by Insanity Doll is a French petite alternative model who loves fishnets, make-up, and cute shoes. She’s got a passion for darker alternative genres and expressing herself through creative outfits and twisted themed photoshoots. I had the chance to sit and chat with her about her modeling history and here’s what she had to say.
When did you start modeling and what was it that made you want to do it?
I began two years ago, by chance. I was in Paris with friends, at the Jardin des Tuileries, we were dressed in Cyber Goth outfits and there were a few novice photographers with us. They took photos of us and one of them noticed me. He told me that he loved my look and that he thought I knew how to pose. He proposed that we do other photo shoots together, and that’s how the adventure started.
To be a successful model requires lots of stuff, perhaps a gorgeous face, hot body, and lots of time & nerves to get the name out? What’s your secret?
To be a successful model, I think you need to be self-confident, believe in what you do, in your capacities, and never listen to the people who try to make you feel bad — as some models tried with me, telling me I was ugly or insulting me. (The one I’ll always remember is from a known alternative model who told me that I looked like I was drunk and homeless.) Modeling is more than posing in front of the camera and being pretty; you need to be strong and to be able to ignore those who want to hurt you. But you’ve got to accept the real constructive criticism and advice that people can give to you, and most of all you’ve got to be strict with yourself, always trying to do better, to grow up, evolve, and learn. That’s how you’ll become a successful model. And most of all — stay yourself!
Models fighting… it’s a fierce world! We joke, but we would hope the alternative modeling scene would be more copacetic.
What was the hardest part about getting into the business?
For me, the hardest part was getting into the business. First, when you begin, you don’t have a lot of experience, you don’t have high-quality photos, so the “good” photographers don’t have the desire to work with you ’cause most of the time they want models with experience. You’ve got to convince them of your motivation, your professionalism, and your ability. And even more when you’re not an adult (I was an adolescent when I started ).
And this is the second problem: I didn’t have my majority. I was under the authority of my parents and they didn’t understand my passion for modeling. In their opinion, it was a dangerous hobby. They forbade me to continue — but I disobeyed. I continued the photoshoots without their knowledge, I signed the contracts imitating my mother’s signature. A few months later, I showed them the photoshoots, and I explained to them how important this activity was to me. They didn’t understand or like my hobby, but they let me do it.
What drew you into the alternative scene and what inspires you to this day?
I’ve been part of the alternative scene since I was 12. I began with a gothic look, because when I was younger I suffered from depression and anorexia. Year by year this style evolved, I wore more colored clothes, inspired by different styles – Punk, Goth, Emo, and Lolita, etc. That’s why today I don’t consider that I’m part of a specific movement. I’m not Goth or Cyber or Punk or anything else; I’m just myself, a big mix of styles and inspirations created by the things I lived through during all those years.
Today, it’s the same: there are days when I need to be dressed with colors and others when I need to look more “dark.” People that inspire me are the models like Dani Divine, Razor Candi, Kato, and more broadly the “Pastel Goth,” “Cyber Goth,” and “Batcave” movements in general.
The thing I love the most is to create contrasts, like wearing cute clothes and studded accessories: something cute and sweet with something darker and aggressive.
Find out what makes Insanity Doll so feminine and what her favorite fashion genre is after the break…
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