MODELS & PRETTY GIRL SYNDROME

Hello Everyone!

While surfing the Internet I came across a blog on this topic and felt compelled to write about it.

Watch any season of Tyra Banks’ America’s Next Top Model and you’ll hear her talk about how being pretty is not enough to model.

While it does help, if you can’t come to life in front of the camera you might as well think about another career. There have been plenty of models on ANTM who I thought should have won because they were prettier than the actual winner. The bottom line is that modeling is a business and it is about selling products and services.

Pretty Girl Syndrome is defined as gorgeous women who are crazy. Supposedly this is a result of excessive pampering, unnecessary gift giving and extreme complimenting received from men. Other characteristics that manifest themselves are the laziness, possessiveness, and irrational behaviors.

While I’m not sure if there is any truth to this it does make you wonder why so many attractive drop dead gorgeous women are single while their average looking friends aren’t. One possible celebrity who falls or fell into this so-called category at one time is Halle Berry. She is perhaps one of the most beautiful women in the world. She’s been featured on People Magazines Most Beautiful List many times. While I don’t know her personally, the buzz in Hollywood has always been that she is crazy.

If you grew up hearing you’re cute all the time, which lead to you are beautiful over time I can see that perhaps affecting ones thinking.

In terms of women being called CRAZY, I don’t necessary agree with that. I do think there are crazy people in the world, but I think it is wrong to stereotype one group.

Please share your comments.

MODEL-MAGIC

KIM KARDASHIAN’S MODEL WORKOUT!

Hello World,

If you are an aspiring model or a professional model one thing we all have in common is fitness. Even if you are a plus size model, you have to be in great shape to be a “working model”.

Some of us are blessed with great “genes” while most of us have to work extra hard to maintain our fabulous figures.

About 3 months ago I joined a gym and have been extremely pleased with the results. I have the Michelle Obama arms going on right now and I’m hooked.

Most Americans get easily bored with the thought of having to work out so what do you do? There are so many options available now to keep you inspired.

Be sure to check out some of my favorite workouts below:

Let’s face it Kim Kardashian is known for three things: her backside, dating Reggie Bush, and her father who got OJ acquitted back in the day. Did you know Kim has a brand new workout DVD. Check out the promo at

With the popularity of the Video Vixens wannabees companies are taking note and getting creative. Check out Flirty Girl Fitness at
http://www.flirtygirlfitness.com/
who’s concept is very clever. If you don’t live in Chicago or Toronto they are supposed to be expanding to other markets. In the meantime if you can’t wait, pick up one of their DVD’s on Ebay. With classes such as Video Vixen, Sexy Circuit Training, Hottie Body Boxing, and Salsalicious no wonder business is booming! Take a sneak peep at one of their classes at

Let’s face it workouts should be fun while you get your sweat on. I encourage you to try something different to get your “model figure” together.

As always if you have any questions, please let me know.

MODEL-MAGIC

ASPIRING VIDEO VIXENS!!!

Hello World!

Video Vixen: female models who appear in mainstream rap music videos, magazines, calendars and other forms of media. Hip hop models are also known as hip hop honeys, dimes (or dymes or dime pieces), video vixens and eye candy.

When I think of Video Vixens the pioneers of Melyssa Ford, Karrine Steffans, Buffie the Body, Angel “Lola Lov”, and now Amber Rose come to mind. The first three ladies have been in the industry for some time while it looks like Amber Rose is the new it girl and on/off girlfriend of Kanye West!

A lot of aspiring models can’t break into the business the old fashioned way and have decided to get injections to inflate their backsides as well as their breasts to get instant gratification.

I am not here to judge these girls by any means, to each its own. This is an extremely tough segment to get into and these days it seems like you have to be the biggest or the boldest to get some attention and get your name out there. Shy females need not apply and if your body is not tight forget about it. Photoshop can only do so much. You have to have something to work with.

While I give big kudos to Melyssa Ford who is now acting and Karrine Steffans who is well lets say a budding author. These girls took many shots from the media and have kicked the doors wide open. To find out what Melyssa is up to these days, clink the link
http://vodpod.com/watch/1576602-what-it-is-whatitbe-com-urban-entertainment-on-demandthisis50-com-if-its-hot-its-here

Here’s some places to check out if you are interested in becoming a Video Vixen:

http://www.hip-hop-model.com/apply.php

http://www.ethnicitymodels.com

If you aren’t familiar with the reality show Candy Girls,

check out this scene below of a brand new Video Vixen.

As always if you have any questions, let me know.

MODEL-MAGIC

CIARA’S NEW HAIR CUT!!!

Ladies and Gents!

Hair today and gone tomorrow. Talk about girls gone wild! I am starting to really get scared to see who will be the next celebrity to jump on the bandwagon.

Lately my posts have been about the celebrities chopping off their locks. Well Ciara is the latest one to pull off this caper.

Ciara is known for copying Beyonce’s look but it looks like she’s decided to leave her alone and join Rihanna, and Amber Rose with the short hair.

