Does The Modeling Industry HATE Tall Women? | The Dark Truths of Becoming A Tall Model

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All of their links are going to be in the description and huge thanks to Whitney Allison for sponsoring today's episode. Good morning everybody. You are currently listening to a Tall Girls podcast hosted by a tall girl named India. I hope everyone who's tuning in today is doing super fantastic. Before I get into this episode, I do want to say, make sure you're following me on my socials at a Tall Girls podcast on Instagram, TikTok and pinches, so that you could stay up to date on all of the latest podcast episodes and catch a glimpse of my everyday life. Also, feel free to leave your review and let me know how tall you are. I'm genuinely curious. Also, I have a monthly newsletter which is now going to be weekly because it's officially pod missed. Make sure you subscribe to that. Everything is going to be linked in the description. I have some super awesome major good news, major good news. You know what, I consider it major good news, so it is major good news. I am officially a Tall Sized brand Ambassador Perio period. Now, if you didn't know what tall Size is, it's basically like this marketplace that's home to various tall brands. Oh you know, Prissy, Doug TJL Collection, Whitney Allison, who has been a sponsor on this podcast for the past few weeks, and so forth. All of them are on Tall Size, so you can basically shop multiple tall brands at one time, which is super super convenient. By the way, this is not sponsored, but it just makes it so convenient for tall women to shop various tall options at once in one place. This is also the brand that had the pop up shop in New York City that I went to, and I made like a couple of videos on them as well. Probably I will link them below so you can get a better feel of who they are, what they are, what they stand for. But I do have a discount code. It's ee Lot ten Ilott ten and you can get ten percent off your first purchase at Tall Size. So it's basically for their new customers. I do get a small commission from it, so if you want to support the podcast, you can use my discount code if you're a new customer. So Tall Size is going to be linked in the description so you can check them out all right. Now, today's episode, I know the title may or may not be a little bit intense, but we're gonna get into it today. You're gonna understand as we go on. Do you remember the days when everybody wanted to be a model, Which makes sense because it's easy to be enamored ooh big words, enamored by the glitz and glam of everything. You get a bunch of travel opportunities. You could travel all over the world, you could wear pieces from your favorite famous designers, You meet influential people, you can do all these cool photo shoots, video shoots even and of course builds confidence. But many people felt that their dreams were crushed because they felt that they were too short or felt that the industry would see them as too short. And I can partially understand this because when you see many models these days, or even back in the day, it's so weird to say back in the day, oh my gosh, I'm making it seem like I'm old. But anyways, years ago, even when you see models years ago, you would see them with thin life limbs, so it's easy to assume that they are on the taller side at first glance. And then some of them would wear heels and be significantly taller than the people who are next to them, people around them, the people that are talking to and of course when you find out their heights, they would be on the taller side as well, well taller than the average height of a woman, and this ultimately led people to believe that, you know, only tall girls can model, which is kind of broad, kind of vague in a way, if that makes sense, because we need to define what model tall is today because tall can range from five to nine ish five ten all the way up to six five six six, And yes, there are women out there who are pushing six six all the way up to seven feet tall, and that would lead them to project that idea onto tall women. I actually run a poll on Instagram asking you, guys if anyone has ever told you that you should model because of your height? And eighty four percent of you said that, yes, you get that frequently, You've gotten that frequently, thirteen percent sometimes, and three percent said not really. Also just wanted to say really quickly that if you want to participate in polls like these and have your opinion heard on these podcast episodes, make sure you follow me on Instagram at a Tall Girls podcast. As tall women were often told that we should model because of our height. Simple makes sense, right? Wrong? What if I told you it could actually be hard because you're considered too tall. Yes, you can apparently be too tall to be a model. Don't believe me. Let's listen to this clip. Okay, I want to rant. So every single person I meet tells me, Kylie, you're so pretty, you're so tall, you should be a model. So every time I go to a modeling agency to try and get on their roster, they measure me. And even today I went to one and I was like, not even standing up that straight. He measured me at six foot one and a half. Before he measured me, he was super interested. He definitely thought he you gave me work. And then after he measures me, he's like, I'm sorry, I can't take you on because you're just