Opportunities Off the Runways

I finally brought myself to do some blogging this year, before I go on let me start by wishing all my esteemed readers a Happy Prosperous New Year. I sent in a head-shot of a model hopeful for evaluation but unfortunately she didn't make the requirements which included striking facial features. Very few modeling hopefuls will ever rise to the super-model level. But here’s a not-so-well-kept beauty secret: They find a glamour spot anyway, through the many career opportunities that make the fashion industry tick. As I study about the career, two statistics nag in my mind. The first is that only about 1 in 10,000 girls will actually approach super model status, and the second is that only about 1 in 1,000 will have all the requirements for a successful modeling career. What else is there? Print work and other categories of modeling are excellent options, but if these alternatives are not appealing or are also too elusive, other opportunities remain for young men and women who want to play vital roles in the industry. After extensive research related to aspects of the business that offer lucrative careers, my advice to young men and women who are unhappy with their attempts to become successful fashion models is to find their niche in other areas that will still keep them in the forefront of the fashion world. I have studied several models in Nigeria who had reached the pinnacle of success as fashion models, but who, for one reason or another, had changed direction and found great fulfillment as model agents, bookers, stylists, photographers, makeup artists, writers, and television presenters. They demonstrate that some wonderful career options can offer the glamour and excitement of modeling without the demands and potential stress of a super model. A good example is Linda Ikeji of Dove Communications in Lagos. She's becoming a very good friend of this blog and me. You can get more information about Linda on http://lindaikeji.blogspot.com/