Hey ANTM fans! Here's a unique perspective from our America's Next Top Model guest video blogger, professional petite model Isobella Jade! Each week she'll be sharing her insights about Cycle 13 with us here at BuddyTV from her vantage point as a pint-size model trying to make it in the industry.

By Isobella Jade

Recently on America's Next Top Model, the girls were in bikinis, jumping off cliffs and rolling in the sand with supermodel Marisa Miller. I do like the tips she gave the girls on making a Barbie toe and keeping good posture, but here is some more insight for shorter girls on showing your body as a model. A shorter girl should be targeting commercial print modeling agencies for editorial, catalog, print ads, and also "parts modeling" jobs. Parts modeling is when you use your whole body or its "parts"--hands, feet, legs--to work with brands. You can also use your body to model for editorials in magazines like Self, Fitness, Marie Claire, Glamour and others.
There is a certain way to expose the body with taste, in a style that will help you, not hurt your commercial print modeling pursuits. Many shorter girls think their only option is to be in a thong, with their finger to their mouth, teasing the camera, and this is totally untrue. Here are some tips when creating that body shot, whether you are in swimwear, a thong, or nothing at all.

1. You can smile and be sexy. Many times aspiring models focus too much on the sex appeal, and they lose the selling point of the shot. Smiling when you are modeling a bathing suit is a good idea for a commercial print-styled photo. You can show you have a nice body but also show some personality as well. Look at catalog shots of girls in swimwear, lingerie and intimates at the websites of retail stores such as Target, Macy's, and Bloomingdales to get inspired as well.

2. The right body shots for commercial print modeling look like an ad or magazine editorial. Depending on the part you are showing, you want to make it look like an ad. For full body, consider not just Victoria's Secret and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issues, but also look at the websites and ads for other swimwear and lingerie brands as well. If you are targeting a certain part of your body, think og a certain type of ad. For legs, think skincare ads; panty hose, think of the LEGGS brand ads, Aveeno, or Olay ads. And remember: there are all types of swimwear, lingerie, and underwear out there, not just sexy lace, but Hanes and many other styles, so include more than one style of garment in your portfolio.

3. Being too sexy, with too much glamour makeup, tells the agent you are only able to pose sexy, and that you can't work with products or brands. So you still want to keep in mind that, yes, you are showing your body, but also you can MODEL that bathing suit you are wearing in a marketable and intriguing way. There is nothing wrong with Playboy if that is what you want to pursue, but when you are approaching a commercial print modeling agency, they want to see something different, more about you selling a product than your own sexuality.

4. If you are comfortable with your body, then your commercial print compcard should have one body shot. It could be in fitness clothing, swimwear or lingerie in a catalog style. These couple nicely with the other shots on your compcard which show your personality and ability. If you want to pursue parts modeling, make a separate compcard. Create shots that target and focus on the "part" you are interested in modeling. If it is your rear end, then think of close ups of lingerie in a lingerie catalog. Make the shots on the card all about that part of your body.

5. Don't over do the airbrush. You want to look like your photo when you show up for a casting. Also take notice that lingerie and swimwear models have all different breast sizes and body types. Also, a heads-up for younger models: girls who are under 18 should NOT have anything too revealing or sexy (no thongs or showing shots!) on her compcard at all.

Modeling is about modeling products, and you don't have to be naked or in a bikini to be a model. So grab a cell phone, your favorite soft drink, shoes, hair clip or handbag and show you can naturally model it.

We hear a lot about high fashion and half naked celebrities on the Internet, but the commercial print side of modeling--the area the shorter girl should pursue--gets forgotten. Don't forget that height isn't everything, and if you have a nice body you can use it to book print work for product ads, and editorials for health, beauty and fitness. Being naked isn't the end-all of modeling, and you don't have to have the most perfect ass to be a model. There are plenty of other things out there you can model for without being oiled up and wind blown on a beach.

Rock your body,
Isobella



Isobella Jade is known as one of the tiniest working models out there. She is also the author of Almost 5'4", her modeling memoir, and the upcoming graphic novel, Model Life: The Journey of a Pint Size Fashion Warrior. Daily Isobella gives modeling insight and advice on her blog on being a shorter-than-average model, and speaks weekly on her radio show called Model Talk. Jade has booked modeling jobs for Marshalls , Victoria 's Secret, Easy Spirit, Macy's, Time Magazine, TLC, and more, and has been featured in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Allure.com, Page Six, The New York Post, and Nylon.

Read More by Isobella:
Short Model Sensei: You're Never Too Short to Model! (And More Thoughts on the ANTM Premiere)
Short Model Sensei: Tyra's No Revolutionary! (Thoughts on ANTM Cycle 13 Ep.3)
Short Model Sensei: How to Get the Most Out of Your Inches (ANTM Ep. 4)
Short Model Sensei: Beauty Gone Bad (Thoughts on ANTM Cycle 13 Ep. 5)
Short Model Sensei: Lackluster Las Vegas (Thoughts on ANTM Cycle 13 Ep.6)
Short Model Sensei: Go-See 101 with Professor Isobella (ANTM Cycle 13 Ep.7)
Short Model Sensei: Show Your Smile, Hide the String (On-Set Modeling Tips)