BY LISA JOHNSON '
Your hair may look great,
but the hormones are kicking, your belly's ready
to burst, and your skin is, let's be honest, volatile.
In a field where image counts, pregnancy can be
a major obstacle in a model's career. So now what
do you do?
"Embrace it,"
says Peg Moline, editor-in-chief of Fit
Pregnancy magazine. "You don't have to be afraid of losing
your sex appeal."
Our culture
has finally begun to accept the beauty of pregnancy
and motherhood. In the early eighties, an expectant
model was taboo. But when supermodels with life-giving
bellies began gracing the covers of fashion magazines
throughout the world, a ripple started. And when
those same faces continued to appear after the first
child, and then the second, something changed.
"Everyone
is more open to the possibilities now," claims
Danielle Dubin, a booker on the women's board at
Q, whose models often continue working throughout
their pregnancies and afterward.
Ginny Samardge,
director of the W women's division at Wilhelmina,
agrees. "[Maternity] clients want real, natural
models. They don't like to use padding." Her
clients often ask for photos of the model in form-fitting
clothes early on. "This way they can chart
her progress," explains Samardge. "And
in the last two and a half months of the pregnancy,
she can do really well. As long as she looks wonderful
and feels great, everyone is happy."
But how
long does it take to get back to that pre-pregnancy
bod? "Women who are committed to getting back
into shape should be able to begin working at their
old role from one to three months after giving birth,"
Dubin claims. There is another perk: if you are
interested in bringing your newborn right into the
industry, a number of clients encourage it. "It's
more convenient not having to hire an extra baby."
"I
am all belly!" Now seven and a half months
pregnant, StarInsider's Angeline Matranga-Butler,
is a former Atlanta Falcons cheerleader who has
been modeling on and off for twenty years. After
a swimsuit ad in her third month, she continued
modeling clothes into her fifth, then decided to
take a break. "Since I am mainly a fitness
model," she says, "there is not a lot
of work available right now."
"It
is difficult for a pregnant model to work in her
usual size range if she is a fashion model, as the
fashions come in particular sizes," explains
Betty Johnson, an editor at BBW Magazine. "However, a savvy
agent could book that model to do pregnancy wear
or editorial pieces." Though most women don't
really show until their second trimester, it depends
on the individual. "There are only a few months
where a model can't do her usual work for me."
April
Jestings, with Stock Models, found this transition
somewhat difficult. Eager to start pregnancy modeling,
she became discouraged after a couple of auditions
in her fourth month. "It's tough, the 'in-between'
stage. You just look out of shape to strangers,
not pregnant, and not large enough in the belly
to do maternity work."
 |
|
April
Jestings
|
Fit
Pregnancy's Peg Moline admits that most of their models are at least
six months pregnant. Finding them at the right stage
can be a bit of a challenge, though, and the magazine
often relies on personal connections through their
photographers. Timing is also an issue, and photo
shoots must often be scheduled locally to accommodate
the models. "When they're really big, they're
not going to travel."
This may be one reason why
some very successful model moms leave the business.
Emma Snowball-Robinson's career included
runway shows for Armani, several high fashion
magazine covers, and the Hermes Amazone perfume
campaign. Though she did do some maternity work,
including a cover and inside spreads for Fit
Pregnancy, her priorities
changed when her first son came along.
"My original plan
was to take a few months off after the birth of
my baby. I had visions of hiring a nanny and going
right back to work with baby and nanny in tow.
I really didn't envision it having much of an
impact on my career," she recalls. "Taylor,
of course, turned my whole world upside down'.I
just wanted to spend every waking moment with
him. I couldn't bear the thought of getting on
a plane to head off to some remote location to
work when the other option was to stay at home
and revel in all the wonder of my first born."
Today Emma, with husband Black Crowes' guitarist
Rich Robinson, is a content stay-at-home parent
of two sons. "It's a whole new set of responsibilities
I have now compared to modeling, but I wouldn't
say it's any easier!"
