How Social Media is Changing the Modeling Industry

Kate Moss was discovered by a model scout at JFK airport in New York. Naomi Campbell was scouted while shopping in a mall. Matthew Noszka, who has modeled for Tom Ford and Calvin Klein, was discovered on Instagram.

While models used to have to go to thousands of auditions and casting calls in order to land a gig, the fresh faces of the fashion world are now being discovered on social media. Just last month, Disney star Zendaya offered a girl whose picture she saw on twitter a modeling contract with her fashion line, Daya by Zendaya. Yet this girl not only stood out to Zendaya because of her beauty, she was found because she was being body shamed on the Internet. Social media has not only allowed models to be discovered, but has also led way for more diversity in the modeling business.

In cycle 22 of America’s Next Top Model, many of the contestants were selected to compete through Instagram. The season’s winner, Nyle DiMarco, was scouted through his Instagram account by the show’s producers. What the producers didn’t know was that DiMarco was deaf. DiMarco led on to become the first deaf contestant on America’s Next Top Model. DiMarco is not the only successful Top Model contestant to be scouted on social media. Cycle 21 contestant Winnie Harlow, who is now the brand ambassador of Desigual, was also scouted through Instagram. Harlow stood out because she has a skin condition called Vitiligo, which causes patches of skin to lose their pigment. Social media brought attention to her unconventional beauty and allowed her to achieve modeling fame.

James Charles, Cover Girl’s first “Cover Boy” was discovered through YouTube and Instagram. The support that he gained from social media allowed him to become a beauty model and paved the way towards acceptance of men wearing makeup. So many models have garnered attention online from being different than the typical model. Whether it is having a curvy body or an unconventional look, social media has allowed models who look more “real” and relatable to be scouted.  

While Naomi Campbell may not approve of social media models (she once stated: “it doesn’t feel like they have worked very hard for it”) Instagram models have led to diversity in the modeling business. Social media sites such as Instagram and Twitter have shown that beauty comes in different shapes and sizes. Even though there are plenty of negative comments on these sites, there are so many positive ones that have brought attention to unconventional models. Instagram has become so much more than a social networking site, it has become a display of all different types of beauty.