Quite recently, I've been
getting quite a number of small modelling jobs. I've done work for Estee
Lauder and Clarins, been approached by online retailers and high end
hair salons to do some modelling for them, as well as little modelling
jobs for independent photographic and film societies. I've also attended
a
society event,
and as a result, got my picture requested and published on their
magazine and on their website (I still feel like a fraud). That is quite
strange for me because I've been getting more attention about my looks
in my 30s than in my 20s.
I've done a bit of commercial work when I was a child, in real estate
television advertisements, educational magazines, and in my early
twenties, commercial work for fashion magazines. Commercial work simply
means posing to illustrate a story or sell something, and not the
glamorous kind that you see on runway or fashion tv with all the top
models in the world.
I've been wondering, has it been due to the way I've been dressing?
While I enjoy fashion, and even considered a
career in fashion (opening my own store and designing
dresses and
gowns
- I actually studied under a gown designer for 2 years) at one point,
I've since realized that I only like 'elegant fashion'. I'm not into
trends and couldn't care less what the fashion leading giants were
doing. Thus, I felt to follow a career in fashion was not true to myself.
However, I feel the way I've dressed had somewhat led to more opportunities.
I wouldn't say I'm the best dresser or the most elegant, but I try dress as
appropriate to the occasion
and as elegantly as possible. Some say it is because I'm considered
beautiful in my country and culture, but I'd also add to that while I
grew up having more attention than most girls, there were some very
beautiful and more beautiful than me who grew up alongside and didn't
get any opportunities that I had.
When I say, "how you dress says much about you" I mean more than just
putting on clothes. It is also how you wear your hair, do your make up,
carry yourself that says a lot about you. It tells people what you think
about yourself. Sometimes, people can also gauge what type of
personality and character you are and even what you think about men or
sex.
Neither would I say I'm an extremely vain person, in actuality, I'm
pretty lazy and wouldn't wear make up if I didn't have to. I almost
never comb my hair (thankfully, I have silky asian hair that would never
get tangled even if I didn't comb it).
Though I'll
admit here that I
like to look pretty and appreciate the compliments I receive. I am aware
of my own shortcomings, but I also know what I look good in. Some of
the pretty girls that didn't get as much attention after they left
school is because they were used to being called pretty and never made
an effort to switch skincare, or learn how to put on make up properly or
present themselves in the best way.
I was recently invited to be a model for an aesthetics beauty
seminar. I had no idea what I would be doing, and just went along as a
favor to my friend who was leaving for Sweden that night, thus who
wouldn't be there. She sounded busy so I didn't ask her too many
questions on what to wear or how to look.
I was told to be there at 6 pm, and so I arrived at 545 pm, allocating
more time in case I get lost (knowing me) and being punctual for me is
important.
I wore
conservative make up,
which means, concealling all the flaws like pimples and eyebags and
having a natural eye with a little bit of eyeliner, and a natural blush
with very little lipstick. I didn't know what kind of beauty conference,
but I know beauty usually means no crazy eyeshadow or smokey eye
effect.
I didn't know how to dress for this event. In the end I wore a silky
white dress with prints and gold buttons, I just tied my hair in a low
ponytail, since I figured they would want to use my face.
When I got there, there was no one, so I sat around reading high-end
magazines (they were the only ones available). As time went by, doctors
after doctors (both male and female) came into the office and walked up
to me and introduced themselves. They will then ask me, "Where do you
practice?". I was wondering why there were so many doctors and all
asking me the same question. I had to explain, "No, I'm not a doctor.
I'm here to help a friend." After a while, I almost felt embarassed not
to be a doctor!
It was a beauty seminar for doctors in aesthetics beauty and cosmetic
surgery! It was presented by a famous Korean doctor, whom I met much
later on.
Later on, another group of people came into the office, and right away I
could tell they were not doctors. I think everybody could too. Some
were beauty PR executives, bosses of cosmetic companies and then...the
other nose models.
The beauty public relations executives were dressed very fashionably (a
little loud for the hospital), and the other nose models was pretty
casual and almost sloppy for a beauty seminar. In the holding room, the
whole non-doctor gang repeatedly said the same thing to me, "I thought
you were a doctor!"
I was literally a specimen to show doctors as one of the types of nose,
how to improve on, or what to do in certain cosmetic procedures or full
on plastic surgery.
I found that hilarious.
I didn't feel offended when the big group of (well-dressed) doctors
crowded round me and asking the leading Korean surgeon how to improve my
nose. My nose was drawn on, and poked, tugged repeatedly. After all, I
thought it was interesting to know how my nose fared!
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