too tall at six one and a half. And a lot of people. Don't know that the models are only like five eight to five eleven, and it's they you think the industry is changing, it's not. I actually did a podcast episode about this, probably a year ago, months ago, I don't remember for sure, with two models who have been in the industry for a while, for a couple of years, and they spoke about their experiences. One I believe is six two or six three, I don't recall for sure. One is between six one and six three I don't remember for sure, But the second one is six ' five, and they spoke about their struggles in the industry well because of other factors, but one of them including the fact that they've been told that they were too tall by modeling agencies. So I'm gonna have that episode linked below so you can check that out and get like a full rundown from people who have actually experienced it. But he can be considered an asset when it comes to modeling. But there are high caps placed, which is the maximum height allowed or a limit on how tall you can be. So for most modeling agencies, the height range that they want is five nine to six feet, and honestly, six feet is kind of pushing it at times, so I would probably say nine five, eight five, nine to five eleven is like the ideal height range, which can honestly be surprising because when you see a lot of these models on these runways and doing high end fashion, you're thinking, oh, she has to be like six two six three sixty four, But a lot of them, well at least nowadays, are actually in the eight ish five, nine ish to five eleven range. Then again, it's important to note that there are different kinds of modeling, especially nowadays. It's becoming a little bit more diverse in terms of the type of modeling there is, is what I will say, and there are different height requirements for those different types of modeling. So for runway modeling, which is probably one of the most popular types of modeling that people want to get into, that women want to get into, and honestly the type of modeling that we're going to be talking about today, For runway modeling, you have to be at least five to eight for a woman. But commercial modeling is less strict about height requirements and really just focuses on representing the average person. For editorial modeling, looks are prioritized over height and so forth and so on. You also got fitness modeling, promotional modeling, petite modeling, and so much more. But like I said before, the emphasis here is really on runway modeling and high end fashion modeling high end fashion. I hope what I'm saying so far makes sense. I'm not like, super super knowledgeable about the modeling industry, but I'm trying to take what I learned from that episode that I recorded with the two models, Bree and Lucky, and what research I did for this episode. Something very interesting that was actually brought up in the episode that I recorded with Bringing Lucky, is that some models lie about their height. Did you know that some models lie about their height. Yeah, that model who's saying she's five eleven may actually be six to one keyworders might though, But imagine being told that you fit every other requirement for the job except you're too tall. So in order to get that job, in order to get that gig, you have to lie and say that you're shorter. Like actually, imagine the I mean, maybe I'm reaching, but maybe i'm not. It's just a thought, it's just an opinion, just a thought. But imagine the psychological impact that can actually have on a tall woman. Because some of these models start young, like teenage years like fourteen, fifteen, sixteen years old, and they're trying to grow into their height. They're trying to be more comfortable with their height and be confident in it. But in the one place, in one of the few places, in one of the few fields where height should be celebrated and appreciated and wanted, you're being told still, oh, you're too tall, you can't be that tall. That's actually a little bit insane to me because I'm pretty sure, many of us have heard that in our lives in sports, in some sports, in the dating world, even just trying to relate to your peers, like being told you're too tall, it can be hurtful at times. And then in the industry, in one of the few industries where it's like you should be tall, you should be taller honestly, or you think that you should be tall, you're being told you could be tall, but not that tall. Let's just listen to this model's experience so we can fully understand this. I'm going to share my ten year model journey and why it ultimately hasn't worked out for me. So I'm very tall, and I grew up in Los Angeles, and the combination of the two has always kind of just sparked a curiosity with everyone walking by me. Hey, are you represented? Are you a model? You're so tall. Now, it's important to note that I've always been super into academics and always wanted to go to college, and that's always kind of been my first priority in life. One day, I was riding my bike down Robertson and I got scouted by the head of a really big modeling agency. As soon as I signed I was told by the modeling agency that we would lie about my height, and we would tell them that I was a little bit shorter than I actually am. I was six to one at the time, and we said that I was five ten. If you can imagine for a fifteen year old that's trying to kind of figure out their height and try