We Invented Online Portfolios for Models and Actors in 1995 - Enough Dreaming. It's Time to Be a Star!

So OK. Someone’s making one thing clear: Just because you’re fat and willing to pose nude doesn’t mean you can be a plus-size model already.

Plus-size model Tiffany Bank is speaking in behalf of all the big women who passed an industry standard just as high as that of straight-size models:

“People have this idea of the plus-size modeling industry that if you’re just fat and happy with a pretty face, you’ll be the next big thing. But because there are fewer opportunities for plus-size models, it’s just as competitive as straight-size modeling, if not more so.

“In the plus-size fashion industry, it’s just as competitive and the standards are just as high. You get measured, and there are size standards and a height-weight requirement.

“Some of (editorials with plus-size models nude or wearing lingerie) is beautifully done, but there’s a difference between celebrating curves and sexualizing it. I think that people just either take one extreme or the other. It’s like, they’ll either have no plus-sizes, or very in-your-face plus-sizes.”

Tiffany Bank will star in the new TLC series “Big Sexy”, which documents the lives of “big” models in the plus-size modeling industry. She is hoping to help enlighten the minds of people on what plus-size modeling really is. At the moment, she has one very helpful tip to aspiring plus-size models: capitalize your “thickness”.

“Honestly, it comes with the territory, and I’ve developed a thick skin. When I first started a couple of years ago, I would cry after every casting, but now it’s fine.”

Ladies and gentlemen, that’s one self-proclaimed smart Sports Illustrated model speaking out there.

Erina Shayk elaborates:

“Just for you to know, people, models are very smart. We’re investing money in the right way, and, you know, a modeling job I’m taking as a businesswoman. So it’s not fun for me, it’s work.

I’m very smart and I have a great team of people around me investing my money. I’m not buying gold — yet. I’m just collecting gold presents, which is more fun, actually, than buying gold.”

To that, I concur. Maybe Irina Shayk is not the humble type, but she has a point. When good-looking people know how to capitalize on their looks, it’s like investing on a business without raising too much capital. They just pose there and strut their stuff and appeal to people with their charm. And what they get in return? A large paycheck, a million followers, many multinational corporations that would do anything to make projects with them, and collect expensive gifts and discounts often.

So beautiful… I’m gonna be a supermodel!

Crime is everywhere and risk has always been part of life. But how many scams does a young talent have to avoid before making it big in the industry? How “extremely careful” does she need to be? When is it right to burst the bubble and take the warning bells?

When we hear reports of hopeful talent getting raped and abused, we can only hope for the victim to survive, the criminal to be punished, and the people to learn a lesson.

A 23-year-old man raped and stabbed a 24-year-old model and TV star hopeful, after luring her to come for an MTV presenter audition. The criminal has profiled and contacted the model from an account that she has made on an FHM magazine website.

The model did take “extra caution” when she heeded to the fake audition in Durban, South Africa. She asked her boyfriend to come along and check the man in SABC studios in Auckland Park where they agreed to meet. There was nothing suspicious about the well-dressed man, except that he could not look the boyfriend straight in the eye. (Some people are just not comfortable with direct eye contact). The man’s business card was also covered with fancy-looking credentials. (There was no way to check the credential’s authenticity then and there).

What the model and her boyfriend failed to consider was that the man had no car of his own and just asked to drive to Durban with the model so that he could brief her for the audition. When the boyfriend expressed concern over this proposal, the man showed them a Bible and professed to be “a committed Christian”. (Now, that was fishy. Why would he need to carry a Bible? A real scout doesn’t have to be that desperate to convince talent.)

While in a hotel in Durban, the model still checked in with her boyfriend every hour. But when she called for the last time to tell him that the man has asked for a R3000 hair and make-up shoot, the boyfriend was already convinced that the audition was a scam. He hurriedly called the model’s mother to fetch her from Durban. It was too late.

The model was raped, stabbed in the face and hands, and almost strangled. The criminal fled from the hotel with her credit cards, cellphone, and metallic silver-blue Peugeot 206.

Thank God for her boyfriend who constantly checked on her and the trained police counselors who came to her rescue, the model survived the stabbing.

A warning has since been posted on FHM magazine’s Facebook, Twitter and website pages, which reads in part:

“A man named ___ has been using social media to contact young women, and luring them into dangerous situations. Do not have anything to do with this man. He is being sought by police. Ladies, please be extremely careful before agreeing to real-life meetings with anyone you meet online.”

An emaciated model mannequin, headless and with chicken legs, has been slammed by shoppers in London apparently for being stick-thin. She’s representing the Always Skinny fashion line.

The unhappy shoppers say the skinny mannequin promotes anorexia. But whatever happen to common sense?

Are people, especially teens, just that dumb to look at a mannequin and say “I love that dress she’s wearing. So I’m going to work out and have that tiny, tiny body to fit into that dress”?

Instead of envying the inhuman mannequin, customers can always ask for bigger sizes of the display clothes if they want to.

Mannequins are supposed to be just substitute for human models who cannot do the extreme – be headless and fit into an XXS display dress and still look fabulous, and work unpaid 24/7. Unlike fashion models, these dolls don’t die from starvation or fatigue even if they stand stick-thin forever to pose.

So dude, give the skinny chick a chance. If you ban her from work, she won’t have money to buy head.

What do you think of this photo of a 10-year old child?

French model Thylane Blondeau has become an instant sensation when she posed for French Vogue editorial.  Just like other models who appear on the glossy magazine, she’s glamorous and hyper-sexualized. Except that she’s a child, still even far from being sweet 16.

