America’s Next Top Model Follow Up and Advice With Sundai Love


America’s Next Top Model Finalist Sundai Love is a newly contributing writer on Bella Petite and will be sharing her industry experience and petite model insight.

PETITE MODEL ADVICE

I have received a million questions about the modeling industry.  The main question is how to break in to the modeling industry if you are 5’5” and under? My first advice would be to join this platform we have here with Bella Petite.  The petite fashion movement as I see it is the most important first step in the process of breaking down the fashion industry height standards, in order to gain market place for petite models.  If we don’t unite together to as an organized effort to change the industry standards the status quo will remain and opportunity for petite models won’t happen.

For aspiring petite models my advice to you is to learn the business and hone your craft.  Make sure you have the tools it requires for you to market yourself to the industry professionals.  Bella Petite has provided you a road map on what you need to do to get started. Petite Model and Retail Industry Insight.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

My personal petite model suggestion from my experience is that you will need to create a simple book with a minimum of six strong looks that best represent you. Always have one fresh face beauty shot. You need a full body fashion editorial shot.  A great swimwear shot is a must have. Also, a full body catalogue styled look.  For the petite model you should always have a commercial editorial shot and commercial headshot.  Never have glamour or pageant shots and make sure your photos look like you!

KEYS TO SUCCESS

Another key to success is networking and marketing yourself.  You must have a strong comp card and book.  Your comp card is your business card and it allows clients to see what you can do for them.  You need to do mailings and go on go-sees at agencies.  Get your foot in the door. Have extra comp cards to leave with agents for them to submit to perspective clients.  It’s not likely a petite model will have exclusive representation, but that’s okay it will allow you to greater options and ability to obtain jobs on your own through multiple agents and casting directors.

APPEARANCE AND KNOWLEDGE

Always be prepared with your best face forward when you go to on an agency interview, casting call and go-see.  Make sure you look nice and professional.  No sloppy clothing, crazy clothing or flip flops ever. Your hair should be out of your face.  In the modeling world less is more.  Never glam it up, you don’t want to look like a clown or bimbo. Clean, fresh light makeup to accent your best features.  The agents and clients want to see what they are working with.

CALL BACKS
Once you start getting call backs you should be super prepared.  As a model you should know who your top five favorite models, photographers and clothing designers are.  There’s nothing more embarrassing than not knowing your business and the who’s who in the industry.  Always know what you are talking about they will test you on it.

“NO” GET USE TO IT

Don’t be discouraged when you hear “no” be prepared to hear it a lot it’s a harsh reality of the business. Be prepared to work twice as hard as a petite model the industry has barriers for you to overcome.  We already know the industry likes its amazon models for shock value, but that doesn’t mean the walls won’t come tumbling down.  That’s why we need to support Bella Petite to advocate change and challenge the industry standards.  Become a member like I did.  After my experience on America’s Next Top Model, I know it’s going to take a great effort to create change, but we can do it as a united group!

INVEST IN YOURSELF AND KNOW YOUR CRAFT

If you really want to become an actress or a model, I can’t stress enough the importance of education and investing money into your career.  You have to treat an entertainment and modeling career just like any other business.  A pretty face isn’t enough to make it happen.  If you want to be a singer you would invest money in music training and create a demo tape. You want to become an actor you need to invest money and attend acting workshops, commercial workshops, study drama in college, obtain a great headshot, create a resume and submit them to casting directors.  Make no mistake about it, you will need to know and love your craft.

Please leave your questions and comments for me here on Bella Petite.  Take that first step and become a Bella Petite member… I did! I am excited to be the first  Bella Petite Model Cover Girl.  JOIN US!

SUNDAI LOVE AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL FOLLOW-UP

I want to set the record straight. As per my contractual obligations with ANTM I will answer questions to best of my ability.

  1. Were all the girls portrayed fairly?  The producers had control of the direction that would be up to them what footage of the show was aired. My thoughts are that you shouldn’t judge someone based off a reality show. Most of the girls were very sweet.
  2. Who were my favorites on the show?  My favorites were Ashley, Erin, Kara, lulu, Bianca and Nicole .Almost everyone, but I was closest to Laura and Jenn.
  3. Who did I suspect to be in the final two?  I had it made up in my mind that the final two would be Nicole and me.
  4. Are you still modeling now?  Yes, I am also getting in to acting and would like to do voice over’s.
  5. Did you keep Rodger?  No, sadly the cat came with the house he had to stay.
  6. Was Nicole slow?  Actually Nicole is one of the smartest people I know.

Join me and become a member of BellaPetite.com and help us “tear down the industry height standards!”
Written by: Sundai Love

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17 thoughts on “America’s Next Top Model Follow Up and Advice With Sundai Love”

  1. This is a great what you are doing with Bella Sundai! I am a member and looking to see what happens next with you! thanks for your info.

  2. Hi Sundai you are so pretty I can't beleive your not getting tons of work. I think we all thought it was in the bag for you since you were on antm…they are so lame! The agents and the fashion magazines got it worng! you convinced me to be a petite member now!

  3. Sundaii what great pictures you take I always thought you were the best one on antm. That Nicole is ugly by far and to tall to be petite! thank you for your advice and I'm gonna take it to heart. I joined petite too!

  4. You are very beautiful! I wish i looked like you I could be a model then. We need to get more attention for us petite gals and this is the way. Nothing else like Bellapetite on the internet. This awesome you are part of this. Thank you for helping us petite girls!

  5. You really know what your talking about! thank for the advice and I look more to reading what you say here.I am a petite member now!

