Fashion Editorial Modeling
Vogue, Elle, Glamour, Cosmo, etc. These and many other magazines that focus on fashion have lots of editorial pages they must fill each month. Many of these editorial pages feature models wearing what the magazine thinks will be the next trend in fashion. Editorial work does not pay as well as other types of high fashion modeling but it is great for building a model's reputation and getting tear sheets for one's portfolio. Also, because fashion magazines are not as constrained as advertising work, they can use more “extreme” and “special beauty” models in their pages.

Fashion Runway Modeling
Clothing designers traditionally show their new collections twice a year, fall and spring, to prospective buyers. Designers present these collections to a gathering of buyers by sending models down a walkway or runway. How well a model brings the clothes to life and shows important features of the garments can determine how well they sell. So it is worth it to a designer to have the most ideal models to show these collections. This leads to why models have to meet very strict requirements and why they get such high fees for this type of work. These young models tend to be very tall, slender and move very well in clothes.

Fashion Catalogue Modeling
There are a lot of clothing catalogues produced. These catalogues, whether business-to-business, store, or direct marketing, require models to pose in the clothes they are trying to sell. Generally, catalogue models are picked for a project because they represent the ideal of the market segment for which that catalogue is targeted. Often times this is the classic beauty, tall, slender, healthy, and beautiful. The marketing idea is for transference, i.e. if you buy these clothes you will look as nice as the person pictured in the catalogue. Catalogue modeling usually pays well because of the volume of photos that must be taken. Models could be shooting for days to produce one catalogue and that is a lot of billable hours.

Fashion Print Modeling
This is fashion and beauty for print advertising. It can be display ads or collateral print materials. This is the most demanding work to get but pays the best because of usage and exclusives. These are the ads that can make or break a designer's reputation. With these ads it is very important that the concept, photo and model work perfectly, to convey the “image” that is wanted.

Fashion Show Room Modeling
Modeling for buyers in the designer's show room.

Fashion Lingerie Modeling
Because this type of modeling may be more revealing it requires very good body tone and proportions.

Fashion Bathing Suit Modeling
Again, more revealing requires excellent body tone and a healthy look.

Fashion Fitness Modeling
As health and fitness has moved more into the public consciousness a greater demand has grown in this type of modeling. Add to this all of the fitness, health, and outdoor lifestyle magazines that are on the newsstands and you have a huge fast growing category for modeling.

Fashion Fit Modeling
Fit models have the perfect proportions for a given clothing size. Garment manufactures and designers hire fit models to use to piece together new creations, see how they move, and develop their patterns. Fit models can be hired by manufacturers in permanent salary positions. It is one type of legitimate modeling that you can see advertised in the classified section of the newspaper.

Fashion Tearoom Modeling
This once was very popular in smaller markets. Usually it would be at ladies luncheons where models would wander between tables wearing designer clothes from local fashion boutiques. The models would describe the outfit they wore and where to buy it. Not big bucks, but a place to start and gain confidence in a small market.

Further Divisions
These categories can have further sub-categories for size - Petite and Plus, and for age - children, pre-teen, and mature.

Commercial Modeling

Commercial modeling is sort of the catch all for everything that isn't fashion and isn't glamour. It is vast and diverse. The physical requirements can vary greatly. The “look” can be mom, business executive, scientist, glamorous beauty, etc. Again, the purpose is to sell something, a product, service, or idea.

Commercial Product Modeling
Generally photographers are generating a photo to sell a product and the model is used to show how the product is used. Also, the model may be used to convey an image about a product. An example would be a model dressed like a doctor holding a blood pressure device. This gives an image of medical authority being behind the product. There is also the old technique of selling a product by putting someone attractive by it. And it still works because people stop to look at a pretty face. The physical requirements and “look” for commercial product modeling can vary a great deal. It all depends on the image or story you are trying to tell. This is where character models are used.

Commercial Lifestyle Modeling
Models are used in photos showing a period of life or doing something in life. The photo might be an older couple walking on the beach and the photo is used in the advertising materials for a new retirement resort. Or a photo of a young couple playing in a park with their children and the photo is used in an ad for a life insurance company. Models are used to act out some concept or idea of life. The physical requirements, age, size, etc., can vary greatly. But they always use the "beautiful people" in these photos.

Body Part Modeling
Body part modeling is a special category that belongs in both Fashion and Commercial Modeling. This is the use of just part of the body in a photograph. Often standard models that look great in full length shots or head shots don't look so good close up. Their hands or feet may look horrible. This is where the body part model comes in. The photographer will set up a shoot using the standard model's face but the body part model's hands and it looks like it is just one person. Usually body part models will specialize in just one part of the body like hands, feet, legs, ears, or neck.

Glamour Modeling

Glamour modeling is modeling for photos with a sexual theme. These could be simple cheesecake or beefcake photos. They can include bikini, sexy outfits and lingerie modeling. On the cheesecake level, photos can be used for calendars, posters, and other pin-up girl products. You can't pick up a car magazine without seeing a beautiful babe by the car or truck. As one moves to greater states of undress you move to the adult entertainment industry with high-end men's magazines like Playboy and then on down to the low-end back-ally magazines. And let's not forget the Internet that is now loaded with all levels of sexual photos. When considering all parts of this side of modeling it is a very big industry and top glamour models can make as much as top fashion models. There are no height or size requirements as in fashion modeling. Where fashion modeling wants you to look like a beanstalk, glamour modeling wants you to have curves like Pamela Anderson. Where fashion may want a “special beauty look”, glamour modeling wants traditional drop dead gorgeous. This certainly opens up the field for women in their 20's, 30's and 40's. This field is easy to get started in as there are lots of photographs who would love to do you test shoots and photo assignments.