So you wanna be a model?
October 13, 2016
The Winged Post spoke with New York-based model and photographer Louise Parker. She has modeled for Chanel, Dior and Saint Laurent in the past and graduated with a degree in Photography from Bard College.
Winged Post: How did you first become a model?
Louise Parker: I started modeling a little bit in college. I was scouted by a photographer in New York City who I ended up modeling for a few times, and then, after graduating, the photographer helped me find a modeling agency, and, you know, after college you graduate and have no idea what’s going on with your life. So I thought I should give it a shot, and I ended up finding a really great agency, and it just kind of all worked out from there.
WP: Has being a photographer impacted your modeling at all?
LP: I think it definitely has. I think it makes me more curious and excited to be working on set with you know different photographers who I admire. There’s a lot you can absorb by watching someone else work. So I think I’ve learned a lot as a model just being on set, watching other photographers and learning about their process.
WP: Do you think that doing journalism in high school has impacted your career today?
LP: I became interested in photography in high school, but I never really thought that it was something that I would continue with until I got to college, and initially I was interested in studying for studio arts, but the school I went to had a really strong photo department, and I ended up majoring in that and really loving it and then just continuing to practice photography on my own after graduating from college.
WP: Are there any particular brands that you like modeling for?
LP: There’s a few brands that I’ve worked with consistently over the years. One of the first brands I worked with was Saint Laurent when it was under Hedi Slimane, when he was the head fashion designer, and that was a really amazing experience because I spent a month there in September helping them do what they call “looks” for the upcoming fashion show, and it was just really cool to be working with one designer for that long of a period of time and again being able to see their process. I also worked a lot with Dior at one point, and I have worked with Chanel a lot, and I’m actually going to Paris on Sunday to walk into their show, which will be on Tuesday. I think it’s the most meaningful when you work with a designer more than just once, because you can build a relationship and once again see a bit of their process and how their designs evolve.
WP: Do you have a favorite runway show experience? Can you describe it?
LP: I just did a show this past May in Cuba with Chanel, which was a really amazing experience. I had never been to Cuba before, and I think there was a bit of controversy behind the show being there, but I think they did a really amazing job of incorporating Cuban culture. The show had a live band from Cuba. All of the food, the services [and] the afterparty employed Cuban workers, and that was a pretty amazing experience. I was able to add on two extra days to my trip and stay there and travel around myself, which was really cool.
WP: Can you describe the environment in the backstage of a runway show?
LP: It is really chaotic. Girls are coming in from other shows, they may be running late. Generally we are supposed to get there a few hours in advance, to sit through hair and makeup which can be very boring and tedious, and then some girls come in like 15 minutes before the show begins, and they have to get everything done in a matter of minutes. So it can be really really stressful actually or it can be really boring and long. It depends on when you get there, but it could be a lot of waiting around or it could be a lot of people swarming at you all at once to try to get you prepared to get on the runway.
WP: Many of your photos are focused on the behind-the-scenes of modeling. What do you aim to convey with these photos?
LP: I just hope to give a more truthful narrative to what goes on behind the scenes. I think that the media is really oversaturated with backstage photos of girls, but it’s always these over-glamorized photographs usually taken by an older male or, you know, someone who is not inside of the fashion industry, so I really try and tell my side of things. There’s a lot of downtime, there’s a lot of really boring waiting around and those are the moments that I like to capture.
WP: What do you think are some of the biggest misconceptions about modeling that you face?
LP: I definitely entered modeling with a lot of negative notions, but I think what I realized at the end of the day is that all these models are just girls doing a job. I went in thinking models are stupid and uneducated and vapid, and really it’s just like doing any other job. They’re just trying to get by, and they have other interests. It’s not just that world.
WP: Has modeling had an impact on your self-confidence?
LP: I think it has helped a lot. Well, it could go both ways. I think my self confidence may have been brought down a bit because you are constantly being rejected, but I think that’s also helped me become stronger because you do deal with a lot of rejection, and you just kind of have to go forward and realize that maybe they just didn’t need a blonde girl and maybe they needed a brunette, and, at the end of the day, they needed a brunette. At the end of the day, it’s not the end of the world.