Ciara is a beautiful woman and she is searching like so many of us trying to find our “true identity”. She really should pursue modeling because she is the total package. I do recall at one point she was a Rock-A-Wear model for Jay Z’s clothing line. Just check out the link at
http://concreteloop.com/2007/05/ciara-the-new-face-of-rocawear-ladies

We’ll see what happens…

As this relates to modeling be an originator and not a duplicator!

As always if you have any questions, please let me know.

MODEL-MAGIC

RIHANNA’S NEW HAIR CUT!!!

Hello World!

Let’s face it the two hottest female singers out there right now are Beyonce and Rihanna. These two lovely ladies are quite different and their styles echo that.

Beyonce is known for her golden blond locks while Rihanna is known for her edgy hair and beautiful green eyes. Beyonce is over the top glamorous while Rihanna is sexy in a tom boyish way. They both are great at rocking the hottest outfits and Beyonce’s shoe game is FIERCE! Rihanna started out with long hair but quickly changed it to set herself apart from Beyonce.

As it relates to modeling, Rihanna is a Covergirl and Beyonce is a spokesperson for Loreal. Both ladies have a very successful career going for themselves.

It seems like now the trend is crazy hair and shock appeal. I was just blogging the other day about Amber Rose’s hair color and now Rihanna has snapped off snatching the attention away from Amber. Rihanna’s latest hair style can be found at
http://concreteloop.com/2009/07/spotted-rihanna-out-about-nyc-with-her-new-haircut
Act fast to check it out because this chick knows how to re-invent herself and she won’t keep this style long at all.

Both Rihanna and Amber’s hair cuts are TIGHT! I applaud both of them because they know how to stay on everyone’s mind.

How do you compare to them? Do you stand out in a crowd? This is the heart of what makes a MODEL! Dare to be BOLD & DIFFERENT!

If you have any questions, please let me know.

MODEL-MAGIC

KANYE WEST’S GIRLFRIEND AMBER ROSE — MODEL MATERIAL?

Hello World!!!

I’ve been chit chatting with a lot of aspiring models all over the world and many of them have two things in common. LOW SELF ESTEEM & SELF ENTITLEMENT!!!

Many teens I’ve chatted with don’t feel that are pretty enough and they are just average and others just want to get discovered without doing any work. I am here to tell you that these days anyone can model and sitting on the couch watching television won’t make you the next discovered Supermodel!

Amber Rose is a prime example of a woman with distinct features. Her bald head is what she uses to her advantage. She is the new Dennis Rodman from the Championship Chicago Bulls with the changing hair color. Check out her with turquoise hair at
http://realtalkny.uproxx.com/2009/07/topic/topic/pictures/poppin-or-floppin-amber-rose-new-hair-color/

While I don’t know her personally, looking at her she has an edge to herself. She is always doing something different to set herself apart from everyone else. Her fashion style reminds me kind of like Rihanna’s because she doesn’t wear what is considered to be “normal”. ” Amber is a trendsetter and not a follower just like her boyfriend Kanye West. Check out her test shot photos with Ford Models at
http://concreteloop.com/2009/07/is-amber-rose-model-material-check-out-her-ford-test-shots

I think she will be a successful model because she is good at re-inventing herself like Madonna did early on in her career. Amber gives you the “shock treatment” as you don’t know what she is going to be wearing next.  This is what sells products. She won’t allow herself to get mixed in with the group  of models who are all light skinned with long hair. When she first burst onto the scene she fit the mold with long blond hair.

To Amber Rose I say good luck and I wish you the best. To everyone else, we all can learn a few things from her.

What are your “best attributes”? Use them to your advantage and work it girl!

As always if you have any questions, please let me know.

MODEL-MAGIC

Light Skinned Models Versus Dark Skinned Models — Is There a Preference?

Models come in all shades of the rainbow.

Supermodel Tyra Banks recently said that she is trying to expand the idea of what the fashion industry considers beautiful. According to her, black models with lighter skin are deemed more commercial, whereas darker-skinned black models are considered more high fashion.

Miss Banks is on to something here. If you turn on the television and watch the R&B and hip hop videos you’ll notice that the majority of the women in these videos are light-skinned. Dark skinned women are featured as well in music videos, but to get the same kind of attention that their counterparts get they much be well endowed. Now, turn to a major television network and you’ll see commercials with spokes models such as Beyonce, Rihanna, and Halle Berry representing major cosmetic lines.

I am going with the facts. I’m not saying it is right or wrong, but it is what it is.

It’s Fashion Week in New York City and on the runaways are Chanel Iman, Selita Ebanks, and Arlenis Sosa. These are the light skinned models that get booked by all the top designers. The only dark skinned model burning up the runaway that is in heavy rotation is Alek Wek and the designers love her because her skin is flawless. More recently, she has become an entrepreneur and sells beautiful high-end purses.

