Trudi: Hi, I'm Trudi Tapscott.
Britt: And I'm Britt Bergmeister.
Trudi: And the most important things about becoming a model are don't assume you are
one before you've gotten to be one.
That's the first thing, I think.
Do research.
Find out what it takes to be a model.
If you want to be a model, you need to meet the right people.
You need to meet the right person.
It might only be one person who actually expresses, tells you that you have potential.
You need someone to take your potential and kind of turn you into a model.
It's kind of like taking a diamond in the rough and polishing it until it's a gem.
Because most people, when you scout them and you find them the very first time, they don't
look like a model.
They are a teenage girl who has the potential to be a model.
So that means that you need to listen, learn, and I would say be aware of who you are.
I think that when you're first starting out in modeling, it feels like you have no power,
but really the power is within you.
I couldn't really narrow it down into a short form of what the tips are.
I think that being physically ready, having the height, being in great shape, being confident,
and meeting the right people.
Listen to yourself.
If it's too good to be true, it's probably too good to be true.
Don't let anybody exploit your dreams.
Make sure that you're dealing with people who are actually legit, who are not going
to try and sell you something that you don't need.
Britt: Right.
Trudi: That is where sort of the confusion comes in, because you do need to walk, but
you need to learn to walk from somebody who actually knows how to walk, not somebody who's
making money teaching you how to walk and that's the only thing they're ever doing is
making money teaching you how to walk.
Britt: Yes.
Trudi: So it has to be someone who actually . . . and this is where scouts, mother agents
– in our business we call somebody the mother agent – that's usually the scout or the
very first person you come in contact with in this business, that would be someone like
me, someone like your mother agent, Elmer Olsen in Toronto, those are the people in
smaller areas of the United States who look for talent, groom talent, and basically guide
you through, what we call, the development phase, which is the beginning of getting in
shape, learning how to wear your hair, learning what to do, learning how to pose or not pose,
learning how to walk; all those things.
That's what we do to get you ready to introduce you to an agent in a market like New York
or Milan or Paris.
Most important, it's a business.
There is something to learn.
It's not just about how you look.
You can be the prettiest girl in your high school, when you walk in to a casting in New
York City, you're one of many pretty girls.
So it's competitive.
It's tough.
You have to find the confidence within yourself to stand out without having too much of an
attitude of thinking that you deserve to stand out.
I think that that's where the hard work comes in.
So the tips are: listen to the right people, research, find out research.
Because we have the Internet, we have tons of information.
That doesn't necessarily mean it's valid.
Just because it's on the Internet, doesn't make it true.
But you can find out the right information if you go a little bit further and really
dig in and read things, read the right websites and pay attention.
I don't know, really, what your tips would be.
I mean, from 13 to now, like what you would say.
I mean, patience, obviously.
Britt: Patience was key.
When I was 13, I wanted to be a model.
I wanted to start right away, and my mother agent, Elmer Olsen said, "Let's wait until
you're mature, you're out of high school."
He didn't want to start me right away, and it would be okay.
He wanted to go when I was perfectly developed and at my most ready.
So it's all about being patient, trusting your elders and people who can help you and
will help mold you into what they believe is the perfect opportunity to showcase you
to the world.
So just trust the right people.
Trudi: It's kind of about timing.
It's about timing.
Britt: Yeah.
It's all about timing.
Trudi: Timing in the business and timing with you, those two facts.
britt: exactly.
Trudi: So that has a lot to do with it.
Patience.
Britt: yeah.
Trudi: It's so hard for a teenage girl to be patient.
It's really the hardest thing to ask, but be patient.
If it's supposed to happen, it's going to happen.
Britt: Yeah.