Why don't parents of cute kids...put their children in modeling?

In My Humble Opinion
21

At about 6 months my wife & I realized we had a stunningly beautiful baby (I don’t like babies and as a rule I don’t think they’re cute)–pretty face unusually deep blue eyes, blond curls and a charming personality. By the time she was 1 we’d been approached by a number of retailers, including Baby Gap.

We kicked it around some, my wife thought it would be a good idea–we REALLY needed the money–but I had reservations that I couldn’t quite identify. Then I had The Dream. It’s going to sound corny, because it was a dream and not a deep piece of well-written fiction.

My wife, my daughter and I were standing in a corner of a tiled hallway of some public place talking details of a modeling contract with a largish, finely dressed man. Upon our signing of the contract we introduced my daughter to the man who, in turn, introduced her to her photographer who had just appeard from around the corner. The photographer looked like he was right off the *Aqualung *album cover. He approached my daughter and knelt down and gave her a hug…and began to eat her. By this time the “agent” had begun to howl with laughter at us as we had realized what we had done.

Upon waking the imagery in the dream was clear enough to me that I put the modeling matter to rest right then. It was the first and last time I’ve allowed a dream to directly affect a decision in my waking life, but I’m glad I did it.

22

An ad with a child makes me wonder what the motives of the parent were.

Money, obviously.

But sometimes that’s not automatically a bad thing. Look at the Dilley sextuplets or the McCaughey septuplets. Once in a very blue moon you’ll see them in a magazine ad or something. The parents of those kids have turned down countless offers and have done a good job of keeping their kids out of the spotlight. I imagine, though, that every now and then they’ve GOT to have some extra money. I can’t blame them for that.

23

Yup. The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles was named for one of the family members. Her maiden name was Buffum.

I’m going to visit my parents next week. If I can find the catalog, I’ll scan it in and post it. I was such a cute baby.

Robin

24

If the pay were good enough so that with a relatively small amount of time away from the normal activities of being a kid he could earn enough to finance his college education, then I’d do it. I agree that a full-fledged modeling career isn’t good for a kid. And that’s why I didn’t pursue modeling for him. It seems that in order to make any money at it, you have to put in a whole lot of time and effort and keep the kid from many normal activities. But to suggest that a day or two a month away from play group is tantamount to child abuse is absurd.

25

Not me. I looked like Sgt. Snorkel’s dog.

26

Now, Eve. I’m sure you weren’t a little white dog in an Army uniform.

And all kids are certainly not beautiful. My neice (not Miss Magic8Ball) was an ugly little kid. She unfortunately looks just like her father, my step-brother.

27

When we were kids my mom tried to get my siblings and I into modeling. We interviewed with modeling agencies, got portfolios done, went on a few auditions, the whole thing. It was nice to have all that attention but ultimately, I wasn’t interested. I told my mom I didn’t want to do it anymore (I was 8) and she was okay with it. A couple of my older siblings stayed in it for a few years and got published in a few local department store ads but that’s as far as it went.

I think where the modeling runs into trouble is when it becomes more important to the parents than the kids. I got bored and moms was fine with me not participating. It should be the kid’s choice (when they are old enough to make it).

28

I used to work in soaps, and I’ve known two kids who’ve gone on to be fairly famous in the entertainment business - one is pretty well-known right now, the other works steadily. One had a great mom who didn’t push - the one who works steadily. That kid was always happy to be at work, enjoyed doing it, and didn’t get tired of it. The one who’s more well-known? Stage mom from hell. Pushed the kid big-time. Mom made a name for herself. A bad name. The kid followed suit behavior-wise. It’s been awhile, so I don’t know what the kid is like now, but back then - there were horror stories.

For every well-adjusted kid working in show business, there are ten kids having the crap pushed out of them by a parent with stars in their eyes.

If my child expresses an interest in acting or modeling when they’re old enough to realize what comes with it - I’ll be happy to try and help them. My parents helped me when I decided to go off and try to write for TV. I’ll do the same for my kid when they’re older if that’s what they want. Otherwise, no way in hell.

Ava

29

You’re not going to name names, are you? Rats… :wink:

30

Me, I’m guessing Terri and Brooke Shields.

31

Well, for a price;). Honestly, it was just surprising to see how different parents could be. The well-adjusted kid was a rarity. Unfortunately.

JohnT, upon preview, it’s not Brooke Shields. She’s about ten years older than I am, at least:).

Ava

32

Ooh, another clue!!

Uhm… McCauley Culkin?

33

Well, our experience was very different from the fears of most of the people here.

My daughter took acting classes (non-serious) and brought home a notice for an open call in New York the summer after fourth grade. She wanted to do it, so I took here in on a Sunday, never expecting anything to happen. The manager loved her. She stayed in while 20 kids went in and out, so this was not a case where the agent loves everyone, which is a sure sign of a scam. She got signed right away, as a character kid, not a beautiful child (she is beautiful, but not blonde) and got a job her third audition, using only photos a friend of ours took. We then got headshots. Another sure sign of a scam is the agent pushing a photographer, as opposed to offering a choice.

Now, to correct some misinformation. Parents NEVER go into auditions with the kid, not even for babies. Legitimate casting directors and agents want to see if the kid really wants to work, if not the kid will never get a job. Forget about your baby being cute. All babies, and most little kids, are cute. They’re looking for a baby who will do well with strangers. Never, ever buy photos for your baby to audition. Babies change so fast photos are worthless, and someone trying to sell you baby photos is trying to rip you off.

Almost all the kids I met while going with my daughter to shoots were nice, well adjusted, mostly pretty smart. I had dinner a few times with the mother of a kid who is now fairly well known, and has starred in movies, and she was nice.

Forget about looks for acting. Kids who make it have a certain something managers can sense immediately, a kind of charisma. When my daughter tried out all she said was “I love Cheerios” and that was enough.

She never modeled, because her manager thought it wasn’t worth it, unless she got a job without a go-see. Models are not unionized, which means the pay sucks when you can get it. One of her friends modeled some, and was on the front of some Crayola craft boxes, but it was a sideline.

She’s now about to graduate from college. She stopped acting when we moved to Northern California, but she never regretted it. She had lots of good experiences (she worked with Iggy Pop!) and made lots of friends, but the main thing was that she loved that people depended on her, and that she could do it. She also had a life. Good managers know that kids being kids comes first.

I haven’t seen that show, but from what I’ve read of it most of it sounds like sensationalist crap. If you are interested, there are a few books out there that give the indications that a kid might be good for acting - and looks is well down there on the list.