Top Model Warns Teenagers On The Downside Of The Industry

Now at 26, top Scottish model Lauren Tempany is already an experienced catwalk diva. She has been in the modeling industry for 12 years; has modeled for top designers like Alexander McQueen and Giles Deacon, has been featured in Vogue and Harper's Bazaar (then Harpers and Queen), has shared a catwalk with Kate Moss, and has hung out with Agyness Deyn and Alexa Chung.


But just like every successful models in the industry, Lauren Tempany has also met hardships especially when she was just starting with her career.

She was only 14 years old when discovered from a Clothes Show roadshow in 1997 and had three top modeling agencies fighting over her. Her first modeling job was for a perfume aimed at the teenage market.

One of Lauren Tempany's greatest challenge as a struggling model included dealing with the media and the stalkers. The Scottish model shared that she had been too candid with the media interviews that accompanied her early model shoots, not realizing that her words would come to haunt her back — she became a victim of a stalker. The model revealed her early struggles in an interview with Edinburgh newspaper The Evening News:

"Some of the early interviews I did revealed a bit too much about my home and family life, and someone was able to trace where I lived and began making loads of dodgy phone calls. We had to change all of our phone numbers. I've always tended to just blurt things out when I'm talking to people without realizing some of it might make it into the papers, but I've now learned to be a bit more careful."

Though being careful is Lauren Tempany's advice for models especially for those who are just starting out, she also believes that there is nothing endemically wrong in the modeling industry and becoming a model at 14 does not necessarily mean that one becomes a target of stalking.

"When I was first approached at the age of 14 my family were a bit dubious, but they did their research and discovered they were all legitimate agencies. However, I would advise aspiring young models to only sign for big modeling agencies because it's tough getting jobs. The smaller agencies don't get a look in and there are some people who are out to exploit you, but get nasty people in all professions though, not just modeling."

Prior to Lauren Tempany's telling of the struggles she encountered in the industry, there have been other models who stepped out to talk about the downside of modeling including 70s star Robyn Peterson and model-turned-filmmaker Zara Ziff. Recently, Indian-born fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander has been sentenced to a minimum of 59 years in US prison for sexually assaulting aspiring models as young as 14. The designer is known to dress a number of celebrities including Paris Hilton and Mary J Blige.

Warned of the downside of her profession, Lauren Tempany still finds modeling as a noble career. Though there are few obsessives along the way, she has met many wonderful people in the industry and sure finds fun in the glamorous world she walks in. She has traveled many countries to shoot for magazines, commercials, and catalogues.


Taking pride in her modeling profession, Lauren Tempany shares, "The industry comes in for a lot of unfair criticism but I've met some fantastic people while modeling, and my experience over the last 12 years has been overwhelmingly positive."

Believing that her star will soon be outshined by younger models, Lauren Tempany also sets her plans for the future while still enjoying the glitz of her career:

"Modeling really is a young person's game. I don't really have a clear idea of where I'll go after this but I'd quite like to get into film and costume, working in the wardrobe department of movie productions, but right now I can't ever see me turning down a job. I'll probably still be doing granny catalogues when I'm 60."

Golden Advice For Aspiring Models - Research!

Last week, the modeling industry had been appalled again by the news of another fashion model's death. Suicide was no longer the suspect for the death of Canadian Model Diana Gabrielle O'Brien in Shanghai, China. It was a murder incident, with the 22-year old model found dead in her apartment building's stairwell after allegedly slain by a local resident for money.


After the incident, it was found out that the murdered Canadian Model just arrived in China of June 24 and eventually worked for an agency (that have been shuttered and disappeared after the model's death was publicized) which required her to dance on podium as part of her “modeling” assignments. Thus, the young model became skeptical. She wanted to go back to her home in Salt Spring Island, British Columbia. Unfortunately, she couldn't go back – she barely had no money earned yet. Worst, she got killed in some kind of senseless violence.

How should we know that a modeling agency is legitimate?

The golden rule is always research. Research if your qualified to be a fashion model. Research for legitimate modeling agencies that you know. Research for the prospect agency through the phone. Research from your relatives and friends if they also know the agencies as models or as simple commoners. Research about the agency through the models and clients themselves. Lastly, research how should legitimate agencies function as a talent/model management company and how they treat their models when it comes to projects and and work assignments.

According to a young model, "Modeling teaches you to ask questions, do your homework, learn that you need to eat well, get your sleep, show up on time and be polite. All these are important lessons to learn to do well in any job."

And according to a representative of a modeling agency where the young model works, "We can believe in a girl and promote a girl and recommend a girl, but in the end, when she walks through that door, it's all up to her."

Want more modeling advice? Research it HERE.