It used to be that you had to be stick-thin with long legs and a flawless body to even have a chance in the modeling world.

Although this may seem like the current standard, this is not the reality of the ever-changing modeling world. With the rise of social media, print ads and commercials, there are plenty of other spaces in which a model can rise and thrive in.

Every company needs models, regardless of height, age, gender, race; they need them. More companies are reaching out to people through Instagram and asking perfectly normal, “non-models” to be brand representatives or to be an ambassador for the company.

Since this is so common now, you can throw the “Runway” model body-type out of the window. With social media platforms taking over the modeling industries, thanks, in part, to Kim Kardashian West, opportunities are now that weren’t necessarily there before.

Not only is social media one of the biggest platforms for modeling now, but most companies are starting their own “Love Your Curves” campaign, modeled off of Zara. More and more companies are moving away from the stick-thin and anorexic looking models and trying to get more of a variety and women that actually look healthy and confident in their own skin.

Confidence is the key to modeling. Anyone can be taught to model, but if you have the love and passion for it, then any company can pick you up from anywhere, that’s the pure beauty of it! This movement of models being any size and any shape has opened doors for so many women who were excluded completely from the modeling world prior to 10 years ago.

As worlds collide and mesh together, the need for models with different looks to break the norm of the modeling industry is being increasingly demanded in every country. Companies want new faces to emerge, and what better way to discover someone than through the exponentially growing media?