chinaadventure (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} chinaadventure) wrote,@ 2005-12-28 21:05:00 |
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Taipei - I'm gonna be a supermodel...
Having decided that five minutes sitting for a camera dressed in jeans and a T-shirt was enough of a portfolio to go professional, I agreed to be a model in a show in Taipei. A few weeks ago my friend Sharon told me that the hair salon she worked for was preparing for a one-day show in Taipei County to demonstrate their special hairstyling technique, and they were looking for volunteers to be models. My hair was dyed a few days in advance to "deepen" the color (it's now reddish-brown) and orange highlights were added for "character." Since I had never dyed my hair before, I was grateful to have a few days to get used to it before having to pose in front of an audience.
On Monday morning my friend Jasmine and I boarded the bus at 6:30 along with the instructors, the crew and three other Taiwanese models-for-a-day. We promptly went back to sleep for the four-hour ride to Taipei County. When we arrived at the Four Points Sheraton, everyone helped unload the bus and carry the equipment upstairs to the convention room. Although the instructors had said that this was not a large show, there was a stage already constructed in the front and seats set out for about a hundred people. We changed quickly into the black dresses and boots provided for us and rotated between the makeup and hair preparation stations. The makeup was heavier than almost anything I've ever worn; it took almost two days to remove it all. In addition, the combination of lots of dark blue mascara and fake eyelashes meant it was a few minutes before I could stare into the stage lights without my eyes watering. Once the hair and makeup were finished we were arranged by the side of the stage and given a routine for the final presentation. It was difficult enough to remember "First stand facing the audience, turn and put one hand on hip, walk forward, put one foot on the lower step and your wrist on the male model's shoulder, stand a little closer to him and by the way don't forget to smile..." without trying to figure out if "liang ge ba pai" means two counts of four or eight. However, after a few minutes of rehearsal we got it (mostly) right and were told to go backstage and wait for the show to start.
During the show, the five of us were led out one at a time and seated for a haircut in front of approximately fifty people. We had been paired in advance with an instructor who was familiar with our hair type and already had a design in mind, although we had no idea what it was. When my turn came I was seated on stage and told to smile while one instructor styled my hair and another provided commentary on "the foreign model with the curly hair who also speaks Mandarin!" There were no mirrors on stage so I could only watch out of the corner of my eye as big pieces of my hair drifted to the ground. When the instructor had finished I was taken to the side to have my hair blown dry and styled while the next model was led onto the stage. I then had to strut to the end of the stage, smile and pose with my new haircut for a few seconds in blinding stage lights, then turn and exit. When all five of us had been styled, we lined up for the final procession still trying to remember who was supposed to go forward on which eight-count. Despite a couple of hiccups we got through it and went out into the lobby while the instructors talked to the audience.
In the lobby we held a photo shoot, which was much easier than the procession since we didn't have to time any movements. We were each photographed from different angles and then shot some "funny pictures" together before heading to the bathroom to change and start washing off the makeup. By five in the afternoon the conference room was empty so we disassembled the equipment and loaded up the bus for the ride home. As the bus pulled away from the hotel Jasmine leaned back in her seat and announced, "I don't get it. I'm so tired right now, and we hardly did anything today!"
Photos from modelling: http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a
Having decided that five minutes sitting for a camera dressed in jeans and a T-shirt was enough of a portfolio to go professional, I agreed to be a model in a show in Taipei. A few weeks ago my friend Sharon told me that the hair salon she worked for was preparing for a one-day show in Taipei County to demonstrate their special hairstyling technique, and they were looking for volunteers to be models. My hair was dyed a few days in advance to "deepen" the color (it's now reddish-brown) and orange highlights were added for "character." Since I had never dyed my hair before, I was grateful to have a few days to get used to it before having to pose in front of an audience.
On Monday morning my friend Jasmine and I boarded the bus at 6:30 along with the instructors, the crew and three other Taiwanese models-for-a-day. We promptly went back to sleep for the four-hour ride to Taipei County. When we arrived at the Four Points Sheraton, everyone helped unload the bus and carry the equipment upstairs to the convention room. Although the instructors had said that this was not a large show, there was a stage already constructed in the front and seats set out for about a hundred people. We changed quickly into the black dresses and boots provided for us and rotated between the makeup and hair preparation stations. The makeup was heavier than almost anything I've ever worn; it took almost two days to remove it all. In addition, the combination of lots of dark blue mascara and fake eyelashes meant it was a few minutes before I could stare into the stage lights without my eyes watering. Once the hair and makeup were finished we were arranged by the side of the stage and given a routine for the final presentation. It was difficult enough to remember "First stand facing the audience, turn and put one hand on hip, walk forward, put one foot on the lower step and your wrist on the male model's shoulder, stand a little closer to him and by the way don't forget to smile..." without trying to figure out if "liang ge ba pai" means two counts of four or eight. However, after a few minutes of rehearsal we got it (mostly) right and were told to go backstage and wait for the show to start.
During the show, the five of us were led out one at a time and seated for a haircut in front of approximately fifty people. We had been paired in advance with an instructor who was familiar with our hair type and already had a design in mind, although we had no idea what it was. When my turn came I was seated on stage and told to smile while one instructor styled my hair and another provided commentary on "the foreign model with the curly hair who also speaks Mandarin!" There were no mirrors on stage so I could only watch out of the corner of my eye as big pieces of my hair drifted to the ground. When the instructor had finished I was taken to the side to have my hair blown dry and styled while the next model was led onto the stage. I then had to strut to the end of the stage, smile and pose with my new haircut for a few seconds in blinding stage lights, then turn and exit. When all five of us had been styled, we lined up for the final procession still trying to remember who was supposed to go forward on which eight-count. Despite a couple of hiccups we got through it and went out into the lobby while the instructors talked to the audience.
In the lobby we held a photo shoot, which was much easier than the procession since we didn't have to time any movements. We were each photographed from different angles and then shot some "funny pictures" together before heading to the bathroom to change and start washing off the makeup. By five in the afternoon the conference room was empty so we disassembled the equipment and loaded up the bus for the ride home. As the bus pulled away from the hotel Jasmine leaned back in her seat and announced, "I don't get it. I'm so tired right now, and we hardly did anything today!"
Photos from modelling: http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a
