I noticed a HUGE jump in my site traffic yesterday, so I decided to give you all something new to look at. Introducing Model of the Month, Jamie Mann (aka my oldest child and not really a model, so let’s see how long it takes him to notice this is here and yell at me to take it down).

Name: Jamie Mann

Height: 6’1″
Suit: 38L (I’m making this up. I really have no idea. Guys out there, does this sound about right?)
Shoe: 11 1/2
Base: New York

Jamie Mann, by Curtis & Cort

Jamie Mann, by Curtis & Cort

I call this Jamie Mann, surfer boy. By Curtis & Cort.

I call this Jamie Mann, surfer boy tough guy. By Curtis & Cort. (He is going to tell my how cringe-y this is.)

Obviously this is Jamie Mann, pretty boy. By Curtis & Cort.

This is one Mom doesn’t really want to label. We will call it: Where did my little boy go?

Jamie is an actor/singer/dancer. If you want to learn more, check out Jamiemartinmann.com
Jamie is repped by Edge Entertainment Management and Innovative Artists. 

Or just stay here and browse around my site and keep my traffic on the uptick!

Enter the Modeling Mentor Model Search

Male Model of the Month: William Sellars 

I’ve been stalking this guy for months now. He was actually scouted by my very first agent, Nicole (Novitsky) Schulte. She has a good eye, as you can see. Look out fashion world!

William Sellars headshot

Age: 22
Height: 6’4″
Shirt size L
Pants 32/34
Jacket 42
Shoe 13
Waist 32
Inseam 32
Neck 15 1/4
Hometown: Austin
Seeking Representation

William Sellars, full-length shot

Enter the Modeling Mentor Model Search

With COVID-19 still looming, many photo studios remain dark and no one is prowling the catwalks. What is an aspiring model to do?

Stay healthy, eat right, exercise, and educate yourself! Learn everything you can about the business so you are ready to take action once the industry is buzzing again. Expectations of instant gratification will get you nowhere these days. Select the “Modeling” category on my blog and read all the posts (keep arrowing back for more). For bonus points, read all of the Modeling Articles on my site.

Here is a cheat sheet of terms every model needs to know…

Agency – The middle man between the client and the model. They take a percent of what the model makes for each booking (usually 20%). A legitimate agency will not charge anything when they sign you; they only make money if you work.
(Best Modeling Agencies in NYC for Women) (Top Kid Model Agencies in NYC)
(Modeling Agency Appointment: What to Expect and When to Beware)

Book – The more common term for “portfolio.”

Booking – A confirmed modeling job.

Call-Time – The time the model needs to arrive at the job. Never be late. If you hold up a shoot, it can cost a client thousands of dollars (studio rental, crew, equipment rental, the photographer and other models’ time).

Casting – An “audition” for a specific job. Usually a model isn’t requested to do anything beyond show their portfolio, possibly have some digital photos taken, and occasionally try on clothing. If it’s a runway casting, models will walk for the client. For commercials, models will be put on camera, sometimes with dialogue, or they may just slate their name and agency and show their profiles or do a 360-degree turn.
(The Casting Couch: How Big a Role Does It Play in the Modeling World)

Catalog – This term can refer to a job, model, or market. A catalog job is a shoot for a store’s catalog, e.g. JCPenney. A catalog model usually has conventional American-as-apple-pie good looks, unlike the more unusual creatures populating high-fashion magazine spreads and catwalks. A catalog market is a city that has more catalog-type clients than editorial/high-fashion clients. Miami, Dallas, and Munich are examples of catalog markets.

Cattle-Call – A casting characterized by masses of models. Lists can go beyond 200 and involve hours of waiting.

Chart – A model’s work calendar on which an agent types in a model’s upcoming options, bookings, and any days she may have “booked out” for personal reasons or vacation. With the advent of model-agency software, charts became computerized. In the 90s, they used to hang from a circular frame above the bookers’ table and the bookers would spin them around to find the chart they needed.