to fit in. That was a little bit confusing to kind of lie about my height and call myself shorter so that I could fit in. But this behavior went on four ten years. When I graduated college, the pandemic had just hit and I was scouted by another really big agency in Los Angeles. When I would show up to auditions, everyone would say, ooh, you're a little too tall, just transparently. It was a lot of rejection for many years. And keep in mind, this was something that was never a career that I was trying to chase. It was just something that was kind of always pushed on me. You should do this, you should do this. We would love to represent you. We think that we could really get you a big modeling career. And after spending so much of my own money test shoots on joots for my portfolio, on clothing, on styling. On all of that, all I would hear was you're a little too tall for us. Because it is an industry of straight rejection for even the tallest girl in the room that is told by so many people to try it. It is so extremely harmful to a developing brain that is trying to understand their place in the world. That's just my two cents. Please don't come for me. Now. That's not to say that if you're a six to one and over you can't make it in the high end fashion modeling runway modeling industry. There are other models out there that are around that high that have made it, that have had some type of success, and hopefully I'm pronouncing their names correctly. But we have Harley Klass who's six ' to two. But what about the people who are over that hight, like six ' three, six four sixty five and even taller than that. It's actually still possible to get modeling gigs modeling jobs even when you're six to three in up, but I'm hearing that it's very difficult. To do that. Let's listen to this clip really quickly. I actually do know models who are like six four, but it just doesn't mean that your career will be like a substantial successful lot. Some kinds do not care. But six ' four is really tall for the modeling industry at least. I'm not gonna sit here and say you can't model, but it's just a matter of if you want to go down that road and like have to navigate the industry. We also can't forget about a Caterina Lisina. I'm hoping that's how you say her name. She's six ' nine and claims to be the tallest model in the world. She's honestly, absolutely stunning. She does TikTok, Instagram and even YouTube videos, and she takes pictures and videos with people who are significantly shorter than her and people who are around her height. When I look through her pages, her YouTube, her TikTok, her Instagram, I don't really see too much content in the way of modeling or anything. But hey, she might not film it, okay, but there are those out there like her who are very tall and still do some type of modeling. The industry standard for the height of a woman model is five eight ish five nine to five eleven, maybe even six feet, but there are exceptionally tall models out there. Standing at six five and up, they're just not as common or even as popular as their shorter counterparts. But the real question here is are they cast as models because they're fit for the job or for the shock value? And that's just an interesting point to bring up. I'm not saying that they're not fit for being models, because I honestly think that anybody can be a model. But sometimes you also have to think about how tall women are sexualized, even with how some of these exceptionally tall people, exceptionally tall models present themselves on social media. I'm not saying that, oh, they it's bad how they're showing up on social media. Anybody can show up however they want, as long as it's appropriate. But I will say that sometimes some of their videos and some of their photos are you know, appealing to the male gaze, appealing to what the people who fetish size, fetishize tall people, tall women are looking for. They fit into that. So I feel like sometimes when these modeling agencies do research on these exceptionally tall women who want to be cast as models, and they see them presenting themselves this way on social media, are they thinking thinking, oh, this can be a great way to get attention, to the agency, to the brand, to the designer whoever. Hey, it's great marketing. I'm sure that all of them, all of the exceptionally tall models are a good fit. But I do wonder if the whole idea of the shock value because they're very tall, because they may also be fetishized, that may potentially be a reason why they could be cast as models. But that's just a thought, Okay, I'm not hating on anyone. And of course it also depends on the type of modeling. The high requirements obviously depend on the type of modeling that you're getting into. Let's listen to this clip really quickly. Can you be too short or too tall to be a model? Yes, I'm just playing, and well, it depends on what type of modeling you're talking about. Technically, guys, anybody can be a model. It doesn't take much to be called a model. So your question should never be if you can be a model. Your question should be can you get work as a model, and if so, how much work can you get? If we're looking at it from that perspective, then we have to analyze the types of jobs that are in modeling and we come back down. So the two paths modeling can take you, commercial and fashion. Commercial modeling is mainly composed of companies who are looking to sell the