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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To ask what your views on child modelling are?

113 replies

toptramp · 01/01/2012 23:25

At a nye party a lady said how georgeous my dd is (I am going to boast- she is) and that I should enter her for a child model agency. She is also very photogenic.

It is a bit exploitative isn't it at the age of 3? She loves dressing up, clothes, make up etc and posing and I would never do that awful beauty pageant stuff. I just have fantasies about her being in the Boden or Next catalogue. I am being very silly I know and I wish the nice lady hadn't put the idea in my head.

OP posts:

NatashaBee · 01/01/2012 23:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

GoingForGoalWeight · 01/01/2012 23:37

Go for it, see what the experience is like. Research it well, talk to some agencies, choose the best.

You cannot possibly know until you've tried.

Good luck

ApplesinmyPocket · 01/01/2012 23:38

Well I know nothing about it, but the other week I did meet a nice Mum with her bright, chatty 8? year old on the train to London and the little girl was going for a shoot for one of the major retailer's catalogues, she'd done it before I think and she seemed excited and happy about it; they were having fun together, it seemed an enjoyable day out for them both.

Someone's child will be doing it, so why not your DD, if you think it would be fun? You sound nice and quite grounded and not the type to get silly about it, so good luck to you both if you decide to give it a try.

DioneTheDiabolist · 01/01/2012 23:38

Being gorgeous is less than half the battle. Is DD good at taking direction, doing the same stuff over and over again and being bored. Is she small for her age? Are you the type of parent who is good at letting others tell your child what to do and only stepping in to make sure she does what they tell her? Are you good at being bored?

OlympicEater · 01/01/2012 23:39

My friend did this with her DS when he was a baby.

It was lots of sitting around and the photographers were happy to take their time to get the right shot. My friend only stopped cos she got bored of hanging around

LeBOF · 01/01/2012 23:40

Are you London-based? There's not much point otherwise. It isn't something I'd want for my child, but I daresay it could be a money spinner.

Pandemoniaa · 01/01/2012 23:41

Just be careful. If your daughter is both photogenic and has the sort of personality that means she'll take photo shoots in her stride then consider it. But do your research properly first, discover what a reputable agency will need before they might take her on their books and pay a professional photographer to get her portfolio done.

Avoid, like the plague all those so-called model agencies that will sting you for portfolio pictures and never offer any work. These are easy to identify - they accept all children regardless of their suitability for work.

LordOfTheFlies · 01/01/2012 23:42

I suppose as long as you follow all the common sense rules that they advice for young women/men then you'd be okay.
Not to pay for a portfolio, get a good agency.
A child would be chaperoned so I suppose they'd only do what the parent allowed and what they (the child) would put up with.
That would be the biggest decider- how your child would cope with the travelling, the hanging about, getting dressed and undressed. Wearing winter coats and gloves in July

I don't know if you have to pay for your travel or if you can claim it back.

But catalogues and stores need child models if they sell childrens clothes.My own DS is -of course- the most gorgeous boy in the history of the earth.But in photos he comes across as a red eyed devil child. And though he's tall and thin he doesn't have the long haired surfer dude look that boy models seem to have (nor will he, I can't abide long hair on boys)

DD ,though gorgeous ,doesn't have the temprement.

You could send off a few photos and see what happens?
Otherwise you'll never know!

hester · 01/01/2012 23:42

My views - since you ask for them - is that I wouldn't do it. I know some mothers say their children enjoy it, that the money is useful, that it's nice for the dc to have a memento of their childhood to look back on. But I'd be surprised if there's many children who genuinely get more out of doing it than they would from doing something else - like running around in the park. And it risks teaching them that they are valued for their looks, which I'd hate. I have two friends whose children have modelled - in one case, it had a bad impact on the child's self-esteem and the mother quickly withdrew her from it; in the other case, it had a rather bad impact on the mother's unresolved issues about her own body image.

This is only my personal take on it - I'm not saying I would think badly of someone for taking the opposite view.

WorraLiberty · 01/01/2012 23:42

I don't know really. I've heard there's far too much hanging about and it's very time consuming but if that doesn't bother your child, then maybe you should look into it?

For the record though, there seem to be far more not so 'gorgeous' looking kids in adverts and catalogues as kids with a bit of character in their faces (to put it politely!) seem to be popular.

Pandemoniaa · 01/01/2012 23:46

Both my dcs were asked to model for a local company when they were very small. Both were confident in front of a camera (I'm a photographer) but neither of them went onto model because ds1 didn't have the temperament or inclination to be dressed in "other people's clothes". DS2 was a great show-off but actually, agencies aren't looking for great show-offs, they want calm, easy going children who will follow directions.

PastGrace · 01/01/2012 23:48

My friend was on the cover of mini boden . Someone approached my mum when I was small and tried to give her a card to get me on her books (so to speak), but my mum turned it down because she thought it would have been exploitation since I wasn't old enough to protest.

