This week Pulse Management's Armon Eastman had a taste of disappointment that all models face at one point or another. As you may have read on our blog (or other social media), Armon is beginning his modeling career and has already had some amazing experiences. From test shoots in LA and New York, to meeting with one of the best fashion photographers (Steven Meisel), to being placed on option for Prada and Burberry, Armon's career took off faster than a lot of models. Armon was recently informed that he was released from being on option from Burberry and Prada. Obviously that is not what any model wants to hear, but we thought we would take this moment to have some honest dialogue about what it is like working as a model.
The fashion industry is a mercurial one, and any model will tell you they have had their fair share of disappointments along with their successes. The very fact that Armon was placed on option for two of the biggest designers on the planet, speaks volumes about his potential as a model. The fact that he was released on option does not mean that he did anything wrong or that there is anything wrong with him. I REPEAT THIS TO ALL MODELS, just because you do not book a job does not mean you are ugly or a bad model, or not good enough. It means the companies had something else in mind for their project, and a lot of the time the reasons are beyond your control. In Armon's case it was because he is too young. Other times it is because a model is too tall, too short, too blonde, not blonde enough, teeth too straight, or not straight enough, the reasons are endless.
Pulse Management President, Stacey Eastman, is not only Armon's manager, he is Armon's father. This has given us a unique perspective into how this business can affect our models. Stacey said the following about this situation:
"I feel I need to post this due to my son being released on option for Burberry & Prada. Due to all the excitement we had about him being placed on those options, we posted about those on our social media. To put it into perspective, in our world option means that those prestigious clothing companies PICKED him out of thousands of guys and chose to put him on "option" to walk wearing their clothing. Which is why we said "option" MIND YOU IT USUALLY NEVER HAPPENS THAT FAST FOR A NEW MODEL. We use that to gauge the potential of their carrier and that is massive. He was released from the "OPTION" only due to being so "NEW" so "YOUNG" even though we feel bad it didn't confirm at the last second is sad. None the less it's miraculous such designers wanted him exclusively till the very last second and then released him. For sure this tells us ITS NOT IF THIS KID'S GOING TO WORK, BUT WHEN AND WE KNOW HIS SUCCESS WILL BE BIG! So to friends, family, fans, it's a tuff blow. A lesson every successful model has had to learn to reach the top. Fact is, he even had the lesson to learn so big so fast, speaks volumes of his potential. Times on his and our side. Please cut the kid some slack and his very proud father and manager as we continue building his and all of our other amazing models' careers. ALL THE TIME FOR AND IN BEHALF OF THE FUTURE ROCK STARS OF TOMORROW!!
Thank you,
His dad and Manager Stacey Eastman. "
We would like to hope that this post will help you all see what it is really like being a model. You get to travel to amazing places and see yourself in magazines and get to wear clothing that most people only dream about. It also can be really humbling, and heartbreaking and you have to learn really fast that your self-worth does not depend on what others think of you. Unfortunately in life there are people who enjoy seeing other people not succeed. Whether it is kids at our models' schools or comments on the internet, we hope that our model's realize that those people are not the people they need to impress. People's comments and negativity is a reflection on them, NOT YOU.
We love all of our models, and know that everything worth having has to be worked for. We are here to help you navigate the ups and downs of being a model. We are just as proud of you for how you deal with your rejections as for your successes.
