Which type of modeling fits you?
Eight questions, two minutes, no email — and an honest answer at the end, even when the honest answer is "not runway".
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Your closest match
Fashion
Your height and age land inside the window agencies actually hold to for editorial and runway work, which is the narrowest door in this industry and the one most people are quietly turned away from. That does not make it easy: fashion boards sign a handful of people a year, and being eligible is the start of the process rather than the end of it. Apply to real agencies with plain digitals, expect a lot of silence, and keep commercial work on the table while you find out.
- Typical requirement
- 5'8"–6'0"
- Typical age
- 16–24 typically
- Experience needed
- Some — walking and posing practice
Commercial
Commercial is where most working models actually are — the ads, catalogues, hotel brochures and app screens you see every day, cast for looking like a believable person rather than an unreachable one. There is no height wall and no age wall, which is why it takes the widest range of people and pays steadily rather than spectacularly. The trade-off is that it rewards range and reliability over a striking face, so good digitals and a fast reply to a casting matter more than your bone structure.
- Typical requirement
- 5'5"+, flexible on build
- Typical age
- Any adult age
- Experience needed
- None required
Plus-size
Curve boards exist at almost every major agency now, and they book editorial, campaign and catalogue work at the same rates as the straight-size boards. The requirements are real but different: agencies look for a consistent size, proportional measurements and a clear waist-to-hip line rather than a specific height. It is a smaller market than commercial, so expect to work with fewer agencies and to travel for the bigger jobs.
- Typical requirement
- Around US size 8–16
- Typical age
- 18–35 typically
- Experience needed
- None required
Parts
Parts work — hands, feet, hair, skin, sometimes just a shoulder — is cast entirely on the body part in question, so height, age and face genuinely do not enter into it. It is steady, unglamorous and better paid per hour than most people expect, and it is booked by specialist agencies rather than the main board. The catch is upkeep: consistent grooming, no visible scars or tan lines on the part you are booked for, and availability at short notice.
- Typical requirement
- Any height — one body part only
- Typical age
- Any age
- Experience needed
- None — grooming matters more
Fitness
Fitness and activewear brands cast on visible training and body condition, not on height, which is why this is one of the few types where the work follows something you control. Bookings cluster around brand launches and seasonal campaigns, so the calendar is lumpy and most fitness models keep other income. If you already train, the photos you need are the ones that show honest current condition in natural light — not a heavily edited gym shoot.
- Typical requirement
- Any height, athletic build
- Typical age
- 18–40 typically
- Experience needed
- None — training photos help