Comp Card – Common term for composite card. This is a model’s key selling tool—her business card—which usually features a color headshot on the front and several shots on the back. The agency mails out packages of comp cards to clients constantly and the model must always have comps to leave at castings and go-sees.

Digitals – Your agency will periodically take digital photos of you at the agency, which are no-nonsense snapshots of you: headshot, profiles, and non-posey full-lengths so clients can see what you look like, sans makeup and elaborate styling.

Modeling Mentor Model of the Year Alexa Kissling – digital profile shot

Direct Booking – A job in which an out-of-town model is booked by a client who usually pays for the model to come in from another market. The client books the model from a comp card or portfolio, without seeing the model in person (or the client may know him/her from a previous booking).

Editorial – As opposed to catalog, an editorial job is for a magazine and editorial models can be more edgy than pretty. Editorial work pays much less than catalog but is essential to building a strong book of tear sheets and getting the exposure needed to climb the supermodel ladder. Top editorial models usually do the top shows and vice versa; the top editors who book them are sitting in the front rows at the shows. Paris, Milan, and New York are editorial markets.

Go-See – An appointment to go and see a client or photographer. A new model or a model new to a market will do days of pavement-pounding go-sees. Many agents use “go-see” and “casting” interchangeably, but originally a go-see meant a model was making the rounds and seeing the clients so they knew him or her for future reference; a casting was for a specific job.

Mother Agent – Your first agency or the agency that guides your career and places you with agents in different markets. Your mother agent generally retains 10% of your earnings, while the agency where they place you gets the other 10%. So having a mother agents does not affect the model’s net profits, since the total agency cut remains 20%.
(The Ins and Outs of Agency Contracts)

Option – A client has put a hold (“first option”) on a model, and that client will be given first dibs on booking the model should a “second option” or booking come in from another client.

Request Casting – A casting in which the model has been specifically requested by the client.

Tear Sheet – Any page from a magazine or publication that the featured model can “tear” out and put in her book. Tear sheets, especially good ones from top magazines, are like gold. They prove a model is in demand, and, since people are sheep, that leads to more demand. A great tear sheet trumps good catalog cash.

Modeling Mentor Model of the Year Em Marie has built a book of fabulous tear sheets while modeling in Asia over the past two years.

Test – A shoot that is done specifically to build a book—the model’s and/or the photographer’s—not for a job. New models need to test as much as possible. Experienced models will replace test shots with tear sheets, but most models—except the top echelon—will continue to do some testing throughout their careers to keep their books updated.

Voucher – This is the form, provided by your agency in your voucher book, that you and the client fill out at the end of each booking. One copy goes to the client, one to the agency (these days generally you can take a photo and email it to them at the end of the booking), and one for your records.

Blast from the Past: Check out My Favorite Modeling Articles from Tear Sheet magazine

This is a follow-up to my previous Slim vs. Sick post, so read that first!

That article sparked a lively Facebook conversation with my model friends from back in the day and from today. I’m sharing their comments here so you can take more than my word for it: Models eat!

Lovely Leslie! My close friend’s comp card from the 90s.

90s Models on What Living Large and Staying Trim Meant Then

RICKY: I loved my food and wine/beer. Maybe my downfall at times was that I never really cared about weight. I didn’t care. I lived a life full of friends, culture, travel, adventures, smokes, booze (but not too extreme), and never let the business get the best of me. I didn’t do the job for the financial aspect but for the opportunity to travel and see the world, and that I did. I saw so many incredible countries, so many adventures—enough to last a lifetime! I’m sorry for those girls who struggled with eating disorders; the business never meant that much to me to sacrifice food and fun!

A page from my model scrapbooks, with Sophie Patitz and Ricky Haas. I met them in Munich in the 90s and we are still close friends.

LESLIE: I’ve always loved food and never personally understand eating issues. I never had that issue but I completely enjoyed cigs—every single one of them. That habit was acceptable in the 90s in Europe, but unfortunately it’s very addicting. It took years to quit and I finally did it. I was always healthy other than that and never had to diet.

