In today’s society, if you decided to ask a regular person on the street, what people look for in a model, most will say that they have to be pretty and very thin; however, there is a lot that goes into choosing what models to represent. Each agency has to think about trends that are occurring with businesses who hire models, so these agencies can have the right models for the right businesses to hire. Many Seattle modeling agencies are deciding it is time to put stereotypes about models to rest, by selecting all different types of models. One Seattle modeling agency has even posted updates on their website about the ever changing requirements they have for models they hire each year. Below is a list of qualities that lots of corporations look for in models which may be surprising to some:

1. Ethnic background. Depending on the client, the model’s race could be a very important factor in the hiring decision. Some companies want to hire models who have a unique, ethnic look. It also depends on who the agency’s client decides is their main consumer audience. For example, if an agency’s client’s target audience is Asian-Americans, then the agency who does the contracting for models would probably choose to hire an Asian-American model.

2. The model’s sex. Like ethnicity, it all depends on what the agency’s client prefers to have. For a client whose target audience is men, the agency usually will then should select male models. It would be the same for a client whose target audience is mainly women. For example, a perfume company would most likely hire only female models from the agency and a cologne company would probably just hire male models from the agency. Each modeling company needs to keep this mind when choosing people to work for them.

3. Whether or not the model is plus-size. Agencies that hire models need to account for the growing demand for plus sized models for a “real” woman look. Nowadays agencies are beginning to select a greater number of plus-sized models in response to clients’ increasing desire for them. Lots of businesses want these types of models because they are closer to what many American women look like, so in an effort to relate to their audience, companies are hiring more and more plus-sized models, which means agencies have to start contracting more of these models.

Most people do not realize all of the hard work that goes into selecting models to represent. Agencies have to know what every one of their clients want to begin with before they even think about contracting new models. Each agency then has to choose an amount of how many models of each gender, ethnicity, and size to give contracts to before even seeing the models. Finally, the agencies can begin face-to-face interviews with the models, which is when they have to attempt to locate the people who have unique looks which also fit their clients’ wants. It can be pretty challenging to find the perfect model to extend a contract to with all of these factors that are involved in the decision. Modeling has really turned into an up and coming industry, which does not show any signs of slowing down as companies begin to use all different types of models.