With stories
like this, wouldn't you think agents prefer women
hold off having kids? Not the case. "Whatever
the model wants to do," claims Cory Bautista,
director of New York Model Management, is fine.
"Even if it means starting a family."
This seems to be the consensus from virtually everyone
in the business.
"The
only pressure I ever got, being a plus-size model,"
Taylor Bartoe laughs, "was not to lose weight.
Yay!" A model with Brand in southern California
as well as mother of two, Bartoe finds her modeling
career exceeding all expectations. After some illness
in the early part of her first pregnancy, she took
a shot at maternity modeling in her fifth month.
"I was told almost daily how beautiful I looked,
and I loved it! Being pregnant was awesome!"
Postpartum,
however, was something to get used to. "After
Jessica was born, I felt like my body morphed into
a blob of flab and I could not get back to a happy
size." She took a couple of years off, but
exercise and yoga helped her snap back. Since then,
Bartoe has been nonstop, with a handful of commercials
and work for clients like InStyle magazine, Saks, and
Bloomingdale's.
Morning
sickness and other maladies can definitely slow
a body down. For Stock Models' Shannon Marie Codner,
another mother of two and freelancer working through
her Katwoman.com website, opportunity knocked, but
illness prevailed. "Throughout my entire [second]
pregnancy, I was receiving e-mail on a weekly basis
from companies and photographers wanting to book
me for photo shoots in different stages throughout
the nine months." Unfortunately, she could
only take on half the jobs she wanted to do at the
time. Luckily, mom and baby are doing fine, and
Shannon happily reports being back in her bikinis
only a week and a half after having the baby (!).
"I
will be sending a photo this time, so they'll have
a visual." Now six months pregnant, Jestings
wants to remind her agents of her ever blooming
belly and readiness for maternity work. "I
do wish there was a better way to let the industry
know you are there, professional in experience,
pregnant and showing, and willing to work! It can't
be that easy for the clients and agents to find
professional models, especially at the right stage
to shoot, so how do we all get in touch with each
other?"
Liza Elliott
knows. Founder and president of the newly established
Expecting Models in New York City, Elliott now runs
the only talent agency for pregnant and nursing
models. "There is high demand," Elliott
asserts. She is well aware, with clients ranging
from Good Morning America to Newsweek. "They don't want any
everyday person hanging around the maternity section
at Macy's," she claims, "but a girl who
knows how to make the clothes look good."
Expecting
Models also makes available the real husbands of
their models, as well as their children. Elliott
believes this really makes a difference. "The
truth is in the shot, whatever that truth is,"
she declares. "There's a chemistry between
a mom and her baby, especially with nursing. Your
baby is your baby."
How have
women responded to her enterprise? "People
are like, Thank God! This doesn't have to be in
the closet anymore!"
So don't
fret, model mommies, or those soon to be. The clients
are out there, maternity is hip, and there is a
lot to look forward to. Take it from Liza Elliott:
"It's a wonderful place for women in
this industry, and about time."
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Sidebars
Some Top
Maternity Clients
American
Baby
Baby Talk
Banana Republic
Belly Basics
Bloomingdale's
Fit Pregnancy
The Gap
Liz Lange
Motherhood
Motherwear
A Pea in
the Pod
New York
Model Management's director, Cory Bautista,
also notes that a lot of dot-com companies and magazines
are catering to the maternity wear market.
Fashions
To Make You Feel Good
With a host
of designer apparel, Pea in the Pod now boasts the
biggest luxury maternity store in America at 860
Madison Avenue (at 70th Street). Or check them out
online at http://apeainthepod.com.
Former Vogue editor, Liz Lange, has created a collection of "must-haves,"
developed from classic American styles. Find it
at 958 Madison Avenue (between 75th and 76th), or
online at www.lizlange.com.
And for
breast-feeding moms'
Glamourmom's
nursing tank-top with built-in bra is the sexiest
shirt around, providing both support and style.
Available in black, white, gray, and camouflage.
Order through www.glamourmom.com.
