In this episode, I sit down with the lovely Kenz Lawren, model and creator with over 1.5 million TikTok followers, to uncover the reality of the modelling industry and what it's really like to work as a model. We discuss the reality of Fashion Week, how much models actually get paid, agency life, the pressure to stay skinny, eating disorders, sexual harassment in the industry, rejection, and how social media has changed the modeling world forever. Whether you're an aspiring model or simply curious about what happens behind the scenes, this is an honest look at the challenges, opportunities, and truths of the fashion industry.
*Small correction: In the episode, I say that Kenz was one of the faces of Dior Beauty, which was my mistake. She was actually one of the beauty brand faces of Anastasia Beverly Hills.
In this episode, she explains:
■ The Lifestyle Commitment: Why modelling is not a clock-in, clock-out job, and how the cost of looking the part can mean choosing between groceries and getting your nails done.
■ Where the Money Goes: The difference between commercial and fashion models, how agency cuts work, why editorials often pay nothing, and why she says pay has fallen since the 90s.
■ Fashion Week Reality: Who pays for flights and housing, how models can end up in debt to their agencies, and why the glamour hides a high-pressure, party-heavy culture.
■ Power and Boundaries: Why models have no union, no HR and little legal protection, and the story of the day she walked off a test shoot at 18. Her advice: you don’t owe anyone an explanation, just get out.
■ Bodies and Beauty Standards: Whether the industry’s push for diversity was ever genuine, and why she believes your health should never come second to a job.
■ AI and the Future: Why she thinks AI models will be the “fast fashion” of the industry, and why authenticity will win in the end.
Questions asked in this episode (for reference):
- Why do you think so many people are craving the content you put out there?
- How long have you been in the industry?
- What should the 18-year-old you have known before getting in?
- What does the industry demand from models that we have no idea about?
- What’s the difference between a fashion model and a commercial model?
- On a $10,000 job, who takes a cut between the model and the job?
- Why are models paid so much less than they used to be?
- Rough estimates: what does a Fashion Week show, a Zara e-com shoot, a full Zara campaign and a Vogue editorial actually pay?
- Does having a big social following make you more valuable as a model?
- Who pays for flights, hotels and expenses at Fashion Week?
- What dynamic does it create when models start out in debt to their agency?
- Are model apartments as crowded and expensive as they sound?
- Is it true that drugs are normalised at Fashion Week?
- What does years of rejection at castings do to someone?
- Do people treat you differently when you say you’re a model?
- Has the industry really shifted towards inclusivity and diversity?
- Where’s the line between maintaining weight for the job and an eating disorder?
- Have you ever had an agent say something to you about your body?
- Does the industry have a problem with sexual harassment, and when does it stop being a scandal and start being a business model?
- Have you ever had to draw your limits as a model?
- Did the fear of being blacklisted play on your mind?
- What did you do to get out of that situation?
- What does being an independent contractor mean for your rights?
- Why has it taken so long for models to get legal protection?
- Was there a moment that made you think you had to start talking about this?
- Are models scared to be open because it could cost them bookings?
- Do you worry you’re helping young women into an industry you’re so critical of?
- Has modelling made you more confident?
- Will the modelling industry suffer from AI?
- If you could kill one myth about models once and for all, what would it be?