Female First reports:

Claudia Schiffer and Linda Evangelista are leading the surge of original supermodels who are making a comeback as the faces of top fashion labels.

Claudia is fronting the latest Salvatore Ferragamo campaign while Linda has just been announced as the new face of Prada.

Naomi Campbell is also modelling for Yves Saint Laurent’s autumn/winter collection and Christy Turlington is currently fronting Escada.

This trend for reverting back to the fashion superstars of the 1990s comes as Naomi Campbell spoke out about the lack of supermodels around today.

“Models need to earn their stripes – I just think the term is used a little too loosely,” said Naomi.

“Kate Moss is obviously a supermodel but after Gisele Bundchen I don’t think there’s been one.”

So as top labels turn to the supermodels of yesterday to front their campaigns- could one of Naomi’s rants actually be right?

Bravo announced it has renewed Make Me a Supermodel for a second season.

The America’s Next Top Model-like reality competition series’ first season premiered in January and featured 14 co-ed contestants living together in a Manhattan loft while also competing in a series of challenges designed to test their potential on the catwalk.

In addition, Make Me a Supermodel was the first Bravo reality competition series that allowed home viewer votes to determine which contestant would be eliminated each week and who would ultimately win the grand prize.

Holly Kiser, a 21-year-old from Coeburn, VA, took home Make Me a Supermodel’s title, which included $100,000 and a modeling agency contract with New York Model management.

Make Me a Supermodel’s format is based on a U.K. show of the same name, which premiered in March 2005 and aired two seasons on Britain’s Five broadcast network.

Make Me a Supermodel’s second season is currently slated to premiere in 2009.

A model is a person who poses or displays for purposes of art, fashion, or other products and advertising.

Modeling is distinguished from other types of public performance, such as an acting, dancing or mime artistry, although the boundary is not well defined. Appearing in a movie or a play is generally not considered to be modeling, regardless of the nature of the role. However, models generally have to express emotion in their photographs, and many models have also described themselves as actors. Types of models include glamour, fashion, fitness, bikini, fine-art, and body-part models.

Fashion models are used mainly to promote apparel. Fashion Modeling generally can be divided into the following sub-categories:

* Fashion catwalk or runway modeling
* Fashion editorial modeling
* Fashion catalog modeling
* Fashion print modeling
* Fashion showroom modeling
* Fashion lingerie modeling
* Fashion swimsuit modeling
* Fashion fitness modeling
* Fashion fit modeling
* Plus-size modeling

Many girls (and even some guys) want to be a model because it’s glamorous. Be aware that it is an extremely competitive and grueling business that will more likely break you than make you. Following are some cold, hard truths about becoming a model, as well as some practical advice to help make it happen.

What to do

1. Realize that there are qualities every model needs to have, depending on the type of model one wishes to become. Generally, any feature indicative of good health is a must–clear skin, a full head of hair, and overall symmetry. Other qualities such as height and weight depend on what you’re modeling.
2. Decide what kind of model you’d like to be. Technically, anybody can be a model. However, do remember that if you don’t meet certain requirements, the work available to you will be incredibly limited, and you may have to compensate in other departments (reliability, technique, etc).
   • You can be quite thin and toned yet still quite curvy to be an average model, or big and curvy to be a plus size model.
   • If you’re tall (at the very least 5′7) and very skinny but with a small breast size, you can be a catwalk model.
   • If you have large breasts but not very wide hips, you can be an underwear model.
   • If you don’t fit any of the face or body descriptions, perhaps you can be a foot, hair or hand model.
3. Get some photos done. These don’t have to be professional but they should be created for the purpose of showing your ability as a model. Although agencies say they are happy with snapshots, that doesn’t mean they want to see an out of focus shot of you out partying with your friends with a little note attached saying that you’re the one on the right! As a bare minimum, you will need one headshot and one body shot.
4. Look up the number of a reputable modeling agency. You can find these in your area phone book or by running a search on the Internet. Make an appointment.
5. Be prepared. When you attend your appointment, they might ask you to pull certain faces like laughing, happy, sad, or seductive. Practice in front of a mirror beforehand. It may help to look at pictures of models in magazines to get an idea. They will ask you to walk and take your measurements, so be prepared for all of that as well. Learn to accept rejection or criticism politely (see Warnings below). Thank the people for their time.
6. Be professional. Be polite and always turn up on time to any appointment or shoot. If you’re late or rude, word soon gets around and then nobody will want to work with you.
   • Be organized! Models often get called off places at the last minute and have very busy days. You need to be on top of things if you want to succeed. Buying a day-to-day planner can really help.
   • Confirm whether or not there will be a make-up artist on site for any work you are doing. 99 times out of 100 there will be but there may be the odd occasion where you are required to do your own make-up. If there is a make-up artist, then arrive fresh faced.
   • Be truthful about your measurements. Don’t say you’re skinnier than you are just to get a shoot. Once there, the stylist will have problems and you will get found out. Word will get around and you could find yourself without a career.

