I once talked to an average sized female who expressed a strong desire to become a model. I was very young at the time and did not know anything about the subject of modeling except that it involved people walking down an aisle showing off clothes that they were wearing. She gave me a rather brief introduction into the world of modeling and how it was important to be tall in the modeling industry, for both men and women.

At the time I wondered what did height have to do with anything, but thinking back on the issue it was rather stupid of me not to realize just how important the issue of height is to people who want to go into modeling.

It seems that the standard motto made by people in the fashion industry is that when you have a tall, thin body, basically an ectomorphic type of body, almost all clothes that you put on will look good.

When I think back on the hordes of the young Korean females who I walk by each day while I pass by Gangnam Station, the Beverly Hills of South Korea, I must admit that the girls who are taller and skinnier do seem to make the clothes that they wear look good. This might explain why almost all the shoes sold in the subway station have 4-5 inch heels and no matter the weather there will always be girls who continue to wear their height enhancing shoes.

Side Note: It seems that the mirrors in the department stores like Nordstrom, Macy’s, Sears are not showing the person accurately since they use concave/convex shaped mirrors that makes the person looking in the mirror appear thinner and taller than they really are.

So for the person who is looking to be a model, what are the height requirements to become a model?

I looked around the internet and these are the figures I have found from NewModel.com , JohnCasblancas,com, A Model’s Diary, Models.com, and ModelMayhem.com.

The numbers below are an average of what I have noticed in the numbers given.

For Women:

• Minimum Height Cutoff Point: 5′ 8″ (or 1.73 meters tall)
• Preferred Height: 5′ 9 – 5′ 10″ (or 1.75 – 1.78 meters tall)
• Maximum Height Cutoff Point: Some agencies will not choose a women who is over 6′ 2″ but there will be some agencies who will take women who are taller to fit and sell for an unique niche.

For Men:

• Minimum Height Cutoff Point: 5′ 10″ (or 1.75 meters tall) 
• Preferred Height: 6′ 1 – 6′ 2″ (or 1.85 -1.88 meters tall)
• Maximum Height Cutoff Point: Usually it is around the 6′ 3″ mark. Fashion is a business and businesses want to focus on maximizing profits. It was reported that only around 3% of all men in the US is over 6′ 3″ so it would not make much sense to make clothing that can only be worn by a small percentage of the market.

Plus, the clothing are made so that they can be comfortably worn by multiple models interchangeably. It would not be a very economical idea to hire models who are too tall since unique and special tailoring would have to be done to fit clothes on them. This means that most models are about the same range in height and stature. 

Making an exception to the rule of height requirements in modeling

While height is important, it is not everything and the only thing required to become a good model. While most people think that modeling is a rather easy job and profession to get into, it seems that it is actually rather difficult.

Height is a large determinant of how attractive a person may be but there is also facials bone structures, cheek bone structure, skin tone and skin color, skin quality, hair style, etc.

If a person has a really beautiful facial bone structure, and flawless skin, then agencies will be willing to be more flexible on the height requirement. Two of the most cited examples of people who became very successful in the modeling industry although they were below the height requirements are Kate Moss and Devon Aoki

• Height Of Kate Moss: 5′ 6″ (or 5′ 7″ depending on which source you choose to believe)
• Height Of Devon Aoki: Her height has been reported from 5′ 3″ to 5′ 5″.

The thing I notice immediately about there faces is that there is something very unique or “special” about these models. They have a certain look which is hard to describe but most people would describe them as very attractive.

What can be done about the height issue?

Some times people lie in their portfolios and profiles, for whatever reason. Usually the reason is to make themselves more employable and get more gigs. For modeling, the most common lie about height is probably to state that one is taller than one actually is. Something I have heard being done by males models is to put extra thick insoles into their shoes to give them the boost in added height to make themselves look as tall as their counterparts. I remember watching a video on YouTube about the creator of LiftKits, Derek White telling the story of how he first got the idea for the height increasing insole business from watching a fellow male model put padded insoles to make himself look taller.

Something to remember is that if a person is going to lie about being taller than they really are, it may come back to hurt them professionally. I am not sure but I would guess that modeling agencies would probably at least do a quick height measurement when a new potential model first comes to them to validate any claims of stature.