A fee of $5,300 for 4 hours: how much money do international models from Uzbekistan earn?

A fee of $5,300 for 4 hours of work: how much do international models from Uzbekistan earn?

International models Doniyor Ergashev and Dilnura Obidova were guests on the latest episode of the "O‘zimizning gap" (Our Own Talk) show on the "Mening yurtim" TV channel. During the conversation, they spoke about their first fees in modeling, the height requirements to become a model according to international standards, and other aspects of the industry.

Doniyor Ergashev: "I started modeling 10 years ago"

— My career in the modeling field started 10 years ago, in 2016. Actually, I didn't have the goal of becoming a model. I just thought it would be nice to look good in photos. When I looked at my old photos, in some my eyes were closed, and in others I didn't like my smile. When I went to a modeling agency, I told them: "Teach me how to pose correctly for photos, the runway is not for me. Because it doesn't fit our mentality."

Then, for two months, I studied in a photography course as the only boy among 12 girls. Back then, the girls would come up and ask, "Why did you come here?" After that, I started asking myself the same question. In the end, here I am, I have been working in this field ever since, and now we are becoming well-known in Uzbekistan.

Dilnura Obidova: "I started modeling when I was six years old"

— I started modeling at the age of six. Back then, people from a newspaper came and chose me from among the children. In the past, there used to be girls wearing doppi (traditional skullcaps) on banners, and I was one of them. Later, I came to Turkey. I worked in modeling there for a while. But since this profession was not very developed there either, I decided to go to America.

After arriving in America, I studied at academies. After I finished my studies, major agencies worked with me. There, I joined the ranks of top models, unlike in Uzbekistan. The reason for this is that in Uzbekistan and the CIS countries, they prefer more artificiality. If you look at American women, they photograph them with their wrinkles and freckles. They value naturalness.

I remember one time, they took me to Rihanna's agent. Back then, I was dressed up as if I were going to a wedding. The people there didn't like me. Then they showed my photos without makeup. After that, they said they would work with me only after I washed my face, she says.

International standards

When the host of the project asked what is of primary importance for models on international runways, the models answered as follows:

— For both men and women, height is of primary importance. The height parameter for women is set from 1.78 meters to 1.84 meters. For men, this indicator is above 1.85 meters. They do not accept anyone below or above these standards, they said.

After that, Dilnura Obidova shared that she walked the runway for the first time in 35-centimeter high heels:

— The first time I went on the runway, if I'm not mistaken, I wore 35-centimeter high heels. After one model girl said she couldn't walk in such high heels, I took even higher shoes and went out onto the runway. I really enjoyed being on the runway back then. I felt like the runway was made for me, that this was my place, she says.

Doniyor Ergashev: "I received a fee of $5,300 for four hours"

— I received my first fee in India. It was five thousand three hundred dollars. Since the photoshoot was in another city, excluding the travel distance to get there and back, I received that much fee for four hours of work back then.

Dilnura Obidova says she received a fee of $250 per day for a year:

— I became the brand face for a company I liked. Whether I went to work or not, they paid me $250 a day. It didn't matter if there were one or two photoshoots a year, a salary of $250 was credited to me every day. But there is also another side to this: after signing the contract, you cannot work for another company in the same field for a year. The good thing is — even if they don't call you to work, a stable amount is credited to you every day so that you don't sign a contract with another company, says Dilnura Obidova.