We had no idea how fortunate we were and no touching up anything—just Polaroids to check lighting. We truly were the last generation before full-on technology. We were lucky, saw the world, had a blast, and made lots of memories together ❤️

JILL: And no cell phones. We actually had to read maps! And I’m sure we learned the cities much more thoroughly that way ;) GPS – nah, too easy!

Shows in Dusseldorf, road trip to Salamanca, model pension in Madrid (I was the only girl among all these male models!)

RICKY: My geography is so fine tuned due to the good ol’ days. The way I entered the modeling days in 1988 would be shocking to current models…”Here is a map of our city and here is a list of 10 clients you must see in a 9-hour period. Good luck! And P.S. sorry you don’t speak the language!”

The Model Diet in 2020

ALEXA: I’ve definitely had trouble with the measurements and how to enjoy healthy eating, until you took me in and taught me the heathy food ways I wasn’t introduced to before(: I was very naturally skinny no matter what I ate, until I hit the time where my metabolism slowed down. There was a time where I was desperate and too focused on the weight, and how to lose it and tried to do special “diets” that weren’t necessarily healthy but that never helped. Eating healthy and working out is definitely what is needed—good for you and your body. I am super thankful for you and taking me in and teaching me ❤ I’ve definitely heard a lot about models only drinking coffee and smoking.

Gorgeous Alexa Kissling, summer 2020

JILL: Awww, it’s a true honor to steer the next generation down a healthy path—mind and body—so you too can have the time of your life in the modeling world. When you look back years later, you’ll remember the friends you made, the places you went, the adventures you had. The tear sheets won’t matter as much—they’re the bonus. I saved all my portfolios. Half contain my modeling tear sheets and photos. The other half I made into scrapbooks of photos, notes, and keepsakes from my decade in the biz—those are the ones I look at all the time.

BIG CONGRATS TO ALEXA KISSLING, DISCOVERED THROUGH MY MODEL SEARCH, ON RECENTLY SIGNING WITH RED MODEL MANAGEMENT IN NYC! (Check out all of her amazing pics at the link!)

ENTER MY MODELING MENTOR MODEL SEARCH

First of all, there is no ideal weight. It depends on your height, your bone structure, the market you are working in, the type of modeling you are doing, and trends. Regardless of all that, your measurements are more crucial than pounds on a scale and being realistic about what size you are or can be is also crucial.

Photo – Luxuo on France Banning Ultra-Thin Models

Do Models Have to Starve to Be Successful?

No, unless your body’s natural size is not conducive to fashion industry standards. Most bodies have a set point, below which keeping weight off is difficult. For me, at 5’10”, that’s 127. Even at that weight, people outside the modeling business would chide, “Oh, you’re so thin!” They said it even when I was five or more pounds above that and easily within a healthy weight range for my height and body type. I think it’s an automatic reaction to anyone who is a model, and to the majority of models who are naturally slim or approach weight maintenance in a healthy, moderate manner, it’s really annoying. Whether accusing someone of being overweight or underweight, body shaming is not nice, so be careful. There is sickly thin and then there is genetically thin (even extremely thin), so sensitivity in your comments—including on social media—shows human decency.

Then again, there are models who subsist on lemon wedges, coffee, and cigarettes, and they give us all a bad name. I only encountered one admitted bulimic, but I always felt like non-fashion people were timing my trips to the bathroom and wondering whether I was upchucking the sizable meal I had just eaten. I wasn’t. Most models in my era weren’t either. If you think someone is, then that is the time when a caring heart to heart or intervention is in order. We can only hope that agents and clients act as part of the solution on this front, not part of the problem. (Former Vogue Editor: The Truth About Size Zero.)

Kate Moss admitted she followed a coffee and cigarette diet and conceded it ruins your skin. Photo: Anthony Devlin

Thin Is In… Usually

In this century, the industry has periodically leaned toward an even thinner norm, ushered in by the Heroin Chic phase in the late 90s. Lately there has been more movement toward including—even revering—more shapely models. But you have to face the fact that most models will need to maintain the measurements that are required to fit into the clothes clients use for shoots and shows.

