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Ottawa based model Blythe Cronyn has traveled the world modeling in major markets such as Toronto, Bangkok-Thailand and Tokyo-Japan! Now the young model finds herself on contract in another amazing market, Shanghai-China! Blythe, in her own words, shares with us, some information for both new models possibly coming to the market of Shanghai but also some little details that any traveler Shanghai bound may find useful!
1. Name :
Blythe Cronyn
2. Mother agency:
B&M Model Management, with A+ Modeling Agency in Shanghai (bnmmodels.com, aplus-model.com)
3. How long is your contract?:
My contract is 60 days; I arrived July 25th . Contracts range between 30 and 90 days, but I am limited by wanting to get back and finish my last year of Political Science at Ryerson this fall. If you want to make good money in this market, you are better off staying as long as the agency is willing to extend your contract. Clients here need time to get to know you, and will usually re-book a favoured model many times.
4. What could you tell us about Shanghai's market for new models/models whom have not yet been?: Shanghai is a great market for new models. You don’t need to have a stellar book, although it always helps, so girls with only a couple shoots in their books can do very well here. Clients will book models based on performance at castings more commonly than direct bookings through pictures, so if you have a good look for China, are friendly, and polite, you should do fine.
5. What is something interesting/different about the city?:
Chinese culture is down to earth; people are very family and friend oriented, and don’t generally care about what others think. At meal times you don’t have your own plate, you share everything in the middle of the table, with lots of yelling and reaching over everyone else. Chinese people are also comfortable with staring openly in public, and pushing or shoving to get where you need to go is acceptable as well. A lot of models don’t take the time to learn about the culture of the country they are visiting, and many of them consider the staring or pushing rude and a sign of an unintelligent.
6. What is the shopping like?:
Shopping in China is very fun! There are shopping malls similar to those found in Canada with most of the same designer names, but prices are pretty much on par to Canada as well. There are also many markets, which sell everything from jewellery to kitchen appliances to dogs to knock-off designer purses, to tattoo shops and manicure salons (I’d recommend avoiding these last two). You can bargain with the vendors but they will quickly jump on foreigners and inflate prices sometimes 20 times what an item is actually worth. If you are smart and firm in your bargaining, you can get great deals.
7. Any current fashion trends that stand out/ different that you have noticed?:
A lot of the Chinese girls dress in an almost Paris Hilton-esque style: sky-high heels, mini skirts, huge “designer” bags, oversize sunglasses, and a Swarovski crystal bedazzled iPhone. I do love that most girls here are always done up to the nines; no Uggs, sweatpants, or puffy vests in sight!
8.Makeup trends that you have noticed?:
Bright polish and flashy nails are huge, with lots of glitter and designs. Chinese girls also love fake lashes and lots of eyeliner. In Canada, models are instructed to wear absolute minimal makeup to castings. Here, since you are having your picture taken at every casting, most models will layer on camera-ready faces and re-apply many times throughout the day (after sweating it off over and over). I try and stick to a happy medium, with a great base of foundation and blush, maybe a touch of black liner close to the top lash line, natural lips, and tons of mascara. Tanned skin is very unpopular here so models are encouraged to stay out of the sun.
9. Favorite thing about shanghai?:
China is developing very quickly right now, and Shanghai is at the very hub of it all. Everywhere you go there are new skyscrapers going up at lightning speed. I really love the Bund, a stretch of Zhongshan Road along the Huangpu River that faces Pudong, the business district with most of the fancy hotels and skyscrapers as well as Shanghai TV Tower, a smaller, pink version of our CN tower. The Bund is a collection of dozens of historical colonial buildings that originally housed banks and trading houses from many European nations, all ornately decorated with lots of marble and statues. Now the Bund is full of top line designer shops, restaurants, and nightclubs.
10. Something you'd recommend to eat for somebody whose never been to Shanghai?:
I LOVE pan-fried pork dumplings! Chinese food here is different than “American” Chinese food at home, no egg rolls or chicken balls! Lots of steamed vegetables, noodles, rice, and many different kinds of meat. But since we are on the go all day every day, unfortunately a lot of my meals consist of whatever can be scavenged from the local convenience store.
11. Shanghai's currency?:
Chinese currency is the yuan, or RNB. Exchange rates are approximately 7RNB to 1CAD.
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| Shanghai - cityscape |
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| Shanghai |
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| Blythe - backstage at fashion show in Shanghai |
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Blythe - backstage at fashion show in Shanghai
You can continue to follow Blythe on her adventures at b1gsky.wordpress.com |
