Dreams and Realities of Modeling in Cuba

By Ammi

HAVANA TIMES – “For the future of modeling in Cuba, we are young Cuban entrepreneurs, helping many who did not know how to achieve success to realize their dreams.”  These are the words that start the page of the “Deflores Casting Cuba” modeling agency.

It’s true that many try to follow trends in fashion designs and dream of being models, but how many succeed?

I don’t intend to characterize this profession as superficial or banal, but I do want to make visible the promised promotion that sometimes never comes, while the parents’ pocket is bleeding so that their children manage to enter the industry.

It’s curious that the only requirement that the boys who want to do the casting need is to take shorts, in addition to the bikini and heels for the girls.

We arrived at Neptuno street and we were impressed by the more than 500 people between parents and applicants ready to present themselves – Amelia tells me remembering that day when apparently her dream of being a model would come true.

A week later the notification came to her, she had been selected – says this 18-year-old girl. Her biggest surprise was realizing that the vast majority of applicants were approved.

It is not a matter of discriminating or creating stereotypes regarding the issue, but rather of analyzing how these supposed agencies survive by deceiving whoever believes they are in the best hands.

These “chosen ones” must pay a fee of 15 CUC (USD) monthly for four months. Meanwhile, they receive elementary classes, very basic techniques, which do not guarantee a career in the complex world of the catwalks.

It turns out that when a job arrives at the agency that apparently could open doors to be recognized, they begin to ask for the requirements that were not necessary to enter the agency and sign the useless contract.

In the particular case of the Deflores agency, it works in coordination with the ICRT (Cuban institute of radio and television) providing some of the new models to be extras in series like the police series Tras la Huella, although most will never set foot in the Cuban television studios or any other advertising space.

The most incredible thing is that inadvertently these young people are paying for the real business behind the fashion propaganda, which is none other than the big and expensive beauty salons such as Deflores salon.

So, is the agency really working to fulfill the dreams of these young people?

Why not explain to parents and students that not everyone has the physical conditions they are looking for and not take their money in vain? However, what they are really after is to finance their fancy beauty shops.