
Teresa Noreen
Aspiring models, if someone asked you to work for free, would you do it? Online contests are coming to you to do the work they don’t want to purchase. Ask yourself why a website would spend their money on advertising, when they can promise models a prize that is a FRACTION of the cost of actual advertising.
I have participated in online contests. I even financially benefitted from one contest. And any time my FRIENDS at StreetTrenz.com want me to help them promote a contest, I do help them. But that’s it!
It’s becoming more and more common for magazines (and others) to draw traffic to their websites by getting models with lots of online friends to promote their contests. You know the magazines I’m talking about! One that was published in the U.S. for a few years (but still published abroad) is now relegated (at least in the U.S.) to limiting its publication to the internet. These contests aren’t necessarily legitimate and your effort isn’t necessarily fairly measured. Many of the contests are easily manipulated using macros, bots or other simply-written programs. In some instances, the contest winner is chosen by the operator of the contest before it even starts! Sometimes the rules will change in the middle of the contests. And this tactic is intentionally employed to cause controversy to drive more traffic!
I would suggest every model refrain from entering online contests. Leave them for the girls who WANT TO BE models. A real model doesn’t have the free time to work without being compensated. And even if a contest does declare you the winner and you do get published, consider its TRUE value! Ask yourself, if you’d dedicated all that time and energy into finding a better agency or a better manager, is it possible (even probable) they would have got you published with a simple phone call?!?!?
I’ve made the mistake of participating in online contests. Hopefully, you will benefit from my mistakes.
Ownard and upward,
Teresa Noreen
DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!!!
The primary audience for this particular blog is models somewhat new to the modeling industry and/or aspiring models.
The scams in this industry are abundant! I’m getting more angry about the scams I keep seeing on myspace, the internet, my inbox and even in the mail. First, here are a couple of absolutes:
DO NOT ENTER CONTESTS THAT REQUIRE ENTRY FEES, PERIOD!
DO NOT SPEND YOUR MONEY ON MODELING “SHOOTOUTS” OR “JAMS”!
On the first warning, especially on myspace recently, I’ve been getting hit up to be in various contests that require an entry fee. The catalyst for this blog was an invitation to participate in a contest where A NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY chain offered a “reduced rate” for “models” to have their photos taken. Once that chain (and only photos from that chain would qualify!) had taken your photos, you could qualify to enter their contest after you paid an additional submission fee.
WTF?!?! Is it just me or is this most duplicitous and underhanded means by which to sell photo packages and take money from girls who probably don’t have any to spare?!?! I have no problem with a chain inviting its customers to enter a contest, but to proclaim this type of contest as a valuable means toward launching a career in modeling is ludicrous! Furthermore, to suggest to aspiring models that they should pay a national chain for portfolio grade images is nauseating and insulting to models and professional photographers! If you are serious about modeling, someone on this large planet of ours, probably within a few miles of your home, is interested in building their photography portfolio. Use myspace, onemodelplace.com or modelmayhem.com to find them and learn from each other - grow in this industry together. That’s exactly what I did!
Regarding the “shootouts” or “jams” - whatever you want to call them, BEWARE!!! There is at least one nationally-known U.S. bikini company that has used disingenuous tactics to lure models into their events. I was a victim of one such scam that started with a phone call claiming I had won the online portion of a contest. They later claimed they made a mistake, (I found out that someone else had actually won) but they refused to refund my deposit until I involved a third party.
Remember: Being a model is something YOU ARE PAID TO DO!!! It is your j o b! Do the cashiers at McDonalds pay McDonald’s for the “privelege” of having a job?!?!? If you are paying someone to “allow” you to be a model, YOU ARE BEING SCAMMED!!!!
“Shootouts/jams” CAN BE excellent opportunities to network. It is essential that you exercise a great deal of caution when it comes to spending your money on such things. The lure of these types of events is the model will have the opportunity to get a lot of photos from a lot of photographers. He/she may also have the opportunity to network with businesses who could later consider him/her for work. KEEP IN MIND that usually many of the photographers at these events are not pros. If you’re an amateur model, then there’s no harm in working with amateur photographers. Like I said, you can grow together. But if you have a well-rounded portfolio, reconsider! Furthermore, if you’re a well-respected model, you should be getting paid to work a shootout/jam. Don’t sell yourself short! I’ve already established this business is cut-throat. So if you sell yoursef short, expect no shortage of people ready to prey on you!
If you’re attending a shootout/jam in the hopes of getting published in a well-known magazine, just send me the money you plan to spend and I’ll provide similar results. I promise, 99.9% of the time, you’ll never hear from me except for a courteous “Thank you” when I receive your money! We SO badly want to believe there is a magical/fast answer to everything we attempt that we sometimes forego logic and reason in favor of hope. (From the Matrix: Hope — it is the quintessential human delusion, simultaneously the source of your greatest strength and your greatest weakness. ~ The Architect) Don’t let hope be your weakness when it comes to managing your finances! Expecting to be published just for attending one of these events is like expecting to be cast in next Summer’s hottest movie because you have your own Blockbuster card.
