Hardships

The hidden labor behind the fantasy: diva behavior, unpaid or unpublished work, creative compromises, clashing with client visions, and the weight of being underpaid and over delivering. All the things that rarely make it into the credits but define the experience.

Manuela Alvarez

(Fashion Model)

Q: Have you ever been discriminated against or felt judged because of your work?

Yes. Some people assume that if you’re a model, you can’t be intelligent, have opinions, or complain about things that bother you. It’s frustrating because modeling also requires a lot of discipline, emotional resilience, and professionalism.

Belu Bergagna

(Fashion model)

Q: What’s a crazy experience that happened to you and still went through with it?

Once, we went to shoot on a beach five hours away from Buenos Aires. We left at 3 a.m., slept in the van, got there, and started working right away. It was winter, and the beach we were at was completely deserted — not even accessible by car. Only some jeeps dropped us off and then left. It was pretty chaotic: freezing cold, super windy, and no shelter whatsoever. Luckily, the team had great energy — everyone gave their best — and with lots of hot tea, we managed to shoot a whole campaign in under four hours.

Amalia Triana

(Dancer)

Q: Have you ever been made to feel like your role was less important than others on the team?

Yes, but with time I’ve also learned how to protect myself. I’ve put in a lot of effort to understand the industry, so now I know which jobs to take and which ones to walk away from.
Basic things, like being on set with a singer and realizing that the only person referred to as “the artist” is the singer—you’re not seen as their equal.
I’ve been looked up and down and made to feel lesser more times than I can count. But I’ve reached a point where I’ve built my own image and made it clear what I bring to the table.
People who work with me now understand my value—my time, my rate, and my contribution.

Martxel Montero

(Fashion stylist)

Q: Have you ever felt like you didn’t get the credit you deserved?

More than once. Sometimes they forget to mention my name—or spell it wrong. It happens even more often with makeup artists, retouchers… unfortunately, it’s common. On a deeper level, it often feels like the whole creative direction of a project is credited to the photographer. But for me, that doesn’t make sense. If it’s not a collaborative effort, it won’t work. As a stylist, the creative input I bring often goes unnoticed or uncredited.

Barbie

(Fashion Model)

Q: Have you ever been discriminated against or judged because of your profession?

Absolutely. A lot of people don’t see modeling or creative jobs as “real work,” so they assume you’re doing it as a hobby and don’t take you seriously. It really undermines the effort and the respect the profession deserves.

And nowadays, with so many new ways to make “easy money,” people often make comparisons or assumptions that, just because you’re a model, you might also be doing sex work. That really hurts. It’s offensive—especially when people approach you with other intentions or make inappropriate offers.

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undermines the effort and the respect the profession deserves.