Modeling Scams

Barbizon Modeling School

To Whom It May Concern:

I'm 16 years old.

I have a few things to say about the letters I've been reading on this website.

First of all, modeling schools are not scams. Barbizon never said that their modeling school was required to get jobs. It not only exposes you to the world of modeling, but it also gives many people the confidence they need to succeed in life.

Before I went to the Barbizon school of Wilmington, Delaware, I didn't know how tough being a model can really be. It takes a whole lot of work and dedication.

If I had just made my own portfolio and sent my pictures to agents like some of you suggested, I think that I (and anyone else who didn't know much about modeling) would be in for a rude awakening. I now know that modeling is a tough job.

Modeling schools also help you learn and practice good modeling techniques. They can give you that extra boost that you need to do well in modeling.

This is no scam. If you say modeling schools are scams, then you are saying that sports camps could also be classified as scams.

They both do the same thing: help you be better at what you want to do. Also, sports camps are not required to play on high school or even professional teams. They can cost a lot of money, too. So does that make them scams? I think not.

Another thing: I'm sure that there are hundreds and hundreds of girls and guys that go to Barbizon modeling schools every year. If it's all such a scam to get money, then why aren't there hundreds of postings on this website?

If you found out how many people who go to Barbizon each year, and then looked at how many people were disappointed in it, I think that you would find that the people disappointed would make up a very small and almost insignificant percentile.

When I went to Barbizon this past summer, I loved it. I had so much fun, and I finally felt like I had an activity that I was actually good at. Also, since I can't play sports because of problems with my lungs, modeling seemed like a perfect thing for me.

Just because you had an unpleasant experience at your particular modeling school, it doesn't mean that all of Barbizon is corrupted.

I'm sure that there are people out there not qualified to be teaching classes at Barbizon, but doesn't this happen once in a while in almost every occupation?

Rene, a girl who was in contact with Barbizon over the phone, was told, "Honey, how do you expect to become a model with no training whatsoever?"

Barbizon is obviously unlikely to say their schools are required to become models, but if they are sneaky and they imply in phone calls, conversations, or advertising that Barbizon school attendance is going to signficantly improve your chances of becoming a model with a modeling career, there is a strong argument to say that is misleading advertising and therefore fraud.

A question was asked about Barbizon in a public internet forum. Rene answered:

NO NO NO NO BARBIZON IS *NOT* FOR REAL! They are the greatest of great con-artists. Ok, maybe not to that extent, but let's just say they do kind of lie.

 

First of all, you do not have to PAY anyone to become a model.

 

Barbizon, aka, liars, cheats, etc., told me over the phone: "Honey, how do you expect to become a model with no *training* whatsoever? We professionals can help train you to approach agencies and the like."

 

Blah.

 

Barbizon also has an agency. But you can't join their agency unless you complete the "Barbizon course."

 

All you have to do is go to an agency Open Call, and the agency, not the SCHOOL, will tell you if you have potential or not.

 

But if you want to learn poise, grace, and all that other stuff you won't really need, then go. Go to Barbizon, John Casablanca, and all that other $$ stuff.

 

If I sound hostile towards these schools, it's because I feel that they rip you off and steal your money.

 

I never attended a course in modeling and so far a couple of reputable agencies want to represent me.

 

Ford (which is one of the most prestigious agencies) told me: "You don't have to pay money to be discovered. Models are not made."

 

So don't let crappy old Barbizon make you spend thousands, and please don't let them eat away at your self-esteem by saying crap like, "You need us to make it."

 

You can do it on your own. Also, don't spend over $350 on a portfolio, because that's also a rip-off if you're just starting out.

In another internet forum a similar question was asked about Barbizon. Ember responded, speaking about her niece.

Ember's niece, ironically enough, was not interested in Barbizon for modeling:

She had no interest in modeling... she wanted in for the make up and hair. That did not get too far with me. (Teen mags contain "how to" content and are less expensive.)

The finance issue may be more important to the parents and relatives. If they want their daughters or nieces to go to Barbizon, it makes more sense for learning about hair and makeup or to learn social graces, not for preparation to start a modeling career.

Ember's conclusion after conversations directly with Barbizon simply echoes what others have said: "It is an expensive lesson in learning to walk a certain way, and apply your make up a certain way. No real job leads or contacts there."

If Barbizon changed its name from Barbizon Modeling School to Barbizon Finishing School, it could go a long way to removing all the confusion.

Barbizon might be more useful to girls who already have contracts with modeling agencies. In other words, they could attend their finishing (modeling-related) classes after an agency has signed them. Of course with the approval of the agency, and if the modeling agency does not already offer the same training and preparation.

Confusion surrounding modeling schools like Barbizon probably originates from the understanding of how almost everyone qualifies for occupations. For most all jobs besides modeling, you have to prepare for the profession.

