How to Become a Model: Types of Modeling, Agencies and Your First Steps

Types of modeling and what each one asks for

Each type looks for something different, and knowing where you fit saves you a lot of wasted castings.

Runway, fashion and editorial

This is the most demanding category for your body. Fashion agencies work within narrow ranges for height and clothing size, and each one sets its own. Your walk counts too, and it takes practice, since you have to move with confidence in clothes and shoes you didn’t pick. Editorial work, the fashion shoots in magazines, allows more creative freedom. You bring a photographer’s idea to life, a lot like playing a character.

Commercial modeling

Commercial modeling is the broadest category and the one closest to acting. Brands want people their customers can relate to, like a family for a grocery chain, so all ages and many body types have a shot. Looking natural matters more than height. At the audition, you might use a product and react to it or say a line on camera. Our guide on how to get commercial auditions walks you through it.

Catalog, fitness, parts and other niches

In catalog and e-commerce work, the clothes have to look exactly as they are. That’s why you need to fit the size the brand works with. Fitness modeling calls for a trained, athletic body, often for sportswear or supplement brands. Parts models work with their hands or feet, for products like jewelry, lotion or shoes. The BLS also lists petite and plus-size modeling and models with disabilities among the field’s specialties. Kids have their own rules, which we cover below.

Modeling requirements: what a model really needs

Requirements depend on the client. As the BLS puts it, most models have to fall within certain ranges for height, weight and clothing size, but the specifics change from job to job. A couture house and a grocery chain want very different people. Almost every client asks for current, natural photos, your real measurements and time to get to castings.

A few common ideas are worth dropping.

• “I need a professional portfolio to start.” Simple photos are enough. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warns that real agencies won’t ask you to pay for photos or make you use their photographer.
• “I have to take a modeling class.” The BLS says you don’t need any formal education to become a model, and modeling school doesn’t necessarily lead to work.
• “Once an agency signs me, I’ll have steady work.” If only. The agency sends you out, the client decides, and in modeling there are never any guarantees.

How to become a model, step by step

If you’re wondering how to get into modeling from scratch, this is the order to follow.

Start with digitals and your measurements

Agencies ask for simple photos, often called digitals or polaroids, to see what you look like today without styling. A phone and a friend are all you need. Take a close-up facing the camera, a profile, a waist-up shot and a full-length shot.

Shoot in daylight, facing a window or outside in the shade, with no flash, no filters and a plain wall behind you. Wear simple, fitted clothes, like jeans and a plain T-shirt, with little or no makeup and your hair the way you usually wear it. Our guide on how to take headshots at home covers light and framing.

Then grab a measuring tape. Write down your height, bust or chest, waist and hips, plus your clothing size, shoe size, hair color and eye color. Those are the fields agency forms ask for. Measure carefully, because an agency may measure you again in person.

Build a book and comp card when you need them

Your book, or portfolio, collects your best photos from jobs and shoots. A comp card (short for composite card) holds your best shots plus your measurements. The BLS notes that models usually bring both to castings, but you don’t need either one to apply. If an agency signs you, ask which photos you’re missing and who pays for them, and get the answer in writing.

Find agencies and casting calls

According to the BLS, almost all models sign with agencies. Most agencies accept photos by email or through a form on their website. Many also hold open calls, set times when you can walk in and meet them, much like an open casting call. Before you send anything, check that the agency has a real address, work you can verify and models who can vouch for it. In California, an agency that books models also needs a talent agency license from the Labor Commissioner.

Commercial and catalog calls also turn up on casting websites and among the casting calls we post. A clean Instagram with current photos and a contact email works as your storefront, but keep your home address and schedule off it. For more ideas, see Instagram for actors.

How to choose a modeling agency and read the contract

An agency finds work for the models it represents and manages their schedules. In return, it takes a commission, a percentage of what you earn. According to the FTC’s guide to modeling scams, legitimate agencies get paid when you get paid, and your contract should state the percentage the agency takes.

Take the contract home if you need to, and check these points.

• Exclusivity. Whether it bars you from other agencies, for which work, where and for how long.
• Commission. What percentage the agency keeps and whether it changes by type of job.
• Length. How long the contract runs, whether it renews on its own and how you can end it.
• Expenses. What the agency can deduct, like photos, travel or housing, with each cost agreed in writing first.
• Pay and usage. When you get paid, and where and for how long your photos can run.

