Chasing Beauty

I watched this documentary on Netflix the other day. It is about the modelling industry in USA but mirrors the one in any country. 

Directed by Brent Huff and written by Brent and Pete Sepenuk, it interviews beauty pageant winner Kelly Anderson, make up artist Jo Baker, actress Dawn Ann Billings etc etc. 


Everyone knows what a model needs to become successful- she/he needs to have "it" but nobody can define what "it" is. And that was quite a shocker for me. We all have job descriptions, we know what skills are required to make us successful in our jobs but in the modelling industry, you could be skinny, pretty, blonde, tall and be told that "there are too many women with your look in the industry". I had never thought of the modelling industry that way. Most of the women end up feeling ugly because all their flaws are discussed and they become insecure. You need a skin thicker than a rhino's to survive. Also, most of the women hardly make money because their expenses are so high. 

And even if you are pretty, your bodies/faces on magazines get photoshopped. I was reading the other day how Shilpa Shetty, Chitrangaha Singh and few others were complaining about their magazine covers getting photoshopped. Seriously? They are the prettiest women in the industry today. 
Some of the women in the industry talk about how they never ate- carrots for one month, pineapples for another month, so they could stay skinny. 

And on top of all that, they are called "dumb". The modelling industry is a terrible place and kudos to those men and women who don't just survive here but manage to make it to the top. 
Another thing I didn't know- it isn't the models who want to be skinny, it is the designers because they design clothes for the skinny and want women to fit into their clothes. 

I liked this documentary. It isn't the best but it isn't dark and dreary. Most of the people in it are happy and laugh at their modelling days.