You go to school, university, or college, take classes or courses, graduate, receive a diploma or certificate, and then pound the pavement looking for work.

Not so with modeling. You don't have to go to school, university, or college, you need no formal education. You can visit a model agency, you don't need to bring any official documents, just show up.

Marie-Eve Nadeau just showed up. Once she was signed she went on to grace the pages of Glamour Italy and Vogue Japan, as well as starring in Coach and Cerutti Jeans campaigns.

Elle Magazine (Canada), which featured her as the cover girl of their March 2002 issue, reported:

It was love at first sight when then-16-year-old Montreal beauty Marie-Eve Nadeau walked into the Folio Montreal Agency. This month's cover girl was offered a contract on the spot. Two years later, Nadeau, who first appeared on the cover of Elle Quebec in 1999, is the hottest ticket going in the modelling world —hugely successful in Europe and North America.

What about the Barbizon success stories? Gina said she attended a Barbizon school. What did it do for her? She shared her experience and qualified her recommendation:

I went to Barbizon when I was 15, and believe it or not I still get work from them, but mostly just promo and trade show work, and only on occasion. Maybe 5/yr or so? (Just a guess there.)

 

Anyways, my take on the whole school thing is that it is there for confidence, but not for modeling careers. I learned quite a bit at Barbizon, but it definitely was not necessary for getting into modeling, and it isn't something I put on my resume.

 

But I did enjoy it, and for me personally I think it was good, because I was very shy and insecure, so it really helped me there.

 

I only recommend it if you just happen to have lots of money that you WANT to spend on something that can be a fun learning experience, but NOT if you think it will get you into the real world of modeling.

To Whom It May Concern:

While searching the web for the convention I am to attend in six months, I came across your reply to a mother with some questions about attending the Barbizon classes.

I found your reply totally untrue, for I am a Barbizon student, and the skills I learned there helped me so much that it is unbelievable.

Perhaps there are some students on the mainland who have had the Barbizon training and did not enjoy it?

I have attended the classes in Hawaii and they are phenomenal. My family members have complemented me saying they have seen major improvements in my attitude, posture, and manners.

Also the information given in your reply about Barbizon teachers or whatever you thought they were, about the costs of convention, and they lying that they are a very successful agency is untrue to my experience.

I do not know about other auditions, but a worker of the IMTA itself came down to audition us. She also talked to my parents about the expenses and training costs.

So it was not Barbizon who auditioned me at all. But Barbizon who trained me for the audition. I'll tell you one thing, I would have never got accepted if not for their training.

The Model walk IS not easy to learn. AT ALL. Barbizon teachers did an excellent job teaching us the model stance, walk, pose, half turn, etc., etc.

They even went out of their way to bring in past convention models (who are past Barbizon students) to help teach the lessons. (Whom also helped in other classes.)

I ask you, would those past students even consider coming back to a school to teach if they did not like the experience? No, they wouldn't. And to make it even better, they are volunteers.

You said: "But, more importantly, don't professional makeup artists do the makeup for professional photoshoots, not the model?"

Yes, it is true, but how do you think you got the job? Through the audition, right? And you have to apply your own makeup for the audition. Your appearance is important for your first impression, right?

Well, if you have read this far, thank you very much. I am just defending my thoughts of my experience. I think that the money I spent to go to this school was well worth it.

I myself am only 12 years old, believe it or not, and I believe that you have totally misunderstood the Barbizon Modeling Agency. AND Barbizon does find work for their students. If you did not know.

Sincerely,

It is probably too early for you to be convinced about the Barbizon Modeling School because you have not come out the other side. You have not attended the IMTA convention and you have not been signed by a modeling agency.

I am not aware of anyone who attended the Barbizon Modeling School and said they did not like it. What they did not like was the cost and the results —or lack thereof —in their goal of being signed by a modeling agency.

The things you liked about the Barbizon Modeling School and for which you got complements are useful for your personal life but their value is questionable in the context of being discovered by a modeling agency.

Even if learning to catwalk was difficult for you and you received excellent instruction, it is unlikely to be the main criteria for being signed by a modeling agency.

Catwalking is not the most common type of modeling so it is not the centerpiece of a prospective model's evaluation by a modeling agency.

Regarding the difference between being auditioned or selected by IMTA for the convention or being selected by Barbizon for the IMTA convention, there is no difference.

You claimed you would never have been accepted by IMTA had you not been trained by Barbizon. Well, yes. And you prove my point: IMTA and Barbizon clearly have a business partnership which profits both of them.

Are you believing everything they want you to believe, and spending all the money they want you to spend?

I don't dispute grads of the school get work. The question I have is how many of them make more money through modeling than they paid for the school?