The Past of a Model

Modeling presents itself as a tedious but glamorous career, as it has for a long time. Nowadays we hear from previous models and their accounts of being a model how much it changed their life both negatively and positively.

I interviewed my grandmother about her experiences with modeling and advertisements to get a more personal insight into the modeling business.

My grandmother Cheryl was introduced to the world of modeling when she was 15 years old by her uncle who was a photographer. She often accompanied him to his studio in downtown Chicago after school and helped him develop pictures for models’ portfolios. As time progressed, she became interested in modeling herself. Her uncle offered to do a portfolio for her, which turned out to be the first step down her path of modeling. The professional models that she met were, in a way, actual role models that helped her into the world of fashion and modeling. She was often brought to fashion displays for companies like Ebony Fashion to observe. At these events, these women taught her how to do hair and makeup, and even taught her the classic “model walk.” She participated in smaller, nonetheless glamorous, fashion shows. She mentioned that when she sees models today during shows quickly change, she remembers how fast that transition actually is. As soon as you leave that stage, it's an automatic change. She really enjoyed this.

After a while, Cheryl was encouraged to do magazine advertisements along with possibly being an extra in movies. She auditioned for a Clearasil ad when she was 16, in 1973 and was surprised when she got the part. This contract was for four hours and paid $35 an hour. She was partnered with a male model, their objective was to look like a couple, which she felt was a bit awkward. She found it comical that she had to pretend and pose like she was in an actual relationship with the other model. This gig launched her into local fame with her peers at school. Many people were fascinated with her accomplishments being in the newspaper and such.

The downside to these achievements was her noticeable decline in grades. She was always a scholarly student receiving A’s and B’s, but after doing these activities she began to see her grades decline. This development did not sit right with her considering how much she prided herself on her academic performance. She was studying business and wanted to continue in the field. She communicated with her mother that modeling was taking too much time from her studies, and she decided to leave the modeling world.