For each booking, ask for a deal memo, a short written summary of the job and your pay. If you’re a minor, your parent or guardian signs. And if anything feels unclear, talk to a lawyer before you sign.

New York’s Fashion Workers Act

In New York, the Fashion Workers Act has been in effect since June 2025. Under it, a model management company can’t charge you a fee or deposit to sign. It can’t take more than 20 percent of your total pay as commission, either. It also can’t hold you to a contract longer than three years or one that renews without your written approval. Before each job, the company owes you a deal memo with your total pay. Since December 2025, it must also register with the state and put its registration number in its ads and contracts, as the New York State Department of Labor explains.

Model casting calls: what happens and what to bring

A model casting can take just a few minutes. You check in, leave your details, get your digitals taken and maybe get measured. For a runway show, they’ll ask you to walk. For a commercial, you may act out a short moment on camera. There’s also the go-see, a visit to show your book to a client, and the fitting, which comes once you’ve booked the job.

Bring your book on your phone or printed, your comp card if you have one, an ID and the shoes the call asks for. Wear simple, fitted clothes in solid colors, with hair and makeup close to your photos. A legitimate casting happens at an agency, a studio, a production office or by video. You can also bring someone to wait outside.

Modeling scams and red flags

Scammers love aspiring models. Any one of these signs is reason enough to stop and dig deeper.

• They charge you to sign up. A registration fee, a fee to “secure your spot,” a database listing or a paid test shoot. The FTC says real agencies won’t ask for money up front.
• They require an expensive portfolio or class, with “their” photographer or “their” school, as a condition for moving forward.
• The location feels off. A “casting” in a hotel room or a private home, late at night, or a request to come alone.
• They ask for intimate photos or private video calls “to see your body.” Cut off contact. If they ask a minor, it’s also a crime, so report it.
• They promise steady work. In modeling, there are never any guarantees.
• They rush you to sign. If an offer is good today, the FTC notes, it should be good tomorrow.
• They want unusual payments, like cash, gift cards, wire transfers or cryptocurrency.

To check an agency, search its name with “scam” or “complaint,” ask for references and contact it through its official website. Be wary of offers to travel for a job you can’t verify. If you already paid, save every message and receipt, call your bank and report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Our guide on how to spot a fake casting call goes deeper.

Kids and teens who want to model

Babies and kids work mostly in commercials and catalogs. The FTC warns that the market for child models is very small and that a child’s looks change quickly. So legitimate agents and casting directors ask for casual snapshots, not professional photos. Ads for the “next child star,” the FTC adds, are often a way to sell expensive classes.

A parent or guardian runs the accounts and contracts, and a minor never goes to a casting or a shoot alone. Permits matter too. California’s regulations list modeling as entertainment work, and every minor working in entertainment there must register for a work permit. New York counts child models as child performers, so they need a permit as well. See our guides to baby acting and modeling and getting your child into acting.

Where modeling meets acting

In commercials, the line between modeling and acting blurs. The same audition can bring together actors, models and real people, and actors who train walk in with an edge.

Physical acting helps you walk with ease and hold a pose with intention. Physique du rôle, the idea that your look fits certain characters, matters a lot when a brand wants “the young mom” or “the office worker.” Commercial auditions often ask for a slate, too. If the ad has lines, try these vocal warm-ups. And if modeling has you curious about acting, start with our guide to becoming an actor.

Frequently asked questions

What do you need to become a model?

Current, natural photos, your real measurements, time for castings and a legitimate agency, though you can submit yourself to many commercial calls. Physical requirements depend on the type of work.

How tall do you have to be to model?

It depends on the type of modeling. Runway and high fashion call for tall models, with minimums each agency sets. In commercial, catalog and parts work, height matters much less.

Do you have to pay to join a modeling agency?

Joining a legitimate agency costs nothing, because it earns a commission on your jobs. A registration fee, a required photographer or a mandatory class is a red flag. A casting website subscription is different, since you’re paying a platform for a service.

Can you become a model with no experience?

Yes, everyone starts with none. To start modeling, simple photos and your measurements are enough, and experience comes with your first castings and jobs.

How old do you have to be to model?

Babies and kids work in commercials and catalogs, always with a parent in charge and the right permits. In fashion, the Elite Model Look 2026 contest, for example, accepts applicants from age 14, with a parent’s or guardian’s permission for anyone under 18.

Reviewed in October 2026.