  6. I am so proud of you! You really inspire me and i like being petit for once in my life! I think you are really great person. I followed your advice I a petite member. thanks:-)

  7. I was told to try parts modeling, but can't find an agent looking to use petite models for this either do you know of any in LA that will take us? I read some how to books really lame. what to do next?

  8. It is sad we have to try extra hard for attention cause we ain't 5'8 or something. I stopped buying thos stupid magazines so long ago. Now we have this hooray!

  9. It really is time petite models made it! I want to do more to make it happen for us. should we send letters to clothing designers in mass telling them what we want?

  10. First of all I think this whole Model Craze is so misunderstood. Even at 5'1 or whatever your height that doesn't mean your going to be a Model and it doesn't mean you are right for the business just as it doesn't mean every 5'11 is a Model either. While Sundai is great for first of all surviving Reality TV but trying work at her dream as a Model, she is off the show and back into the real world with the rest of us and the real agencies that don't give a damn about Top Model. Sundai I hope you are reading this and hope that you will share with the others to be realistic and tell them what that means, no BS. Please also tell them what jobs you've done professionally so they don't get the idea that you came off the show and started working with Elite or Ford; that is NOT real. Also tell us what steps you are taking towards making Petite women more excepted in the Model business because that's what this is really about. Most of the comments are Model related so that's how I'll address them. Also just to make a comment to all reading, Petites are the majority of Actresses in Hollywood in case you are unaware. At TV castings most of the girls are 5 feet or so and very few leading ladies are over 5'5 . I think there were a few false comments earlier about that.

    1. Hi Malika: As per your comment regarding the entertainment industry, we have never made "false comments about petite actresses not being the majority."

      Reality check: Petite women are the majority and the mainstream media needs to recognize that most celebrities are petite. It’s a fact, petite women dominate the entertainment industry.

      More information here…http://bellapetite.com/what-is-petite/

      Also, for clarification purposes, Sundai never represented she was signed by a major agency. In fact, on the Bella Petite Hour radio show she clearly stated CoverGirl cosmetics didn't come through with their deal. The ANTM producer's broke their promises and the association with the show has not been too helpful in furthering her efforts to work as a "petite model". That is why she became a BellaPetite.com member , she realizes there needs to be real change for petite models to have the same opportunity as the amazon models. Keep in mind I am launching a "Petite Fashion Magazine" this year. BellaPetite.com is the web community and is a separate entity from the magazine.

      Thank you for your lively commentary here on BellaPetite.com.

  11. I think the media does recognize that a lot of Actors are Petite but Not a lot of people AKA some members that comment here know this. Most Actresses are smaller women, there are only a few that are really tall. I did hear Sundai talk about Cover Girl and how they didn't come through with what they said , yes that was a mess but I expected that from some Reality Show. I want Sundai to come on here and just tell the girls who seem confused about the Model world. And I don't expect her to be so knowledgeable because she really hasn't been in the game as a Professional however, based on the questions and comments I am hearing there are some really confused girls out there.
    I didn't know about the Magazine, well that is a GREAT IDEA (applause) and a good start.

  12. HI Ladies this is Sundai! Thank you for reading and providing responses to my article.

    To Julie: I am sure you have been told to do parts modeling as a petite. For me I am not interested in wasting my time to compete with tall models for this work too. The pay is not so great and no real exposure I'd rather be a veterinarian, which I am studying in college. If you want to do this you will need to put together a comp card showing your best parts, so agents and clients can see you doing the job. You will need to build a commercial portfolio and to do that you should shoot with many photographers and earn some tear sheets. You should network with some photographers at websites like ModelMayhem.com. Don't expect to find real work on that site. You may find some photographers looking to build their books at no cost to you. After you have a good comp card submit it to as many agents as you can repeatedly. Yes, it is a long tedious process, but that is what it takes to get an agent and the work.

    To Lori: Not sure how you got that idea. I think being on ANTM has given me exposure that is helpful to opening some doors than if I wasn't on the show and just another aspiring petite model it would be tougher. I am receiving offers, but some of them I am not interested in doing. When I get out of school I plan to pick up my pursuit of being in acting and modeling full time. Thank you for your concern.

    To Malika: You have some good points. I don't agree on all of your views, but they are only opinions.
    Yes the REAL world of modeling isn't easy at all. But if you go for it 110% know what you are doing and what you are good at you may succeed. I never represented that I was booked with Elite or Ford Models after my run on ANTM. ANTM pretty much don't do anything with you once you are off the show.

    I am considered a celebrity guest from being on ANTM. I have made several appearances on televised talk shows. At the moment I have two covers for magazines and two makeup contracts being rolled out this year, so I am getting some work. It's not what it could be due to my height and I hear that daily in Los Angeles, it's extremely tough market to be a petite model in. The models that mainly work here are 5'7" and over period. I know, I see it at every model casting. If you are under 5'4" let alone 5'1" your chances are even worse. I am 5'3" tall, it's mocked at in the business. If you are in my height range you'll find out what it's like when you try to do get work and an agent. It is all a long process of let downs in reality, the few yes's are what keep you going!

    After my experiences on ANTM and in Los Angeles, I get why we petite girls need BellaPetite.com to succeed in their efforts and break the industry height standards. That is why I joined immediately when I saw an advertisement for them. I am so happy I discovered someone like Ann willing to do the hard work and promote us and she is out to make a difference in the industry for petite girls! I hope you are a petite member.

    I am here to offer advice based off my experience. Keep the comments coming and Love you all! I am off to class now, yay college! Talk to you soon.

  13. You really inspire me,I think you are great person.I always thought you were the best one on antm.Thanks for your advice!!!<3<3

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