Modeling - What is it all about?

All aspiring models should be reading this. And probably old models too.
At the moment I write, I am a two years experienced model. I started this career because I always edited my prims untill perfection, I enjoyed matching clothes together, I mixed different outfits to create my own unique "look of the day".
I wondered a long time, I had a friend when I was a real noob, on my very first account. She went for fun with her SL boyfriend to a Modeling Academy and was always trying to make those homeworks and stuff. She was more an anime charatcher oriented avatar, but she had to make an effort to have a shape for modeling, hair, skins and accessories she could use for modeling.
But she got bored and gave up.
By the time, all the modeling agencies we knew didn't have classes at a time that was suitable for my RL time. My friend attended classes while I was asleep in my RL night.
A long time later, I step in some people who told me "Hey, your avatar does look like a model! Your body is so perfect and your accessorizing is very detailed." And one of these friends introduced me to another of his friends, who was (and is still now) a model who attended a school, got some certifications and works on runway. This lady gave me other contacts, some people who were organizing a training. I joined it.
The aim of my try was to check if I would like it or not. And I did like it.
So I attended two more academies and even an advanced level training.
Now, what I want to say to old and new models. I had lots of discussions about why getting a certificate, why are people asking for your diploma, why some models who has a certification from the X academy get easier engaged than models from the Y academy, even if the second one might show better skills.
Being a model is an attitude. I kind of had this attitude myself since the beginning. Some people will never have this attitude. Some other don't have but play good the role of pretending to.
You don't just need to have a good looking avatar. You should have some good sense of matching things together. And not just in a classic and recognized way. You might want to explore and experiment. This is a great point for a model.
Aspiring models should ask themselves why they want to model. I wanted to do it because I felt it was my natural path. I am not looking for whatever fake fame. What I am looking for is being able to create as much as possible different outfits and styles. And this is amazing by being a model you get to style everything others ask you, not just what you like and buy.
My guardarobe is 99% of red items. It used to be my color.
But I worn some green, white, black, blue, yellow and so on dresses on stage, that it became for me a sort of challenge to style something that wasn't my color and still look gorgeus in it.
Let's say, this is my play, my game. I chose this path and I have to collect all weapons and skills I might need to use. Gamers should get my point.

Why do you need to attend classes?
It's because there is some common sense between models, some conventional issues, and some new trends you need to discover.
So you attend school and they tell you how your shape should look like, which hair you should mostly use, skin colors... and then start talking about poses, editing... and so on.
I wrote I got told so often that my body looked like a model's body. So many people told me. But no, I had to modify my shape a bit, too. I was too realistic. I was not much tall (but not a today's dwarf), had some butt and breasts. As a normal RL girl would be. Not too thin, but definitely no giant butt/breast. Neither taller than 1.70 metre.
What happened? I had to make myself taller, thinner, less butt and less breast, to be ready to fit in some crazy designer's prim creation. After wearing the dress, if it's the case and you don't get so much troubles with the prims, you might add some butt to make your body a bit round and realistic, but in no way make it curvacious!
Now things changed again because of mesh items: your body doesn't count much, as the designers already pick up for you how big your breast is going to be!
Same thing goes for the male models. Even if they don't have breasts, they might need to adjust shoulders and pectoral muscles.

I read sometimes things about being professional, but it's pretty complicated to stick to this topic. If you work in SL you will 99% of cases have problems with your SL private life. Partners who are jelous because you are talking with another colleague about the last release of the X designer, or because you take a photoshoot for the blog with that colleague, or they get bored while you are walking the runway...
Or even worst sometimes when you are dating another model, an agency owner, a designer...
So please try to make clear with your partner what are priorities in your relationship. Before starting any career, be sure he/she supports you and is willing to understand that you need some time on your own for your hobby/job.

I hope you all got some ideas and topic to think about. Questions or discussions are welcomed in comments here, or directly inworld if I am online. Also available to use chat in my IW group: ._:::- I ♡ Beccikie -:::_.
For other online modeling classes, visit the online Academy.