I really wish she'd done it to be honest. The cash would have made a nice start for my uni savings, and we would have ended up with some nice photos of me. I was very into dressing up, less into make up and posing.

I think as long as you feel that you will be able to say no if you feel that it's getting too much/you aren't comfortable with what your DD is expected to do/how she is expected to behave, or you think that she isn't enjoying it, then go for it. If you think she will be bored, or won't enjoy it, then don't.

I agree with Natasha though, the waiting sounds very tedious.

grumpypants · 01/01/2012 23:49

Our personal experience was ; lots of last minute pressure to attend castings (usually london) and zero apprecation of that being tricky. School not being thrilled about the time off; turning up with dd in jeans and t-shirt to sit with a host of lip glossed and ringletted kids. So we stopped about five castings in. Pointless, and impossible without fantastic drop of a hat childcare and a job.

lia66 · 01/01/2012 23:50

4 of my 6 dc's have been/still are child models. Alot of last minute get to London castings, alot of waiting around, do it again, move your hand in this direction, put this on, take that off.

but alot of fun, kudos

lisad123 · 01/01/2012 23:55

Dd1 was offered a contract with a large London company who only take 1% of the children who apply every year, an only open their books once a year!!
We didn't take it. Dd1 really wanted to but we couldn't let her miss school and also when I thought long and hard about the messages she might get about life, I decided it wasn't for her. She's young and a child, she doesn't need to be working hard at looking beutiful, worrying about her looks and getting upset of se didn't book a job.

Laquitar · 01/01/2012 23:55

In theory i wouldn't mind to do it for a year or two and use the money for a big family holiday, new piano or something else.

I wouldn't say 'you are very pretty' etc but 'that catalogue needs a girl that looks like you and can work/keep time/co-operate etc, do you want to do it and fund a holiday/piano/uni'?

But my worry would be what if she loves it and she is really good at it and we get more offers and then it turns more serious and drags longer. I wouldn't want this for many reasons.

shockers · 02/01/2012 00:00

DS joined a theatre company because he loved dance and stage work. The company bombarded him with audition offers for commercials. He was 9 and wasn't interested, but if you want to go down that route, maybe that's the way to go. All the auditions they offered were in Manchester or London, with us to pay expenses (and be grateful!). I'm glad he loves stage work so much... it's saved us a fortune!

shockers · 02/01/2012 00:02

Sorry... forgot to mention, it was the Paul Nicholas school he used to go to.

WorraLiberty · 02/01/2012 00:04

All the people talking about money and college funds etc.

What is the average earning of an average child model?

Am I right in assuming that unless your child 'makes it big' you'd be lucky to break even given the expenses?

I have no clue.

Angel786 · 02/01/2012 00:06

Dd is signed up with elisabeth smith. She loves photos, posing and charming strangers... We're in London so easy for castings etc

Money is not as great as you'd imagined but it's more for the fun element for her. My sister was a child model, she did campaigns for bhs, nspcc and was in Harry potter. She likes the fact she did it and can look back at the photos.

I'd just say dont expect anything to come of it, don't be pushy, just be I it for the fun of it. It's a lot of last minute running around. Fantasies of next / Boden could be a recipe for disaster and lead to disappointment / make you become pushier than you'd like.

Good kids agencies are scallywags, elisabeth smith, babyshak and others on the alba list. You shouldn't have to spend a fortune upfront either but will prob have to pay for photos and going on the books.

WorraLiberty · 02/01/2012 00:17

On a totally different note but because it's something I've always wanted to ask the parents of child models....

Is there any high profile work you would actually turn down for your kids?

I always shudder when I see the NSPCC adverts with crying kids and the voice over saying something like "Oliver gets punched repeatedly by his parents"

I genuinely don't think I could drive down the High Street or turn on my TV and look at my child in tears whilst the headline says he/she is being abused by their parents.

Ok, obviously it's for a brilliant cause and it is just a photo but I'm only human and it would probably make me physically sick

scottishmummy · 02/01/2012 00:30

I find it distasteful traipsing kid about to shoots,and bit graspy parents

Get0rf · 02/01/2012 00:33

I agree with SM. It smacks rather of people living vicariously through their children really. Plus, I can't imagine you could take your kids to endless castings if you actually had a career yourself, so would be a non-starter for me.

whethergirl · 02/01/2012 00:39

OP I know your DD is only 3, but when will she be starting nursery/school?

Almost all agencies categorically state that photo shoots can take place midweek daytime, and to not bother unless you are happy to take your child out of school. Which I personally wouldn't.

slavetofilofax · 02/01/2012 00:43

I wouldn't do it. The children might have fun, but they can have fun in plenty of other ways. I don't like the fact that it sends the message that their looks have value either. It might make them enough money for uni or whatever, but if I want them to have that then its my job to provide it, not theirs.

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