The smells of a fragrant baguette coming from the bakery opposite, in the subway, a man plays the accordion by the well-known motive Edith Piaf, in the distance you can see the Eiffel Tower, delicious wine, cheese, in a word romance …
That is how tourists see Paris! And now let’s look at this city through the eyes of a model: vile Parisians with their tactlessness, rats in the subway, lack of money.
Yes, perhaps hardly, you can find a city that would beckon and attract to itself, arouse hearing and arouse desire, like Paris.
Romanticism is the main feature of the city, so there are many romantic corners, thanks to which it is called the city of love. Over the entire period of its existence, the city has experienced a large number of love stories, shrouded in mystery and confused by intrigue. That is why many tourists visit this city in the hope of finding their love.
Of course, I, like everyone dreamed of getting to Paris. Starting from the age of 15, I imagined myself pacing the cobblestones, running from the casting to the casting, and drinking coffee in between, but I was able to get to this city only in my twenties. For some reason I didn’t want to take any of the agencies for a very long time, until one of my London days my agent called me with the words: “Get ready, they are waiting for you in Paris!”
My happiness, of course, knew no bounds and after a week I was there!
The agency driver met me at the airport, we drove all the way to French jazz and I was already in anticipation of something unusual! Near the house I was met by the owner – a young guy of Asian appearance, gave the keys, took a short tour of the house and said that I will share the room with another girl. And yes, by the way, you can’t worry, she is also Ukrainian. I wonder why I should worry, because the list of my neighbors began from the regiments and ended with the Africans. It’s never been a matter of principle with whom to live, the main thing is that there be a good person and simple person in life.
The biggest plus of my first French apartment was that we lived together with a girl (oh yes, there was still a piano, I was allowed to play it and for me, as for a musician this is also a huge plus). All of my next apartments are a smoky cottage and a dozen girls, but, unlike the first ones, they are in the very heart of Paris – on the Champs Elysees.
But it is worth considering that the closer to the center – the more expensive it is to pay for an apartment.
If you live in the center – then get ready to pay from 50 euros per night. By the way, the agency thus makes good money, it doesn’t matter how many girls live in the apartment: 2 or 20, all the same, everyone pays 50 euros and alas, nothing can be done about it, so I advise you to rent an apartment and not live in agent apartments.
Above, I described the Parisians as vile and tactless, and here perhaps I should explain myself. It’s not that I didn’t like all the French, on the contrary, I think they are very sweet and pleasant, but the people who live in Paris are terrible rude ones! Either this is how the capital affects them, or something else, but you can not count on help from them. For some reason they are in a hurry somewhere, and always. Be it Friday night or Monday morning, a Parisian is already flying somewhere pushing and shoving everyone.
They are also incredibly mannered, gesticulate a lot and laugh out loud. It may be due to the fact that the Slavic soul a priori does not like when people (especially guys) behave very uninhibited and unnatural or the reason is in me, but they often freaked me out with their manners, especially at work.
For example, this situation: I’m sitting on makeup, and several more girls are painting near me. The make-up artist speaks loudly with a make-up artist, smacking gum sometimes laughing at the same time in my face. I endured to the last, but then I could not resist and asked: is it possible to stop this show around me. The makeup artist was indignant, exchanged a few words with a friend and continued his work with an unhappy look.
Sometimes it’s worth reminding them that you are also a person, not a doll. No one is obliged to endure a boorish attitude, but for some reason many girls are silent in a rag and fulfill any whims of the client. If you are told that you need to make up your lips, although there is still plenty of time before the show – say no, thank you, I will still eat. If an unknown heavy thing is clinging to your head, and before the start of shooting even more than an hour – say no, a couple of minutes before the shooting – please, but now it makes no sense to put up with it. The same situation with heels, when it’s pointless to kill your legs before the show for several hours.
The most interesting period for the model is the French couture and / or fashion week. In these few days, hundreds of models flock to one city and completely fill it. Models can be found literally everywhere: in the subway, buses, in parks and in bakeries. It is not very difficult to distinguish a model among the crowd: she has the longest legs, most often she is wearing sunglasses, is stylishly dressed, a bag with heels and a portfolio hangs on her shoulder and she is in a hurry. Models can develop car speed when one casting is done, but another 8 ahead.
