A Quote by Lucky Blue Smith

Most of my friends are in the industry - photographers, models, stylists, and social media kids. — © Lucky Blue Smith
Most of my friends are in the industry - photographers, models, stylists, and social media kids.
The challenge for me, and for Asian models in general has been convincing editors, stylists and photographers that we can have mass appeal, but Asian, especially Chinese models have become a stronger presence. Just a season or two ago, there weren't many models for me to talk with backstage in my native Mandarin. Now I usually have no trouble finding someone at any show.
My social media world is detached from my friendship world. I'll have friends in real life that I don't follow on social media, because I don't really look at social media as the way of connecting to friends. For me, social media is like a business tool.
A girl's career today doesn't have the same kind of life span, whereas it used to be a collaboration and a partnership and it continued. Peter Lindbergh still uses girls - like, look at Amber Valetta - so there are some photographers that have relationships long-term with models. I also think that the industry can't support the amount of models that exist right now and therefore the relationships between photographers and models and even the clients is short lived.
Social media has had a huge impact on the industry. Models now have voices. We are connected directly to millions of people, and we are no longer just pretty faces modeling clothes. This has allowed us to reach a broad audience. This platform for models to connect directly with their fans has started to shift the power dynamic in the industry, but there's still a long way to go. I think we are heading in the right direction, as more people start to see the value in inviting models in the creative and collaborative process.
It's funny: I spend time in the book criticizing social media, but I'm also aware that a lot of my success is because of social media. I can broadcast myself and my work to thousands of people that are following me or my friends. I do think that social media can be good for self-promotion.
It's not easy for most girls to stand in next-to-nothing and listen to photographers and stylists commenting on how they look.
Social media has truly helped my career because it has given models a voice. And a voice is something that we want to see a change in the industry.
Certification programs for social media are blossoming as a response to the demand for more social media training. Both industry professionals and recent graduates are tapping into tactical training programs to help them stay up to date as the industry grows.
The way the media tends to cover fashion is as this superfluous, vacuous industry. They focus on models and shows, but behind all that is a massive global industry.
I think people in the fasion industry need to listen more and not look the other way when someone has a voice. We need to stop sending girls and boys to photographers or professionals who are known to be abusive. There should be a much more controlled environment in place for young models to protect them, and this should be led and supported by professionals in the industry. We need to create an environment in which models feel safe sharing information about their on-set experiences, instead of being silenced.
Personally, I'd love to see more social media firms develop business models that aren't reliant on advertising. If you're a social media firm selling ads, your goal is to get people to interrupt what they're doing all day long so they come and stare at your service as much as possible.
Now, the term 'friend' is a little loose. People mock the 'friending' on social media, and say, 'Gosh, no one could have 300 friends!' Well, there are all kinds of friends. Those kinds of 'friends,' and work friends, and childhood friends, and dear friends, and neighborhood friends, and we-walk-our-dogs-at-the-same-time friends, etc.
I wanted to create Rouje to bring together my talented friends - photographers, stylists, graphic designers - in a project to create my universe and perfect dressing. I did not want to call the brand my name, because I have other projects, and this brand is the result of the work of several people and not just me.
While social media is a one of the best tools to spread brand awareness, network, stay updated on the latest industry news, and catch up with friends or family, it's another huge time waster.
I've always said that I feel lucky to live in the era of social media and be a working model in this time. Back in the day, models were just another face. But social media has given people a voice and not just another face. Not only can you show the world your personality and stuff like that, but you can be a brand ambassador easily.
When I put about my anxiety on social media, I decided I'm just going to be honest about it. I'm really glad I did it because I do think social media has taken over everyone's lives right now, especially the young ones. Kids are rocking around with Instagram at 5.
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