lifestyle of their brand. They can be selling a product like Apple or McDonald's, an experience like Disneyland or Marriott, or a service like Verizon or Instagram. Each of these types of companies need real, relatable types of people in order to sell their business to a general American consumer. Their audience tends to range pretty broadly, which is why they do hire people who are short or tall, and skinny or fat and young or old. Now. Fashion modeling is composed mainly of brands who are selling apparel products, beauty products, hair products, skin products, or accessories. These companies require a type of marketing that shows their products being worn by humans, which is why they tend to find models who can best sell their products. They want to make their clothes or whatever look as good as they can, and that's why they like to stick to a certain look that we know as the model look, where they tend to be very tall than in attractive. Now that you know this information, you may be wondering why is there a high cap in modeling? Why do most modeling agencies prefer women who are five eight, five nine to six feet because is easier for sample sizes, and that height range, according to them, is meant to showcase the designer's garments in the most flattering way to provide the most visually appealing presentations of the designs, which is in a way suggesting that in order to be the ideal tall woman you have to fall within that height range. Why do you think that Alex Hansani, I hope I'm pronouncing her name correctly. Who's standing at five eleven. Gigi Hidid also standing at five eleven and a lot of Jazzipper. I hope I'm pronouncing her name correctly as well, standing at five nine. Ish are popping off in the modeling world number one because of their height. They're tall, not too tall, among other things. I mean, I can say at least for sure, Alex Is she's building a brand on her social media's on her TikTok. She also has a personality on social media, so that's part of the reason also why she's popping off. But she a lot of her content showcases her doing these runways, doing these high end fashion gigs and jobs, a lot of modeling stuff because she's within the ideal height range. Even though the modeling industry seems to be making improvements in terms of inclusivity, there are still rigid requirements for height as we saw today, but also weight, body type, and even skin tone. And if you're a model in the industry, I'd love to hear your thoughts about this. But going back to the high thing, rejecting a woman from a modeling job because she's six ' one and not six feet is kind of intense, But that's just me And I ask you guys over on Instagram, do you think that the modeling industry has become more inclusive over the past few years? Forty three percent of you said yes, there's been some improvements, forty seven percent of you said yeah, but not fast enough, low key, fake af and ten percent said not at all, which is something I find very interesting, Like we know that there are improvements, but are the improvements just for a show, just so brands, designers, businesses can be like, hey, buy our product, We're being inclusive. That is so interesting to me. Seems like y'all know something I don't, or y'all know more than I do. Y'all gotta let me know in the comments in my DMS, what are your thoughts on this? But there are modeling agencies out there that are extremely inclusive and they don't have any height or weight requirements. But I would like to say that this is for runway and high end fashion modeling. Okay, Like I said before, there are other types of modeling that's out there and that have different requirements or don't even have any requirements, because those types of modeling are meant to be more inclusive and representative of other people that are within the population. So I hope that this doesn't discourage you. If you want to be a model and you're like six y one, sixty two sixty three, there are options out there for you. There are opportunities out there for you. I just wanted to bring that up, and I also want the people who want to get into modeling but feel like they don't match those height requirements there is also a place for you in that industry and for the people who aren't looking to become models. I just also wanted to let you know that there are a lot of things in the modeling industry regarding height that is actually like stuff that we didn't know about that we don't hear about too often, so when people are telling you, hey, you should be a model, you can actually say yes, like I'm within the ideal height range, or you could be like, eh, a lot of modeling agencies won't pick me up because I am too tall. I'm six two sixty three. But even if you're six two six three not, you still. Have a chance. Firmly believe that. Anyways, I'm going to end the episode here. Thank you so much for tuning in. I really appreciate it, and I appreciate you. Make sure you hit me up on my socials and let me know your thoughts on this topic. Have you tried to get into the modeling industry but you were told you're too tall? Have you seen other people being called or considered too tall, but you were able to get in because you were in the ideal heart range? Like is any of this true? Like I want to hear about your thoughts and your potential experiences within this topic. And until then, happy Pagnas and I'll catch you in the next one. Good night, and goodbye.