Ideal Model Measurements

For women, the “perfect” measurements are somewhere around: 34-24-34. If your waist is a couple inches bigger (mine always was) and you can suck it in, OK. If your waist is smaller, lucky you. If your hips are 36, it’s not a deal killer. If your chest is 32, that’s fine. (Read my post: How Modeling Agents Take Models Measurements.) But if you are way outside of this ideal and can’t approach it without being unhealthy, the modeling industry may not be for you. At least not in front of the camera. There are plenty of fascinating roles behind the scenes, with way more longevity than a fleeting modeling career.

Patrick Demarchelier cover collage. Read about Patrick Demarchelier’s Photography Career here.

Fashion Biz Jobs – Weigh Whatever!

See the many articles and interviews in this section of my site — Tear Sheet articles — with scoop on being a photographer, agent, hairdresser, makeup artist, fashion stylist, fashion designer, and more. No scales or tape measure needed!

Stay tuned for a new development in my Getting Back on Set in Covid-19 story!

Model of the Year Em Marie Scores Tear Sheets in Japan, Korea, China, Thailand…

A few years ago I spotted a teenager in Maine who radiated the kind of beauty that makes heads swivel, like Vogue casting director type heads. With her china doll skin, dusting of freckles, bold brows, and contagious smile, Em Marie was a girl I didn’t have doubts about. I whisked her straight into an agency in New York where she was signed on the spot.

I made Em my Model of the Month. I knew she’d win Model of the Year. I knew she’d make it. But I couldn’t have predicted the dizzying speed at which she would rack up the most sought after tear sheets in the biz before even hitting the age of 18. She has landed in the pages of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar multiple times, in multiple countries.

While she’s at it, Em has immersed herself in the culture of each place she visits and explored every corner of Asia courageously and tirelessly—all the time celebrating the highs and laughing off the lows of the life on the road far from home. If you aren’t reading her blog EmMariexox.com and following her on Instagram, you are missing the best modeling travelogue out there!

Here are just a few of Em’s dozens of tear sheets from Asia, one more dazzling than the next…

The Many Modeling Faces of Em Marie

Em Marie in Vogue Spy

Em Marie, “Gray’s Anatomy,” Vogue Spy

Dreamy Em Marie in Vogue Spy

Em Marie in Thailand

Em Marie modeling for Rosenkrantz

Em Marie for Cartier, Vogue Thailand

Clean beauty

Stay tuned to see which continent Em conquers next!

Want to be the next Modeling Mentor Model of the Year? Enter the Modeling Mentor Model Search!

Top 10 Modeling Agencies in New York – Women’s Division

Teen girls through young women looking for representation by reputable modeling agencies in NYC—the biggest modeling hub of the U.S.—this is the list for you! Agencies go in and out of vogue as fast as models do, so it’s key to have up-to-date info on the who’s who of the booking world. You also have to look out for all the modeling scams out there; plenty of slimeballs are ready to take advantage of your modeling dreams and turn them into a nightmare. The modeling agencies on this list are not going to ask for money to see them or sign with them. They are the real deal and they are very busy, so rather than pestering them by phone, refer to the info and their website links below to find out how to submit your photos or attend an open call [What to Wear to an Open Call]. You also can submit to my model search to be seen by top agents: Enter the Modeling Mentor Model Search 

If you are looking for an agency for your child, refer to this post: Top Kids Modeling Agencies in NYC

If you are looking for a top modeling agency for men, look for a blog post on that topic coming soon!

