Thanks to stars like Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, and Karlie Kloss, the modeling industry looks as glamorous as ever. Jetting around the world, trying on beautiful clothes, and lounging poolside sounds like a pretty great job to us, but you only get to live that lifestyle once you make it to the top. For the models struggling to book a casting or pay rent, it’s a whole different story.
Read on to see what life is like for aspiring models. From pressures to pose nude to the corrupt fashion industry, this is the side of modeling that no one tells you about.
They Start As Young As 13
The young age of models has long been a controversial topic. In some countries, there is no age limit, while some require girls to at least be 15 or 16. In America, a modeling agency isn’t allowed to recruit anyone under 16, but younger girls can still freelance. The Department of Labor didn’t even start protecting child models until 2013.
Even now, you can model at any age as long as you have a working permit and get a mandatory break every four hours.
