Modeling Industry Confessions

Tales of Taboo

Ali Weiss

Society & Culture

4.8 • 725 Ratings

🗓️ 8 November 2023

⏱️ 73 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The Fashion episode was such a hit that I decided to revamp and re-release another set of industry-related confessions. With casting help from DeuxMoi, we're coming out from behind the scenes and exploring life in front of the camera as a model.

I open the episode with my own Tales of Taboo about my lulz attempt at a postgrad modeling career (you'll scream at the very off-brand national campaign I booked), and a few encounters with agents and casting directors that, as the kids say, 'altered my brain chemistry'.

(10:50) Then, our anonymous contributors are or were signed in LA, London, Miami, Milan, New York, Paris, Seattle, and Texas, and represented by well-known agencies such as One Management, Genetics, Heffner, Next, Select, and Women (plus some others I’ve been asked not to name). They tell equally juicy and shocking stories about: -what it’s like behind the scenes at Fashion Week & Miami Swim Week -working for controversial brands like American Apparel and Yeezy -lesser-known but higher paying sectors of the industry, like e-comm and fit modeling -the harsh realities of diet + exercise routines (maintaining 35 inch hips!!) -model houses, club promoters, and international ‘yachting’ trips -loneliness and depression brought on by working abroad -agency debt, and what success ACTUALLY looks like

Plus, ON the record, we have agent Jane Belfry (@janebelfry) from BTWN Management breaking down the “body positivity movement” and model-turned-badass musician Dana Dentata (@danadentata) serving honest insight on everything from industry hyper-sexualization to working with icons like Ryan McGinley and Juergen Teller.

Tales of Taboo is produced and narrated by Ali Weiss. Follow Ali on Instagram & TikTok @aliweissworld. Audio production by Isabel McMahon & WTF Media. Theme song by Chris Stathopolous. Cover photo by Erika Flynn. Cover art by Kristen Montenegro. GOT A SECRET TO GET OFF YOUR CHEST? Share your own confession - or thoughts and feedback - at [email protected].

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm Ali Weiss and I'm obsessed with the people, ideas, and experiences that break the rules, beat the odds, where are considered socially unacceptable.
0:28.0	And this is season four of Tales of Taboo. Each week, I gather anonymous confessions for my listeners around the world who've existed in elusive subcultures,
0:39.3	ventured down the road less traveled, made serious mistakes, and achieved extraordinary victories.
0:46.3	Some of them call my hotline and others will send written stories for me to read.
0:51.3	These confessions are raw, they're honest, they're even downright shocking
0:55.8	sometimes, but they always deliver the most incredible life lessons and encourage us to consider
1:02.8	why we're all so afraid to be different. In light of Fashion Week, I have decided to revamp
1:09.8	and re-release this episode about the modeling
1:12.7	industry from season three, starting with my own No Holds Barred on the record confession.
1:19.6	Let's get into it.
1:22.7	There was a period of my 20s where I thought I wanted to be a model. I had the opposite experience of a lot
1:31.7	of industry girls who never felt attractive growing up and found solace in being accepted
1:37.6	by the fashion community. From an absurdly inappropriately young age, I have always received a lot of sexual attention
1:47.8	because of going through puberty early. And that is the source of a lot of my, I hate this
1:53.9	word, but trauma and warped self-perception. On top of that, I'm 5'10 and have been since like eighth grade. And, you know,
2:04.1	around 15 or 16, I started repeatedly getting told that I was beautiful. So when I was going through
2:11.2	a bad relationship at 23 and started using intense dieting and exercise as a crutch, I figured, why not try to
2:21.2	simultaneously overcome various traumas and make some money by capitalizing on my appearance?
2:30.3	Obviously, I look back now and I'm like, A, wow, that is insane logic. And B, this story isn't
2:37.8	particularly unique, you know, like I feel like stereotypically all tall young women choose between
2:44.6	basketball, volleyball, and modeling. But anyway, I signed to the commercial and lifestyle boards of some reputable
2:54.4	agencies pretty quickly, but people like immediately struggled to figure out where I fit.
	...

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