DNA

Models on DNA’s main board

DNA Models

T. 212-226-0080
555 West 25th Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10001

Elite

Elite Models “Elite” Division

Open Call: Tuesdays at 5 pm
(Must be at least 5’7″ and 15 years old)
Empower Me/Submissions: Elite
245 5th Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, New York 10016

Ford Models

Models on Ford’s Women’s Board

Get Scouted: Ford Models

T. 212-219-6500
11 East 26th Street, 14th Floor
New York, NY 10010

IMG

Models from IMG’s Women’s Division

Get Scouted: IMG Models

T. 212-253-8884
304 Park Avenue South, 12th Floor
New York, NY 10010

New York Model Management

Models in the Women’s Division at New York Models

Open Call: Thursdays, 10:30 to 11:30 am
(Age 13+, 5’9″ to 6′)
Become a Model: New York Models

T. 212-539-1700
71 West 23rd Street, Suite 301
New York, NY
10010 United States

Next

Models from Next’s Women’s Division

The Industry Model Management

Models from Industry’s New Gen board, including Modeling Mentor Model of the Year Alexa Kissling

Some of the models on Industry’s Management board

How to be Discovered by: The Industry

infoNY@theindustrymodelmgmt.com
T. 212-660-8800
Pier 59 Studios
59 Chelsea Piers, LEVEL 3
NY, NY 10011

The Lions

Models in the The Lions Women’s Division

About: The Lions

T. 212 226 7360
Email: bediscovered@thelionsny.com
286 5th Avenue, 12th FL
New York, NY 10012

The Society

Models in Society’s Women’s Division

The Society
Submissions: Scouting@thesocietymanagement.com
212 377-5025
156 5th Avenue, 8th Floor
New York, NY 10010

Women Management

Models on the main board at Women Management

Become a Model: Women
T. 212 334 7480
199 Lafayette Street, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10012

ENTER THE MODELING MENTOR MODEL SEARCH AND BE DISCOVERED!

Modeling Mentor Winners Land Top Modeling Agents, Fashion Editorial, and Talent Agents!

It’s been a super exciting year at Modelingmentor.com. Our Models of the Month are gaining international recognition from agencies and clients, and I can hardly keep up with all the updates on contracts, bookings, and adventures! Since we are mid-way through 2018, I thought I’d share some updates, which are sure to inspire those of you who dream of pursuing a path as a model or performer.

Em Marie, Model of the Year 2016

Em Marie wearing Chanel, in Ginza magazine, shot by Katsuhide Morimoto, styling by Yuriko E, hair by Taku, m/u by Uda

Em Marie, wearing Chanel, in Ginza magazine

After I scouted Em Marie while she was performing in Maine (she is a dancer and aerialist, in addition to being stunning…and kind and sweet and super disciplined and basically a role model in every way!), she promptly landed an agent. Em, along with her mom, has had an amazing time in Tokyo with Image Models. Stay tuned for a guest post from her on her experiences there. Highlight: A 7-page editorial in Ginza magazine!

Alexa Kissling, Model of the Year 2017

Alexa entered my model search last year, and I was instantly wowed by her email submission! On Zoom, I was smitten with this cutie’s personality (and she was just as gorgeous without a bit of makeup as she was in her photos). The Industry Model Management immediately noticed the 5’10″ lanky beauty. Now Alexa is living in New York and living her dream as a model with The Industry. Compare her Model of the Year photos to these latest shots, and check out the transformation! This girl is such a chameleon. She can do it all!

Alexa Kissling, shot by Sam Gold

Alexa Kissling’s new New York look! With The Industry NY

Alexa Kissling, styling by Theo Banzon

Isabelle Boughner, Model of the Month, October 2015

Isabelle has hit the magic age of 16, when model development really kicks in for women. She is the complete package of adorable, cool, and talented (she is a guitarist, singer, and composer). I’m in love with this test shoot she did in Westport, CT.

Isabelle Boughner, shot by Tomira Wilcox

Isabelle Boughner, by Tomira Wilcox. Jacket by Zoe Mann.

Julianne Walker, Model of the Month, February 2018

I’ve had an eye on Julianne for almost her whole life (she happens to be my husband’s second cousin!). Julianne signed with a mother agent within a couple months of winning Model of the Month. She has begun testing and just graduated from high school. Julianne will attend UVA in the fall and continue to build up her portfolio and pursue modeling opportunities in the summer months.

