Ashley Graham Details How She Started Modeling, Shares Her Best Advice

Ashley Graham / Dan MacMedan-USA TODAY NETWORK

Ashley Graham is spilling her top tips and divulging details about how she got into modeling. The supermodel, who made history in 2016 on the front of the SI Swimsuit Issue andVogue, opened up in an Instagram reel series.

The 36-year-old, who has been in the industry for more than two decades, and was discovered at a mall in her hometown in Nebraska, shared insight regarding how she got her first big break.

“Let’s talk shop! The most common questions I receive are always centered around modeling, from starting out to agency expectations and contract negotiations. It’s time to dive in,” she captioned the video that she shared with her 21.6 million followers. She also shouted out her book, A New Model: What Confidence, Beauty, and Power Really Look Like, which she published in 2017, that goes into a lot more detail on the matter.

Graham, who is the face of Revlon, added that she wants aspiring models to know that her “big sister” advice is only a reflection of her own experiences and perspective. “Take what resonates with you and leave what doesn’t,” she said. “We’re all on our own journeys, after all!”

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Finding a mother agency

The mom of three, who shares her boys with husband Justin Ervin, explained that it was helpful to start off with a mother agency: a term for the company who found you first. Most models who don’t live in major cities or fashion hubs like New York City, Los Angeles or Paris typically start with a mother agency.

“They put me through kind of like this modeling bootcamp where we learned how to do runway walking, attitude, personality, what to put in your model bag, all these kinds of things,” she shared.

After that, Graham went to a modeling expo with the agency, and it was basically a talent show for her to show off her skills. Graham ended up winning the small-scale competition, which earned her a deal with Wilhelmina Models in New York City.

The Brooklyn resident added that it’s helpful to only have one agency, because they take a portion of your commission.

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“One of the best things that I did for myself was to drop my mother agent when I moved to the bigger agency,” Graham explained. “A lot of times when you first are starting as a model, you’re giving 20 percent of your earnings [to your agent] and the agency is [also] taking another 20 percent from the client that is booking you. So the agency is making 40 percent off of you.”

If you have two agencies, they tend to split their commissions from you and the client, making each company less money, and providing less incentive for them to push you first for jobs over other models.

Standing up for yourself and negotiating contracts

“Your contract is always negotiable. I did not know this. It took me years, maybe decades, to figure that out and to understand that I am the one that holds power. This is my face. This is my body. This is my career, and I’m looking to hire someone to pay them a commission to help me grow and whatever my dreams whatever my goals are,” Graham stated. “There’s not one contract that I haven’t met, that is not negotiable. And that goes for modeling contracts as well. ”

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The Side Hustlers host and judge cautioned that agencies might try to push back and blame “policy” or standard industry practice, but that is just “BS.”

“If you’re feeling like it’s time to take the next step, you have proven yourself as a model, you work really hard, you make great money, your clients love you, your agents love you—it’s time for you to renegotiate your contract,” Graham continued. “Contracts are negotiable. Now every agent is different, but just trust me when I say, you may not get exactly what you want, but you can fight for yourself in every single piece of paper that comes your way.”