How to Become a Commercial Model

Commercial Modeling: How to Become a Commercial Model. You don’t have to be tall or a specific body type to break into the modeling world. Commercial modeling embraces all looks, ages, and body shapes for advertising campaigns and product marketing.

What Is Commercial Modeling?

In the modeling industry, commercial modeling is a niche type of modeling that uses relatable, everyday people in advertisements selling products and services. Unlike runway modeling, which often favors models that conform to a sample size, the commercial modeling industry embraces all ages and body types to represent a wide swath of the population.

The commercial modeling world welcomes plus-size models, petite models, and older models for catalogs, TV advertisements, editorial modeling, fitness modeling, and more.

Fashion Modeling vs. Commercial Modeling

Though fashion and commercial modeling share some things, they differ in crucial ways. Some of the areas where they differ include:

Age: Fashion models tend to skew younger, usually between eighteen and thirty-five years old. Because commercial models represent the world at large, including young children and older people, the commercial modeling world welcomes all ages.
Attractiveness: In fashion modeling, your perceived attractiveness means a great deal. Female models usually have symmetrical features and a unique look: beautiful eyes, a stunning smile, or high cheekbones, while male models tend to be chiseled and handsome. Commercial models can look like the average person.
Height: Fashion models, particularly female runway models, tend to be taller than average, between 5’9″ and 6’ tall. Commercial models can be any height, and petite models tend to be shorter than average.
Physical fitness: While fashion models tend to be slim and fit, commercial models cover the gamut of all physical types. In recent years, many clothing companies have included plus-size models in their advertising campaigns and fashion shows to be more inclusive.
Work environment: Fashion and commercial models work in front of the camera for photo shoots. Often fashion models shoot images for use in fashion magazines, displaying high-end clothing brands, while commercial models often shoot advertisements for products and off-the-rack clothes. Fashion models also participate in fashion shows where they walk a runway or catwalk in front of an audience.