Julianne Walker, shot by Emily Scimeca

Julianne Walker by Kayla Simon

Ida Nevstad, Model of the Month, May 2018

Ida also has been offered a contract by an agent! She has been testing and finishing her busy junior year. She will be heading to Europe for part of the summer.

Ida Nevstad, by Tomira Wilcox

Cooper Gusick, Model of the Month, November 2015

Cutie Cooper just signed with Innovative Artists, a top talent agency in New York (and L.A.). His face is already known the world over from this Dear Evan Hansen Mash-Up (Minute 1:50). I can’t wait to watch this great kid’s career!

Is it your turn next?… ENTER THE MODELING MENTOR MODEL SEARCH

Tis the season to take a break from modeling castings and bookings, but the beautiful people just gotta keep posing…

Former Model of the Month Cooper Gusick, shot by Diana Zicklin Berrent

Rivers Reid, a 2017 Model of the Month (don’t forget to “like” your fave Model of the Month!)

The beautiful and talented Grace Mozitis

Another talented beauty: Sydney Freihofer

My family, having a little photo shoot fun!

“Like” Your Favorite Model of the Month!

With the Harvey Weinstein scandal blowing Hollywood’s cover on sexual abuse, insiders in acting’s sister industry of modeling are laying bare the all-too-common violations against models’ bodies and dignity. Top model Edie Campbell wrote an Open Letter on Model Abuse in WWD, stating: “…We operate within a culture that is too accepting of abuse, in all of its manifestations. This can be the ritual humiliation of models, belittling of assistants, power plays and screaming fits.” She highlights that part of the problem is that “there is no line between the personal and the professional. Work, to me, does not look like work: I undress in front of the people I work with, I travel with these people, I get drunk with them, they ask me who I’m shagging, we tell stories, we giggle, we gossip and we become part of ‘the gang.’ It’s a school trip for all ages. When an industry becomes as informal as this, it becomes harder to define what is appropriate behavior for the workplace.”

Edie Campbell

It’s true. The line in the modeling world is blurrier than in perhaps any other (legal) industry on the planet. Part of a model’s job is often to look and act sexy. I knew many models who carried that behavior beyond the runway and set to their everyday demeanor. In some cases, it makes good business sense. If a client is going to book you to model bikinis or haute couture and look alluring, oozing sex appeal at the casting may help seal the deal. If you are on a trip and hoping to be booked again, keeping up the Marilyn Monroe act 24/7 could help. Photographers and clients might interpret this behavior as a personal invitation to explore the bod beneath the bikini; sometimes it is and sometimes it isn’t.  (Edie Campbell’s choice of top—or lack thereof—in the photo at the LOVE x Miu Miu London Fashion Week Party, embedded in the link above, begs the question: when does provocative fashion cross the line to offering up your body on a platter. Or am I old-fashioned?)

Edie Campbell

Plenty of models play the required role while posing and revert to girl-next-door normalcy as soon as they step off set. This, along with maturity, self-esteem, and limits on what you’ll do to succeed, lessens the chance of harassment. However, almost every model—male and female—has a story of an agent or photographer who tried to wield power to get in their pants.

Here’s mine (an excerpt from my modeling memoir):

“Jill! Welcome. I’m Willy,” said a fifty-something man with an Israeli accent. He wore a cheap suit and strong cologne and met my gaze at eye-level. He was no John Casablancas. No doubt he hoped the airy loft space and power to scrawl a New York agency logo across young girls’ images could make him a Casanova, even if nature hadn’t been so generous in the looks department.

“It turns out the model apartment in Battery Park City is full,” said Willy, after Victoria explained that I could relax today while she made comp cards and a copy of my book for the agency. “You can stay at my apartment.”

Oh, boy, here we go again.

I had the suitcases with me that I had lugged on a bus from the airport. Willy offered to have his driver take me up to the east 80s, where he had a bland one-bedroom apartment. It was a step up from Andrea’s in Milan, but clearly Willy was sitting on a worn mushroom-colored couch, not a fortune.

