By Rebecca Sirull, News Staff
It takes more than work study for some students to pay for their college tuition. Oil-slicked abs and cover up are a winning strategy to make extra cash, especially for male models around Northeastern.
Junior architecture major Chris Li first considered modeling while on his mandatory year abroad in Berlin, Germany, when he was approached by cosmetology students looking for makeup models. Brother Alex Li, a senior psychology and business major at Boston College, followed him behind the camera shortly thereafter. Once the two became serious about pursuing modeling, they turned to Model Mayhem, a website that connects potential models with photographers to build up portfolios – which the brothers said was more challenging than expected.
“What takes a lot of work is getting signed, and it takes a lot of commitment to finding photographers and driving out to places and doing photo shoots that maybe you’ll get one or two good pictures from,” Alex Li said.
Six months later, the brothers were signed to Maggie Inc., an agency on Newbury Street. The Li brothers have worked for clients such as Puma, Converse and Samsonite and rake in several hundred dollars per hour, earning even more if the photo will be used in multiple locations.
“It’s not very time consuming. We both work out a lot and eat really healthy, so we didn’t need to change our lifestyle at all, and when you’re signed with an agency it’s pretty easy,” Alex Li said. “If you work once or twice a month you have enough to pay your groceries and your bills.”
Other students like sophomore business major Aakash Sinha model simply out of interest. Sinha, who is originally from South Africa, started when he was 13 years old when his mother suggested it to boost his confidence in an age where he felt both awkward and “chubby.” In high school, he reintroduced himself to modeling professionally to support his newer, fitter lifestyle.
“[It was] something to represent all my hard work in the gym,” he said. “I never thought I would become a model.”
Sinha hit a milestone in his career in November 2012 when he was featured on the cover of the sixth anniversary special of Men’s Health India. But for many, modeling gigs will inevitably cease.
“The odds of making it in this business are equivalent to the odds of hitting the lottery, and so the vast majority of people will do this on a part-time basis and pursue other endeavors,” said Robert Casey, owner of Maggie Inc.
He added that, while runway and television work are available, most of the money in Boston is made through print work, including online shopping ads and e-commerce, or editorial shoots – Chris Li’s preferred job.
“My favorite part about modeling is doing the editorial shoots, like more artistic stuff, and pushing yourself to do something more interesting,” he said.
One of the downsides, Alex Li said, is that the relationship between the model and the photographer can be harsh in an environment where the model has little to no artistic license.
“You’re not really treated like an individual; you feel very replaceable a lot of the time, especially at castings because if you don’t fit perfectly, they can find someone who fits perfectly into the clothes or who walks exactly how they want,” he said.
Another obstacle some student models face, according to Sinha, is time management. Waking up to work out every day at 5 a.m. before leaving for his technology firm co-op at Mendix, Sinha keeps a tight schedule so he has room for a social life.
“Having a balance is key and you can do it with good time management,” he said.
But the advantages of modeling in college outweigh the challenges, Chris Li said, because now is the time to experiment with alternative careers that can be weaved into a flexible student schedule.
“I know I’m not the type of person who wants to graduate and start working right away and just work forever,” Chris Li said. “I want to do a lot of cool things when I’m young and that’s part of the reason why I model. It’s been a really interesting experience.”
