A Closer Look at Child Modeling: Pros vs. Cons

Thinking of getting your kid into child modeling? Read on!

Businesses need engaging advertisements to achieve a certain number of customers, which is a challenge for traditional advertising. One of the best ways to promote their products is by using real people, through modeling. With the model’s expressions, customers can relate with the model and nothing is more adorable than child models.

Though we see many children becoming models nowadays, we might not see clearly what child modeling really involves. So, let’s take a closer look at the world of child modeling.

Pros of Child Modeling

A lot of times we see child models sharing their experiences during their career in the fashion industry. We see their happy faces, while they get along very well with their fellow models and their mentors. Parents also express their joy to their children, who are having a wonderful experience.

In the fashion industry, as well as the competitive market, we see a lot of benefits in child modelling. Some of these benefits include:

1. Exposure to The Competitive World

A lot of people have expressed their feelings towards children not accepting the reality of competition. When children mature, they will gradually learn how the world really works. Though it is not all about competition, children should learn how to deal with the competition in the world.

Through experience, your child will adapt methods to maintain good results to stay on top. Alongside the experience in the industry, your child will make choices on their own to keep living a healthy lifestyle. Furthermore, you might be able to enjoy access to luxurious fashion brands, such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton.

childs modeling
Photo by Kate Aedon via Shutterstock

2. Builds Self-Esteem

Child modeling involves a lot of people around your children. As they gain more experience in modeling, they are exposed to an environment that helps them grow. They would be working with adults and experienced people, who can teach them a lot of life lessons.

With constant exposure, the child’s self-esteem also grows. Children involved in modeling tends to build confidence much faster than those who are not involved in competitions. With healthy self-esteem, your child is preparing their success in life.

3. Develops Positive Work Ethics

Many people do not get the opportunity to develop positive work ethics at such a young age. This is one of the most notable advantages of involving your child into modeling. With early access to the work environment, your child is equipped with the attitude needed for building a good career.

4. Coping with Rejection

Customers have different views regarding a certain product, as well as with people. With customer feedback, your child learns to adapt to the reality that not everyone appreciates certain people. With criticisms along your child’s career, he/she will be able to cope with such comment and still live a healthy lifestyle.

childs modeling
Photo by Pavel L via Shutterstock

Cons of Child Modeling

Even with all the benefits that child modelling can offer, it can also harm your child in one way. Without proper guidance and enough knowledge, you will just be crushing your child’s life.

Here are some points that modelling is harming your child:

1. Working with Stress and Pressure

In the fashion industry, everything should go well as planned to maximize profits and prospects. Industries use various ways to achieve their objective, and this creates a negative impression on your child. With strict compliance, your child has to deal with a lot of pressure from different staffs and stress from competitors.

Moreover, the children will have to work in long hours and get little rest, just to get that “perfect” angle. Even with co-workers and artists, there would sometimes be misunderstandings and complications that add to the frustrations of the children.

2. Maintaining Good Looks

Being a model involves strict compliance to standards, which the industry makes on their own. The most common qualification for models is their body shape. Most people, if not all, find children beautiful and adorable because of their natural body shape and most industries make high standards that could change the natural shape of a child’s body.

two childs modeling
Photo by YanLev via Shutterstock

3. Losing Precious Time

The way children behave has to do with the environment around them. With too much exposure to adults and competitive world, they will grow too early or much faster. This can be beneficial in one sense, but most industries take the “precious time” of children just to finish work.

Making profits and good wages is truly beneficial to one’s life, but not when it harms the child’s emotional and mental health. Industries mostly take time from children to meet their needs and they would have less time to enjoy their youth.

The Bottom Line

Parents are solely responsible for raising their child in the right way. When you decide to enter your child in the fashion industry, you must take into consideration your child’s health and not just the pay you will be receiving. You need to make sure that your child is willing and the industry is reputable, which should not hinder your child’s healthy growth.