As for the bag, you should take care of it since the evening. In the model bag there is a portfolio, charging for the phone, power bank, cosmetic bag with minimal accessories (lip balm, mascara, mirror), a book (in case the waiting time at the casting varies from 20 minutes to 2 hours), snacks (in general it would be It’s nice to take along small vessels with lunch, but I understand that we are all busy people and we don’t have time in the evening).
More than once, an apple thrown into my bag in the morning saved me from hungry fainting. Therefore, do not be too lazy to throw yourself at least some fruit or cookies. And the most important! No matter how you rush, do not forget to drink water!
Often in the turmoil of castings, I forgot to do it or was too lazy to buy, but then the next morning I saw a tired face in the mirror with huge bruises under my eyes. And if suddenly you have a memory like a fish and you constantly forget, then here’s a life hack! My neighbor could drink anything, but not water, they say they do not like the taste. But despite this, every day she took a two-liter bottle of water with her and drank it until three in the afternoon simply because she was having a hard time. Thus, she killed two birds with one stone: she got rid of excess cargo and drank the daily rate of water.
Now let’s move on to the most anticipated part of my review. I think everyone is interested in the topic of money. What do you think is the percentage of models that can earn? I dare to upset you, but in France it is almost impossible.
Of all the girls whom I met, only a few were able to take money from there. Only 10-20% of models manage to fill their pocket, while the rest stick out in huge disadvantages that they are unlikely to be able to pay off someday.
Paris is not Asia for you; there are no guarantees. It is impossible to be sure that you can do something this season. The world of fashion is changing at the speed of light. If 3 months ago the girl who first arrived was able to conquer several casting directors and close the show (!), Then in the next season no one can remember about her. Therefore, in Paris it is best to gain a foothold in average customers (this is if you are interested in money, not fame). Those girls who earn money either come to showrooms several times a year or work as “mannequins” for designers. There is another option for earning if you have a baby type – then you can make campaigns for cosmetics and hair, which in principle can also be profitable. The biggest minus is your minus and percentage. In Paris, they take 70% of the total amount you earned (“gross”), and as you know, 30% will not go far.
And here the reader should ask: if it’s almost impossible to earn money there, then what is the point of going there? That’s right, for the show off.
Most girls come to Paris purely for a fashion week or couture.
The girl makes several more or less famous shows, reports this to her motherboard, she, in turn, tells all the other receiving agencies and, in fact, everything can fly away! But here’s the thing: once a girl is taken, it means you can work with her out of season.
The rest of the customers think this way: yeah, she did some cool shows, so there’s something in her once she got it. So, respectively, we will take it too! Here is such a model chain.
In general, all this modeling is like a huge box with different devices and parts. But how they work and why there are so many of them is unclear. It’s like even the instruction is attached, but why then everything turns out wrong? Take the usual average girl. She does not have a top-model appearance, she is a diligent student and mommy is proud of her. She was just found by a scout. Fortunately or to great disappointment, because now her life will radically change.
In model schools they always teach: look, they say, girl, everything is simple. First you finish school, then you need to go to Asia, gain experience. Yes, the experience will not always be good, so you will surely get into at least some bad agency, but it’s true for statistics. After 5-7 trips, the doors to Europe will open before you! Oh, this alluring part of the world in the Northern Hemisphere! How desirable and far away she is!
And now the girl obediently follows the thumb: one trip after another, Japan after China. But for some reason, everything does not go with Europe at all. Nobody wants her.
She blames the parent agency, the girl changes him, but nothing happens again. There are three options: either the girl continues to play tricks on Asia, finds her own corner / successfully marries and remains there forever.
The second option is that a girl makes money in Asia for the time being, returns home with money and luggage of knowledge beyond her years, gets a job and lives a quiet life. The third option – it is still somehow
then manages to get into this Europe. Rides as they say “in the Milan and London”, not earning anything, but only squandering his money and health. Let’s see how long it lasts. In the end, the swine attitude and absolute ignorance should bother her.
There will always be a question in my head: how does it work? Why does one of the two girls most similar to each other do Prada shows, and the other eats pasta around the clock for 1 euro? Why is a girl who, according to an adequate assessment, much more modest than her, appears in the latest Versace collection? Why doesn’t she know what she will do tomorrow when she wakes up?
This is not stated in the instructions.