Honestly, I haven't been modeling all that long - a little over a year. And I didn't begin referring to myself as a "model" until I had a fair number of shoots under my belt and began really discovering what styles suited me best. I have all the odds against me for achieving any solid fanbase outside the Quad Cities: At 24, I'm already breaching into the "too old" range, I'm average height at best, and I have a thicker, curvy build. It's pretty damn apparent that I'm never going to be a runway superstar with her own reality TV show.
However...I discovered the worlds of pinup and burlesque, which encourage (even praise!) a thicker, more feminine shape. That's when I began to shine and "get it", so to speak.
When I first started modeling, I was doing alternative fashion shoots in the areas of lolita and cyberpunk. They weren't anything professional or special. I just liked taking cool photos in my bitchin' anime convention outfits. I ended up hitting the modeling scene kind of...on accident, I guess. I was getting some fall lolita photos done, and a husband/wife photographer team tagged along. They loved my look, and wanted to photograph me in some other themes revolving around ideas they had. Of course I went for it, and it helped that I was friends with a freelance MUA, and over time things just...built up, I suppose. I met more photographers and worked on more projects and here I am today.
This isn't a walk in the fucking park, though. Don't think for a second this is all glitz and glamour. As much as I heavily enjoy what I do, as I stated before, I have a lot going against me. Not just with my appearance, but also with people. I know there's a lot of jealous losers out there, and their negativity does take its toll. With modeling, I feel like I get way more criticism than praise at times. Hell, even friends have messaged me to be like, "Dude, your last shoot sucked" (maybe not so blunt, but you get what I'm saying). When your face and body is under complete and constant public scrutiny with every photo posted, that's rough. Modeling is not for the weak-minded and insecure.
**I'll repeat that last line again, because it's the best advice I can give to anyone considering giving this a try: NOT FOR THE WEAK-MINDED AND INSECURE.Seriously, if you have confidence issues in the slightest, you will never last.**
So you, dear reader, are probably wondering, "Why get into something that just creates negativity?" Where am I going with a blog title of "Why I Put Up With This Crap"? What is the God damn point of a long blog talking about how I got into this, and why I meet the haters with a jolly-ass grin on my face?
Well, let me tell you:
I'm a vain person, and I love seeing images of me looking like a sexy badass.
What? This blog is "uncensored, uncut, unashamed". Why would I lie or sugar coat it?
-Rein
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