Tips

• You can also enter modeling contests. However, make sure you check that these are being run by a reputable agency.
• If, for whatever reason, you’ve decided signing with an agency isn’t right for you, you could consider going freelance. But be warned: the pay is usually considerably less and there are fewer safety precautions.
• Get your parents’ permission if you’re under the age defined by your country as being an adult.
• It is recommended that you get some sort of training. Like doctors, lawyers, or any major profession, a degree and a certain amount of training to acquire proper skills is highly necessary. Some modeling schools are licensed by the Board of Education. However, whether or not they will teach you how to become a model is questionable, and some agencies even say that attending a modeling school can teach you bad habits that are hard to unlearn! They are also expensive.
• Get a website. It helps spread the word that you’re out there and also serves as a place for your adoring fans.
• Know your limits on style and nudity. If you don’t want to do glamour work or are uncomfortable doing full nudity, speak up and don’t let people push you past those limits. Also, consider where you want your career to go in the future. Sure, you may be comfortable doing glamour now, but what if you decide you want to do fashion or catalog work in the future? You might be discriminated against if they know you have done this line of work.

Warnings

• Modeling is a tough business. Try not to be discouraged by rejections. Even top models still get rejected for about 70% of everything they are put forward for!
• If you become one of the top models like Kate Moss, the people you work for might ask you to take drastic measures to stay a top model. For example, they might ask you to get nose jobs, liposuction, or have breast implants. And lose more weight… The pressure of modeling can cause a lot of long term mental health problems, including eating disorders. Don’t be afraid to speak to somebody if you think it is getting all too much. If you just can’t handle the pressure, it may be time to start thinking of a new profession. A job isn’t worth your health!
• Be wary of any agency that asks for money up front. The majority of agencies get their money through commission- meaning they take a certain percentage of your pay for every job that you do. If you don’t work, then they don’t get paid. If you’ve already paid up, there’s no incentive for them to find you work. However, don’t dismiss everybody who asks you for up-front fees as a scam. If you are sure that they are an agency, listen carefully to what they are asking for the fees for. Bigger agencies in bigger markets will often pay for these for you or at least loan you the money but smaller agencies or agencies in smaller markets can’t afford to do this. If the fees are to cover actual representation, this probably isn’t a good deal. Although there are some good agencies out there who work on this basis, the majority are nothing more than con artists. Find models who they represent, get in touch with them and ask them what they think of the representation they are getting.
• If you are invited to a foreign country (i.e. Hong Kong, Macau etc.) for an audition or job, have enough funds to purchase a return ticket yourself. While legitimate jobs exist, there are many scams that provide one way tickets then trap young girls into prostitution rings when they cannot afford to go back home.
• If you are planning a photo shoot with a photographer you have met online, it is highly recommended that you bring a chaperon to the shoot. It’s for your own safety, as you never know who is who online! If you can’t bring a chaperon (because you are unable to find one or because the photographer doesn’t allow chaperons), make sure you do a background search on the photographer first- check out things such as who they have worked with and for – and call somebody when you get to the shoot and when you leave the shoot.