Attitude, Attitude, Attitude

I am watching Britain's Next and I am always set back by the attitude that says: "I will not change." Oh dear, that is the ONE thing you will have to do constantly, if you are looking to be a Top Model. The business is nothing, if not ALL about change. Pliable and you are going to have to become BEST FRIENDS.

Quick responses to what the photographer wants are what reduces costs, when on set . When in front of a camera, you should hear a click after every pose. If he's not clicking, it's because you aren't. Something different with each click, even if it is slight. Your task is to give them as many good frames to work with as possible. You must become a very good actress. It's why the professions of acting/modeling overlap. If you are not willing to change for the sake of the job, in front of the camera, then you are in the wrong business.

That being said please always remember that being pliable on set should never include inappropriate requests being made.

Patrick and Lori

Patrick Demarchelier

I love his romance with "REAL"

It really is NOT about what others think about your height or anything else you think is WRONG with you or what others say, it is only how YOU feel that gets transmitted to "out there".

Teaching that lesson was done really well with the girls being "judged" by the general public, who have NO vested interest in holding back with opinions.

And Patrick Demarchelier, comes to the shoot with the fabulous Lori Goldstein and BOTH of them are SO comfortable in their own skin that you almost forget who they are. I am sooo glad to see that the "stylists" are getting some face time on this round. We are getting to see that there are many different "talents" on set during a shoot, all of them with sooo much to offer the aspiring model. These two are so good at what they do, that you relax into the advice they give. The both exude a real love for themselves and what they do, the two are seamless. That is what feeds the air the girls have to learn in for the time of the shoot. It almost doesn't matter WHAT makes these professionals so comfortable, whether it's experience, power, or control, but they do not care what the model thinks of THEM. This is not expressed or experienced in a way that degrades. Real doesn't need to go there. And "real" is exactly what the girls needed to bring to the shoot on the street, paired up with one of the other girls and a guy. Chelsea nearly "lost" it when she had a hard time getting past her own self-consciousness around Patrick, during the solo shot, to SELL the products in the shot. THAT was/is the ENTIRE reason for the shoot! Remember, the "spark" in the eyes that Tyra calls for comes from EMOTION. If your focus is on frozen fear, that is what gets captured. Kendal really did do a fabulous job.

Why the Brazilian girls?

Well, let me tell you what I think about that! The girls of Brazil have REALLY burst onto the modeling scene in the last little while. We all look and with most of the Brazilian girls, we go, Wow! SHE really is beautiful! Why? What is it? The water? The sun? The culture? It is, at points, all of those things. The one common denominator that MUST be present, and is greatly lacking, especially in North American girls, is REAL confidence front of a camera, naked! There, I said it! Yes. The barest of clothing by most standards. I think every model aught to get herself to Brazil at least once, as she is learning about the business. Go work with people who do not see the body as something to be hidden. Real comfort with the body, looks beautiful!

MAAAAKE OVER!

This is always one of my most favorite ones in ANY season. This cycle of girls are creative indeed. Ann, of all people, really surprised me with the "make-a-fake-makeover list" and then "drop" it in the hall. Brilliant fun! There is always at least one person who loses it over not liking the make over. This week it was Terra and by the end, she was gone.

After the anguish of the makeover was out of the way, the girls were set up on a beach with young men to shoot themselves in various forms of bird-themed attire. Again a test of not losing it while hoisted in the air staring at gorgeous young men. What fun the show must have coming up with these scenarios.

Cycle 15 BEGINS!

Well it all began with some rather interesting tests of confidence. After all the season-opening introductions were out of the way, it got right down to business with the girls having to apply their own make-up and then straight on to facing a Lot of peoples' fear, HEIGHTS. The girls did exceptionally well, considering the cat walk was a see-through gangplank protruding high above the crowd. Kacy really pulled it out when having to leave her glasses behind, leaving Her really quite blind. Each contestant was harnessed, but still she displayed what EVERY set looks for in the "talent", a real willingness to pull out all the stops to get the job done!

One segment then chose to focus on a great life message; What has been a weak point for you CAN be converted to usable energy, becoming an asset! This was done by using the power sapped by earlier life experiences with negative rejection, and turning the words around and creating a new self-definition. As they chose words to be painted onto them, we came to learn that Many of these girls were the victims of out right bullying. Demi Lovato was a guest with a vision, offering a website to viewers who want to participate in changing things for the better. If you are a victim of bullying go to: teensagainstbullying.org

The first girl to go was Anamaria from Queens, N.Y. You could see that decision being made as Anamaria expressed that she was working on getting More lean. The faces of the judges could not hide their concern. I for one, am glad to see that the producers and others allowed her through and made a statement about the all-pervasive cult of dangerously thin. All in all it was a great week.

Fashion. Why SO small??

I often hear the question, in regard to the size of models, why are they so thin? It really does get down to the "business" of it all. The types of materials used at the highest levels, starting with couture, boggle the mind. Haute Couture is at the top level of hand customized fashion design and clothing construction made by a couture design house. The word is French for 'high sewing'.
In France, the label "haute couture" is a legally protected label. A certain number of formal criteria (number of employees, participation in fashion shows etc.) must be met for a fashion house to use the label; a list of eligible houses is made official every year by the French Ministry of Industry. The haute couture houses belong to the professional union the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. All access is granted to the finest artisans in Europe, among them, generations of people who specialize in the making of pleats that include the use of antique systems that still provide THE best results in the hands of these people. You CANNOT make these works of art in the sizes of the "average" woman. The cost of doing so would be astronomical and is, in my opinion, not necessary. Sizing at this and every level of high fashion, is not about trying to impose a standard for women, but by the nature of the art produced, needs to be smaller so as to minimize the cost of the work.

GIVING BACK IS ATTRACTIVE!

Coco Rocha, good Canadian girl that she is, is living proof that the modeling industry is not simply full of self-serving, wafer-thin girls with no brains or soul. This young lady, is more the norm than many would like to think. It seems that all we hear about are phone-throwing tantrums from highly paid models. So it is a delight to know that Coco Rocha has made the time, so soon in her career, to think about how to use her success to help others. Take note, all of you who want to be where she is. You CAN be a model and still care about the global community. She is not just a model but a true role model!