Dear Models,

Brace yourselves we are going to talk about REJECTION. The one cold fact you have to turn a brown eye to. Sometimes castings can even be as bad as standing in front of those two old dudes from The Muppets. It’s all ‘NEXT!!!!…. GET HER OFF… BOOOOO’ those words will always keep you living on the wedge of frustration.

Lets face it, there will always be someone prettier, edgier, with better hair, with better boobs, taller, ‘cooler’, more well-connected, more desirable, younger/older and/or just better than you for the job.

Just like Prince (Un)Charming clients are always looking for the model that fits the magic shoe, and most of the time SORRY it’s not going to be you. Making you feel like an ugly step sister.

It’s also a question of maths- just say a client is looking for a brunette from ages 18-30, there’s around 20 local agencies with roughly 40 girls of this description in each agency. So just on the maths alone you have around 0.125% chance of getting that job!

But how can you face the problem when you problem is your face?…or some other physical attribute that’s totally out of your control.

The reality is that until you accept rejection as part of being a model I do not feel you can succeed in this industry. It’s always good to have strategies to deal with this and become well versed in the laws of rejection.

Never take rejection personally, it has nothing to do with who you are on the inside. The fashion industry is shallow. During the brief casting process (around 5 minutes) clients just look at the surface and not what lies within.
Rejection occurs so often, just like a bowel movements SH*T HAPPENS, flush that toilet and move on.

Here are my best tips that have kept me level-headed in my 18 year career.

1. Just be yourself remember it’s impossible to please everyone you’re always going to run into people who don’t get you.

2. Always have friends outside the industry to keep you grounded in reality.

3. Don’t lose your identity and what’s makes you unique to everyone else. Don’t forget you’re a beautiful person.

4. Put down the meat pies and exercise as it releases feel good hormones plus your body is your tool so look after it.

5. Never lose faith in yourself, stay strong and believe that anything can happen.

6. Look after your mind, meditate. Remember that the eyes are the mirror of the soul if you are unhappy people instinctively know and they won’t want to work with a sad sack.

7. If you want a career that leaves you with a warm fuzzy feeling, this isn’t it… If you want warmth, turn on a radiator.

8. If someone’s really mean to you, throw a dildo at them and yell “Go fark yourself” then take a photo and send it to me so I can have a good laugh.

Here’s some quotes to keep you motivated to keep going and remember you’re not alone, everyone in every career has to deal with rejection at sometime in their lives.

A rejection is nothing more than a necessary step in the pursuit of success.
Bo Bennett

Sometimes I feel my whole life has been one big rejection.
Marilyn Monroe

I take rejection as someone blowing a bugle in my ear to wake me up and get going, rather than retreat.
Sylvester Stallone