I sat on that sofa for much of the afternoon, paralyzed by the view from the seventeenth floor of the bustling city below. There is nothing lonelier than being alone among Manhattan’s six million residents.

A collage from my early modeling years in NYC. Stay tuned for my next blog post, when I’ll reveal the more revealing shots I cropped out!

A crammed schedule of  nine castings paid off the following day. At 6 PM I made my third and last pay-phone check-in call to the agency. “You’re booked for Bella tomorrow,” Vicky told me. “Be at the Granata studio at 10:30 AM, clean/clean. You’re shooting in Long Island, so it will be a long day. The rate is $125. Hold on, Willy wants to talk to you…”

“Jill, congratulations—a booking already! Sorry I have not been a good host,” said Willy. “A car will pick you up at 9:20 tonight and take you to Bice. We will have dinner with some friends of mine and celebrate.”

I had been enjoying my space at Willy’s and pondered arguing for beauty sleep over dinner. I better not. His agency had me working on day two. I owed him.

A non-model couple joined us for dinner. Willy sat too close to me and clearly meant for me to be his date. He smoked and drank too much, while I sipped my wine so as not to risk a hangover. “Come on, Jill, I will order another bottle, the best they have! Drink up,” Billy urged, as he swished the last of his wine in his glass and downed it with a cheeky grin. He was trying to channel Johnny Casablancas, and it just didn’t work. He was neither charming nor attractive.

“I have to work tomorrow, remember Willy,” I reminded him. “I’m a very responsible model, you know.”

“Ah, well, a responsible model must take care of her agent,” he said, winking.

I started feeling uneasy. I had to go back to this man’s apartment. I thought about my trip to visit New York agencies as a high school senior. Maybe I was lucky they said no then. I recalled a senior at my high school who spent two months living at the Ford’s brownstone before she fled back to Rochester, homesick. Maybe I had a few wrinkles now, but I had wisdom too. I could handle this. I scanned Willy’s arms to assess how strong he was. What if he tried to force… I chased the image of Hilde in Paris from my mind.

By the time we left Bice, Willy was slurring and trying to put his arm around me. I was sober and able to evade him and make light of this little game. Willy laughed along until we stepped into the elevator at his building and the doors closed. His face got serious and he looked at me like a cat might at a mouse when the playful batting game concludes and he goes in for the kill.

He cornered me and put his face to mine, so that the red wine on his breath flowed freely into my assaulted nostrils. “Willy,” I said, “I’m going to bed, you know. I have to get up early.” I pretended to be calm and nonplussed, to not appear like the mouse beneath a clawed paw. The elevator doors opened and I ducked under Billy’s arm to exit this trap and make my way toward the next.

Willy fiddled with his keys and, after three tries, got the right key in the lock. I thought about turning back to the elevator and escaping, but where would I go? No, it would be OK. We were two grown adults, I could handle the situation.

The ensuing proposition was hard to forget. As Willy swayed me toward his bedroom, he slurred, “Come on, thish’ll be really fasht.”

I might have laughed at his pathetic come-on line, if it weren’t for how scared I felt, with no place to go but his sofabed. Or his bed—the direction I guessed would lead to more bookings.

I didn’t want success badly enough to sleep with the boss, a trade-off many supermodels have made, with coercion sometimes playing a role. Thankfully, Willy left me alone, but as I lay awake into the night, anticipating my early dawn alarm, I decided I needed a different living arrangement. 

When I moved to my friend Leslie’s place, I worried about Nicole, the fourteen-year-old Canadian who had been sharing my sofa bed at Willy’s. Nicole had a full decade less life experience than I had but a full C cup—a dangerous combination. Anyone that young should not be in New York alone.

Stay tuned for a post on nudity. Do models often have to strip down in front of male models and production people? Are models expected to shoot topless? I’ll answer those questions (hint: one response is “yes” and one is “no”) and more.

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