There is a pattern here…

Maxim recently released its annual “Hot 100″ list and only seven black women made it. Rihanna broke the top 10 at number eight. Zoe Saldana, Ciara, Beyonce and Christina Milian were numbers 29, 32, 52, and 55 respectively. Gabrielle Union and Michelle Obama, who are darker than the other women, came in at 71 and 93 much lower on the list.

Here’s some more proof!

Ida Ljungqvist was crowned Playmate of the Year and she is the first African-European to hold that title. She to is light skinned.

Men’s magazines such as XXL and King are both targeted to black men and they mainly feature light skinned models. Occasionally they feature dark skinned models but they tend to either be famous or well endowed.

Tyra Banks says she makes it a point to showcase beautiful dark skinned women on America’s Next Top Model. She feels that it is important to let all of the young girls growing up know that Black is Beautiful and it comes in a variety of shades.

While the old stereotype of light skinned is perceived better than dark skinned is not going away anytime soon, it is important to be confident in the skin that you are in.

Just like full figured models are no longer taboo in the fashion industry, dark skinned models will continue to knock down the doors until this becomes mainstream.

Alek Wek has some really cool handbags. Check out her line at www.alekwek1933.com

A complete list of the “Hot 100″ list top can be found at www.maxim.com/girls/articles/79154/2009-hot-100.html

As always if you have any questions, please let me know.

MODEL-MAGIC

Model Look — Secrets of the Supermodels & How they Maintain it!

Throughout the years I’ve picked up many modeling tips, from other models that work. All of these methods have been personally tried and you’ll be amazed at the results.

Let’s face it being a model can be stressful which can wreck havoc on your face. Models have to be ready to go at any given moment.

Here’s a typical modeling scenario:
Let’s say you stayed out late partying and you find out at 9:00am the next morning that there is a casting call for a commercial at 11:30am. You have bags under your eyes because you had a really nice time the prior evening.

What do you do?
1) Tell your agent you can’t make it. (They may not call you for awhile.)
2) Just go and pray they don’t see your bags.
3) Try and get a later time.
4) Desitin Diaper Rash Ointment
5) Preparation H Ointment

Believe it or not choices 4 and 5 are the correct answers. As crazy as it sounds both of these items work miracles on your face. They both tighten your skin and your bags disappear like magic. Most professional models, carry these items with them at all times in their model bags.

If you want to make your eyes stand out at your next casting call, photo shoot, or for whatever occasion grab some white eyeliner and line the entire inside lower part of your eye from right to left or left to right depending on you. This simple thing instantly makes your sleepy eyes come to life and it gives you a fresh look.

How do you make cold sores go away?
This sounds gross but it too works. Take some of your ear wax and place it directly on the sore. Your cold sore will disappear right before your eyes quicker than Abreva. (At least it is your ear wax and it is cheaper than buying over-the-counter products).

Do you want whiter teeth?
Rub your teeth with strawberries and they’ll get whiter. This is something that I actually picked up from Tyra Banks. She swears by it. It has something to do with the seeds in the strawberries.

Can’t stop biting your nails?
Put vanilla extract on them. It tastes horrible but it smells good. I guarantee you will break the habit quickly. This too will save you money instead of buying the expensive polishes.

Vaseline Tricks?
Rub some on your feet after a warm bath and put on some white socks. Wake up the next morning and remove the socks and your feet will feel soft like a babies bottom.

When I was in a beauty pageant, and I needed that permanent Kool-Aid smile I was told to put Vaseline on my teeth. This too works.

On your mark, get set, go! Which of these money saving beauty tips will you try out today? Remember they are all tried and true methods. Good Luck.

I hope this helps.

As alway if you have any questions, let me know.

MODEL-MAGIC

Are you Model Material?

Lights, Camera, Action!

Do you have aspirations to become a model?

The modeling industry attracts many different types of people. Kids, Teens, Adults, Singers, Actors, Dancers, Make Up Artists, and Fashion Designers to name a few. Most celebrities used modeling to catapult them into the mega stars that they are today.

It is not all about looks. Looks can be intimidating and sometimes that doesn’t sell products/services. Beauty is skin deep and starts from within.

I’ve been in and around the industry for the past 20 years. I am here to tell you that the industry is not all glamorous like most people think. While modeling is very lucrative, it also is very demanding and a lot of hard work. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it.

Below is a test and if you can honestly answer yes to these questions consider yourself model material.

1) Can you handle rejection?

2) Do you arrive on time/early to appointments?

3) Do you have great follow up skills?

4) Are you organized?

5) Are you patient?

6) Do you have a great personality?

7) Are you flexible?

8) Are you tech savvy?

9) Do you have at least one great asset/feature?

10) Do you get along well with others?

Models deal with so much and rejection is the biggest thing you’ll encounter in the modeling industry. If you have the support, desire and passion to model you can do it. Surround yourself with positive people and network with people that are in the modeling industry.

I hope this helps!

As always if you have any questions, please let me know.

MODEL-MAGIC