Photo from Vogue

In the United States, underage kids need their parents’ permission to pursue a modeling career. It’s a necessary safeguard against all the shady elements of the fashion industry. Unfortunately, many aspiring young models neglect to tell their parents because they think their modeling aspirations will be met with disapproval. They often wait until after an agency contacts them to tell their parents, which is a risk too big to take!

There is a lot of anxiety that comes with telling your parents about your desire to model, especially if you already have a feeling they won’t approve. Nevertheless, it isn’t wise to go behind their backs for the sake of your dream. Worst case scenario, an agency is interested, but you still don’t get your parents’ approval, and everybody loses.

Submissions from underage aspiring models without parental consent have become commonplace. Therefore, now almost all agency websites clearly state the requirements: an underage model needs parental consent and participation in order to complete the submission process. If a client or agency doesn’t follow these rules, they are not operating legitimately, which means they most certainly won’t have your best interest at heart. In other words, stay clear of them! And don’t even think of lying about your age, because you are always required to show a photo ID.

Agencies are simply following the law, which doesn’t permit them to do business with an underage model. Since you’re not an adult yet, you can’t make business decisions on your own, so your parents’ approval is required.

Until you turn eighteen, your parents will be a huge part of your modeling career. At least one parent/guardian has to be physically present for any agency casting call, interview and of course contract signing. Additionally, one parent/guardian must come with you to all castings, go-sees, shoots, fashion shows, and any other related projects throughout the course of your career.

There really isn’t any way around the parental factor, so don’t fight it! Just tell your parents about your modeling dreams, and then respect their decision. If at first they’re not supportive, don’t do anything rash! You can always revisit the issue later in the hope that they’ve had a change of heart.

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