Professional modeling is a desirable career field, but it comes with a great many hardships that not everyone is cut out for. Professional models deal with realities and stress factors that the average person is completely unaware of. From the outside, it seems that professional modeling is nothing but a parade of designer clothing and beauty products, but the truth is, models face some of the most mentally taxing challenges in the work force.

For one, professional models maintain grueling work and life schedules. The expectations on models to be completely available to their professions, no matter the number of consecutive work hours or the lack of personal time, is not for the faint of heart. Models are very hard working individuals and sacrifice a great deal of personal freedoms for their careers.

Another hardship on professional models is the stigma that they are objects. This is an area where some models mentally crumble under the weight of disrespect. Because a model makes their living solely on their image, they are sometimes treated as if they are nothing more than an image instead of a complex personality. This makes a number of professional models feel reduced and objectified, which becomes a burden on their mental health.

The strict lifestyle that is required of models is more than some people in the industry can ultimately bare. When it comes to dieting, models are held to the most militant of standards. They are not allowed to mess up, lest they gain weight. If a model gains weight or damages their look in anyway, they may lose their job. The same strictness applies to exercise. They are not allowed to skip their workouts because they are meant to appear freshly toned during a job.

All of these expectations on a professional model to look perfect and perform flawlessly can create mental disorders and addictions in their lives. Low self image is a side effect of living to be beautiful, as the standards can be very harsh and unforgiving. Unfortunately, not everyone has the mental strength to confront these expectations and many slip into a mentally dark place.