MY CRAZY MEDIA LIFE
PROGRAMME 4: THE MAKING OF A TEENAGE GLAMOUR GIRL
PROGRAMME OUTLINE
00:00 – 01:02
We meet 19-year-old Haf who thinks she could do well in the glamour-modelling world. A survey reveals that two thirds of teenage girls would like to have a go at glamour modelling. Haf thinks she has the life skills to cope with the pressures and problems that lie ahead.
01:03 – 04:05
Haf lives in North Wales with her parents when not studying at Goldsmiths College in London. It was her mum who encouraged her ambition by sending photos of her to some London agents. An agent explains how it all works. When they start to work on her image, the first thing they will do is change her name. They will need to know if she can handle a professional topless shoot. Haf's glamour career would have to fit around her studies. When she is interviewed, she feels that men are exploited more than the models. The models are only selling an image – not themselves.
04:06 – 07:42
Haf goes to meet two successful glamour models. They tell her about the modelling world, which is bitchy and competitive. They discuss the attitudes of boys. We see one of the models at a shoot for Page 3 of The Sun. She feels old at 20 because there are lots of 18-year-olds coming along. There are only 15 Page 3 girls in the country and she is worried that somebody else will be given her job. The photographer lists the attributes you need to be a glamour model. She talks about their salaries, which are not as good as young hopefuls think.
07:43 – 08:30
Back home in Wales, Haf is in discussion with her brother, whose friend has been in her room looking for a trophy pair of knickers.
08:31 – 10:01
We see the agents and the photographer looking for an image for Haf. She might be offered a shoot for Maxim, a men's magazine. They decide on the smart 'bookish' look. They ask her to book into a beauty salon for an all over tan. There is a lot of preparation involved. The beautician says she would be worried about what her dad and granddad thought.
10:02 – 10:41
Haf's parents are interviewed. Her father is shocked and worried about his daughter's career. He feels she is selling herself and not a product. He is concerned that she may not be able to take the knocks.
10:42 – 11:55
Glamour modelling is clearly an over-crowded market. Michelle, a model who has been working for three years, is interviewed and she says it is a constant struggle. She thought it was great at first, thinking there was loads of money to be made. She says your principles change as you have to sell yourself all the time.
11:56 – 17:11
Haf says she would refuse to do certain explicit poses. She has to take props from among her own possessions to the shoot. She shows a vintage perfume bottle, a treasured possession that was a gift from her parents. She admits she is scared as she travels to London for the shoot. When she gets there she talks of the perfume bottle as some old charity shop thing. There is no interest in her props. She is asked to get into a lot of sexually explicit poses. The agent says she is a quick learner. She is exhausted as she travels back home.
17:12 – 20:14
Discussing the photos with her friend she is worried about her grandmother seeing them. She is shocked that they wanted to work on the 'smart' image. The editor of Maxim is very impressed with the photos.
20:15 – 23:35
The agent says that Maxim will use her for four pages. We see her family's reaction to the photos. Her brother is disgusted and says it's wrong. Her father says they are very sexual and finds it hard to reconcile the photos with his daughter. He talks about her future, which could either be one of great happiness and wealth, or one of great sadness. The editor of Maxim and her agent say it depends on the readership. Haf then sets out her hopes for the future.