On a positive note, a quick peek in my pics section on MySpace will reveal hyperlinks to some incredibly talented photographers. If, by some cosmic freak occurence, all of these guys were available for a “shootout/jam” for a weekend and the fee was only a couple hundred dollars, then you would find me there as long as it was near my home, close enough to drive. “My” guys are top-notch! I KNOW that I would be working with excellent photographers, creating fabulous content I could use. However, it is extremely unlikely that such a professional and highly-skilled round of talent will ever happen to be at one of these shootout/jam-type events. I have seen other extremely-talented photographers put together promotional packages to offer their sevices at a reduced rate but this blog is not about them - those are not scams.
In closing, models do not pay entry fees for contests. Models do not pay employers to work. It’s not unusual for models and photographers to work for each other for free! But if you’re “invited” to an event where you’ll be photographed by dozens of photographers for a 2-3 day period, YOU ARE WORKING and you should be compensated for your work! If you consider getting 1000’s of the exact same pose in the exact same piece of clothing to be compensation, so be it. Just keep in mind that you’ve given your time AND money for that “compensation”.
Okay, so I didn’t plan on writing all of that in a blog, but I do hope it helps some models.
Onward and upward,
Teresa Noreen
I am truly delighted to receive a number of letters from young ladies (and men) who want to model and are seeking my advice on how to go about it. I’m flattered to read that I’ve inspired others to take up a career in modeling. But what I find MOST inspiring is these girls (and the guys who ask, too) recognize the importance of finding a mentor. A good businessperson will tell you, if ANYONE is going to succeed in ANY task, we/they/you are best served to seek the advice of someone who is already succeeding in their field and I’m flattered to be viewed as a successful model.
Volumes of modeling advice have already been written by other professionals who possess far greater experience than I. And I am not going to attempt to repeat what they’ve done. Instead, I will point you to the best source I’ve found, so far. However, I will share some of my biggest mistakes in the hopes that they save others from repeating those same mistakes.
First, don’t ask if you have what it takes! As a businesswoman, and just as a woman, I want to help you understand why that is such a mistake. Frankly, it shows you don’t believe in yourself. It communicates to others that you are so unsure of yourself and your abilities that you require validation. One of my biggest gripes with the current education system is the fact that grades are given. Guess what - I don’t get a report card every nine weeks so there is no little slip of paper telling me how I’m doing. So don’t think that a kind, caring, compassionate teacher-figure is going to help you. In fact, the opposite is true, people are going to try to take advantage of you!!!
That leads nicely into my second point and that is, you are going to make mistakes! AND BLESS YOU!!! The more mistakes you make, the better you will be. If you are NOT making mistakes, you’re not moving! There are precautions you can take to ensure that your image isn’t being used to tarnish your modeling name. You never want to get into a situation that compromises your morals or personal code of conduct. To put that in simpler terms, don’t do anything illegal or anything that puts a knot of guilt in your heart! If the photographer starts using phrases like, “Next time we work together, you can show a little ‘down there’, maybe… and once you’re comfortable, touch yourself and flirt with the camera” — never go back! You have caller ID, ignore his calls if you don’t want to confront him. Just DON’T RETURN! You don’t have to give up your dignity to get ahead in this business, but you do have to have “IT”!
What is “IT”? “IT” is a passion that burns inside you so intensely that others can see it. “IT” is the confidence in yourself that instantly dismisses the words of the “hater du jour”. “IT” is charisma. “IT” is humility. “IT” is compassion. “IT” is integrity. “IT” is kindness. “IT” is confidence (yes, I said it again)! “IT” is patience. “IT” is drive. “IT” is focus. The instances that come to mind of someone earning celebrity status without “IT” are not happy stories. Keep in mind, the names you know best worked long, hard, & exhausting hours to get where they are. If you want an easy job, modeling is not for you!
The last pearl I’ll share on the “IT” topic is advice one of my favorite photographers, Jonathan Simms shared with me as a comment to the first “girl talk” blog: Make up artists, hairsylists and great locations are one thing but ATTITUDE is the key. Something girls, Teresa, is not short of, and what aspiring models better be long on if they want to succeed in this biz!! You guessed it - that’s part of “IT”. Don’t think that photographers want to listen to some whiney princess about her legs hurting from holding a pose, even though in all likelyhood, a four-hour shoot will leave you physically exhausted and your muscles will be begging for mercy. This isn’t Romper Room! No one is here to diaper your bottom.
The fact of the matter is that coming into the biz, you will have dues to pay. For every model that makes a name for herself, there are hundreds who end up serving beer and wings until they finally leave modeling behind them. If you’re willing to sacrifice a few years of partying and playtime, you have a chance. But if you believe you can have your cake and eat it, too, continue filling out job applications. The photos look glamourous, but if you’ve viewed every photo of mine on the internet, you’re seeing about two hours of my actual labor in front of the camera from over a year of working countless twenty-hour days. Sound glamourous?
Okay, enough from me on this topic. Here is a great resource I found after making some mistakes. http://www.modelsadvice.com/ My friend Alexa also has some excellent advice to share, located here. If, after reading all of that, you have other questions, post them as comments to this blog. I will link it from my FAQs so that everyone who comes to my page may benefit from our discussion(s).
All my best,
Teresa Noreen
