Chloë Schama reviews sociologist and former model-embed Ashley Mears's Pricing Beauty: The Making of a Fashion Model:
For one, modeling, for the vast majority, is not a lucrative career; it is barely a sustainable one. This is in part because of the explosion of the industry over the past two decades—an increase in supply without a real increase in demand…The average magazine shoot, for example, pays about $100 a day. For appearing on the cover of Vogue a model gets an additional $300. “Many magazines,” writes Mears, “pay nothing at all, though lunch and snacks are often provided.” (I’m guessing that most models don’t gain real compensation through snacking.)…The median income across America in 2009 for a model was $27,330—income that includes no benefits.
Libby Copeland has more.
(Photo: Models walk the runway at the Anteprima Spring/Summer 2012 fashion show as part Milan Womenswear Fashion Week on September 22, 2011 in Milan, Italy. Photo by Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images.)
The Dish 