A model’s life looks glamorous. There’s expensive clothes, top hair and makeup artists, long limbs, constant jetsetting, champagne filled parties and beautiful photoshoots. We know of course, the reality can be very different.
It’s hard work, long hours and turns out, often very little pay.
When Mia Freedman spoke to Chelsea Bonner, former model, founder of plus size modelling agency Bella and daughter of model Nola Clark, on No Filter, she shared how much models really earn.
It’s likely a lot less than you’d expect – and probably less than you.
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“What people don’t realise is that a model is paid, for a day rate for editorial, $180,” Bonner said.
“And that’s before your commissions [to your agency]. So you end up with $96 in your pocket. That works out to be $12 an hour for an eight hour day.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a top model like Elle Macpherson or Kate Smith doing her first job, the price is the same.
So why bother?
“Everyone does editorial cheaply because that’s what you need for your portfolio which then gets you the advertising jobs. That’s where the real money is,” said Mia.
For an advertising campaign you could be looking at anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000 a day, depending on the model. When you hear the earnings of some of the big names like Kendall Jenner, who was 2017’s highest earning model with a cool $22 million last year, followed by Gisele Bundchen at $17.5 million, that’s where they’re getting their money as well as other endorsements.