She’s a child alright, but she’s a model too. Modeling has always been selling, appealing to consumers to buy products. The question now is, what is she selling on the glossy magazine? Bunnies? Golden stilettos? Leopard-print pillows?  Or her underage sex-pot image?

You can debate as much as you want over child models dressed up as sexual women for commercial purposes, but for Thylane Blondeau’s mom, a decision has already been made. She canceled her daughter’s Facebook page amidst the controversy:

“hey guys im the mum of thylane something going ‘s wrong at the moment with thylane and bad personn in usa about pictures she make’s 8 months ago for vogue ,,thylane doesn’t know about the buzz and i want to protect her from the deapest of my heart ,,, she’s so young ,, so we are going to close this accompte for a while ,,i know all of you are good person who like her so i send you a big kiss,,thanks”

Well, Thylane Blondeau’s pose for Vogue is still “wholesome” compared to that of Brooke Shields when she was also 10.

Brooke was naked in the photo, her body oiled and her face heavily madeup. The photo found its way to many publications, including Playboy. Years later, a grown-up Brooke wanted to have the negative of the photos back but she lost in court. Her mother has signed away the rights to the image and the court could only say that she’s a “hapless victim of a contract… to which two grasping adults bound her”.

So this one goes out for all the caring mothers out there who want to make their children future stars:

Do not be tempted to accept large amounts of money and sign any contracts that sell away your rights in return for your children posing provocatively in photos. The photographer can sold the photos to pedophiles and your children can be exploited in many ways unimaginable. They may feel “naked forever” and this may become the root-cause of a troubled family relationship in the future. Your children are still your greatest treasure, not the fame nor the money that they bring for the family.

Genetics is a great factor for these women to have radiant and healthy skin. But hey! Personal tender loving care is also needed to maintain their skin’s glow.

We decided to omit the specific brands associated with the products they use and came up with the generics that everyone, especially aspiring models and talent, can sure to emulate.

Karlie Kloss:
“I’ve just been using cold cream – a heavy, rich, really saturated cream that I think my grandma probably used when she was my age, but you can’t mess with the classics! It works.”

Anja Rubik:
“I use a gentle scrub every night. It unclogs all the pores. Massaging is especially important because it increases circulation.”

Chanel Iman:
“My favorite is oil. It’s amazing and it just makes the body so beautiful and glowing. I use it on my face too – I use it everywhere! Right after a bath, I rub it all over my body and it gets me into that zone of going to bed and sleeping well.”

Jessica Stam:
“Right now I’m using cleanser – I like it because it gets rid of my makeup and washes my face in one step!”

Liu Wen:
“During Fashion Week, I’m getting makeup on and off my face all day. It can be tough on my skin so I use a lot of moisturizer and masks to help rejuvenate it. I especially like masks because they’re relaxing.”

Natasha Poly:
“I use all different things but right now I like all-day cream. I carry it around in my purse during Fashion Week – it’s a really good moisturizer. At nighttime I use the serum. It brings out the best in my skin!”

Alana Zimmer:
“I drink a lot of water and get as much sleep as possible. I also use skin care products – I use mask once a week and get facials three or four times a year.”

Karmen Pedaru:
“In between shows during Fashion Week, I’ll dab eye cream on my lids. I carry it everywhere! The skin around the eyes is delicate and goes through a lot during Fashion Week, so I try to keep it moisturized.”

Hanna Holman:
“In the morning, I use cleanser with a soft exfoliator that is great for during or after a shower when my pores are already open and warm. After washing my face, I splash cold water on it to close the pores and make any swelling go down.”

Frida Gustavsson:
“After taking my makeup off, I’ll wash my face and use a non-greasy oil as a moisturizer. It has a lot of A and E vitamins. It keeps my skin soft.”

Aminata Niara:
“Before I go to bed, I always use makeup remover. I’m Senegalese so I also eat a lot of fish – it’s full of omega-3s, which are good for your skin.”

Mirte Maas:
“Sometimes if I’m coming off a plane and I know I have to do a casting, I’ll use concealer to cover any blue or darkness underneath my eyes. It also helps for pimples.”

Joan Smalls:
“In the morning, I always make sure to wash my face with a salicylic acid cleanser and moisturize with a combination of lotion and night repair cream. I know it’s supposed to be used at night but I like putting it on for daytime because it makes my skin look dewy and glowing!”

Hyoni Kang:
“Foam cleanser is awesome! It’s gentle but removes all my makeup. I use it once and the makeup is gone.”

Ranya Mordanova:
“When I’m not working, I only wear concealer – I wear makeup so much for shoots and shows, I like to be free of it! Concealer is great for hiding the bags under my eyes.”

For more beauty tips, read:
Beauty Advice From Top Cover Models

Ono Optical, one of the most experienced manufacturers of quality eyewear and eyewear accessories, makes a fresh campaign through the help of our very own preteen model Paige Augusta.

Now who says wearing eyeglasses is not cool? Paige’s youthful and sweet appearance helps the brand reach out to the young market. Looking cute and hip with an Ono eyeglasses on, doesn’t she inspire you to wear one too?

C’mmon, you know you want it.

Even the radiance of famous celebrities like Julia Roberts was not good enough for L’Oreal. In order to create an impression of “flawless” skin, the beauty company opted to photoshop her image in an ad campaign for its Lancome brand. The result: excessive airbrushing that was deemed misleading.

Did Julia Roberts know that her image would undergo excessive photoshopping to promote the Lancome makeup? She used to call the obsession with beauty and youth as “shallow”. But she was also reportedly paid around £15million to become the brand’s spokesmodel.

Oh, the irony.