This story originally appeared in i-D’s The Summer! Issue, no. 372, Summer 2023. Order your copy here.
“There is a myth that only the most breathtakingly beautiful people can become ‘models’,” Alix Sharkey wrote way back in 1986 for i-D, “but the real clincher… is good, old-fashioned personality”. This has never felt more true than today, even if it may sound paradoxical. After all, isn’t modelling about outer beauty? Well, not quite. Right now, the world’s most captivating models are those with an attitude that can seep through the surface, giving life and meaning to the work of designers, photographers and stylists who are shaping the fashion landscape. Maybe it’s the widespread access to Photoshop and FaceTune, the accessibility of cosmetic procedures, or generally the algorithmic notions of beauty that pervade social media. But the models that matter today are those who have something to say, something different to offer, and that one thing that can’t be faked: attitude.
One thing that has changed since 1986 is that the idea of what ‘beauty’ is has become as diverse as the attitudes that appear on these pages. In the last decade, representation in fashion has broadened the narrow standards of beauty we have been – and often still are – presented with. There’s still a way to go, but the parameters of what counts as beautiful within the realms of race, size, height and disability are being expanded. Bodies that don’t adhere to the beauty standards that were the norm just a few years ago are now gaining international recognition for their work with the world’s most major fashion brands. The biggest shift, however, is in the rise of models who stand for something and want to share it with the world. Their voices are just as important as their faces.
“People’s personal style, to me, is a reflection of who they are or who they want to be. Sometimes, it is the main reason I approach someone.” Ricky Michiels
The age-old question, however, is where to find them. Enter the scouts who scour their cities in search of people who stand apart from the crowd. No longer is it a case of just hanging out at shopping centres or sitting through go-sees: the job of a casting director has evolved with the times. Social media has transformed the landscape, and today cities far beyond the conventional fashion capitals are fertile grounds for finding new talent – a reflection of an increasingly globalised fashion landscape.
From Berlin to Shanghai, Abuja to Bombay, we caught up with the next generation of casting directors who are challenging the notions of beauty, inside and out.
Lisa Dymph Megens, London
Where is your favourite place to scout?
I prefer busy places so you have a better chance of finding someone great. It also depends on what brief I get. You basically envision where the type of person you are looking for hangs out.
What’s the word you would use to describe beauty in London?
Truth.
How would you describe conventional beauty standards in London?
What I love about London is that you can be whoever you want to be and no one really cares.
Do you find yourself wanting to challenge beauty conventions?
I’m glad that we see way more ethnicities represented today, but size-wise we still have a long way to go. As a woman with a so-called ‘in-between size’ I find it frustrating that my body type is rarely celebrated, so that is definitely something I try to push for alongside smaller and bigger sizes.
How do most people react when you approach them?
Some people are really excited, but mostly it is a mix of surprise, disbelief, and some hesitation – especially when someone might feel they are not conventionally beautiful.
What has been the biggest moment for someone you’ve scouted?
Seeing themselves on a billboard in Times Square.
What do young people seem to be interested in where you are?
Young people in London are very engaged in political issues such as the climate, gender and race equality. Here, I feel the youth want to create a better future for themselves so they are extremely motivated, which results in lots of exciting new talent in fashion, music and art.
Ricky Michiels, New York City
How did you start street casting?
Working as a photo editor at magazines, we’d sometimes be looking for a character we couldn’t find in the model packages so I’d start looking for friends, or friends of friends, who might fit the specs I was looking for. Eventually, I started looking at people I’d pass on my way to work, or the store, and see them in a different context.
What’s the word you would use to describe beauty in New York?
Boundless.
How has social media changed street casting?
You’re not limited to the actual ‘street’ anymore: you can find a larger, diverse pool of talent worldwide with a click.
How would you describe conventional beauty standards in New York?
I would say New York is very commercialised: everyone wants to look too ‘perfect’… Straight noses, perfectly aligned white teeth, a small waist with just the “right” amount of curvy hips. Boring!
Do you find yourself wanting to challenge those conventions?
Yes. I embrace the things people tend to shy away from, or maybe feel insecure about. Traits like these are identifiers of who we are and what makes us unique, and I think this is something we should champion rather than hide.
How important is someone’s personal style when it comes to casting them?
Very important. People’s personal style, to me, is a reflection of who they are or who they want to be. Sometimes, it is the main reason I approach someone.
How do most people react when you approach them?
A lot of people think I’m trying to sell them something or ask for something like money or a cigarette… But that’s New York for you!
What do young people seem to be interested in where you are?
Fashion, music and politics are at the heart of every conversation happening, and everyone is very passionate, which is why New York is one of my favourite cities in the world.
Lis Rutten, Amsterdam
How did you start street casting?
I started when I was around eighteen. I was modelling myself and had to attend a lot of castings. I have always kept an eye on the inside of the selection process, and been curious about the faces and personalities that have been selected and the ones that have not. During Covid, since there weren’t so many jobs, I was looking for faces on the street, taking photos of them and posting them on my Instagram account.
What’s the word you would use to describe beauty?
Attitude.
How do most people react when you approach them?
Confused. I find it the most interesting when they have no idea that they are special. Often these are the best faces.
What is the most unusual place you’ve scouted someone?
I scouted Jelle Huizinga in the supermarket during Covid, wearing a beanie and a face mask. I could only see his eyes but I knew he would be good. A few weeks later he was on set for a Balenciaga campaign.
What has been the biggest moment for someone you’ve scouted?
With my latest new face Joseph Uyttenhove, we changed his haircut right after I scouted him. Soon, he had his worldwide debut with Saint Laurent and shot the cover of i-D’s Rafzine with Willy [Vanderperre] and Olivier [Rizzo]!
Ortiz Casting, Stockholm
Where is your favourite place to scout?
Online! I love how people portray themselves and how they look when they feel sexy and beautiful. To me, it shows how they will perform in front of a camera and a team.
How has social media changed street casting?
It has broken the boundaries of the socioeconomic structure entirely. I love the idea of someone in a small corner of the planet getting recognition when earlier that would be impossible.
How would you describe conventional beauty standards in Sweden?
I think when people think of Sweden they typically think of the beautiful blonde. And we do have so many beautiful blondes, however, Sweden and Germany have been the countries with the most welcoming asylum policies in Europe. At the moment, 20 percent of our population was born somewhere else. I am mixed race and there are so many of us here, too.
How important is someone’s personal style when it comes to casting them?
I would say it’s fun if they do [have style] but I care more about the way they carry themselves and their eyes, I am obsessed with eyes!
Casting En El Parque, Mexico
How did you start street casting?
It was very natural as I am a photographer and have always loved photographing street scenes. One day, I started to ask people permission to photograph them and I realised the power and sophistication of the beauty and the faces of Mexico.
Where is your favourite place to scout?
In Mexico, beauty is everywhere and is mesmerising. I couldn’t choose one place; everywhere is so different.
What’s the word you would use to describe beauty in Mexico?
Sophisticated.
What is it that you look for in a person?
I let myself be surprised. I don’t look for anything in particular, but I think every peculiarity of a face is what makes me feel fascinated with beauty. We are all different and there’s so much beauty in that.
How would you describe conventional beauty standards in Mexico?
In Mexico, like all over the world, whiteness is the big aspiration and the ideal [representation of] beauty.
What do young people seem to be interested in where you are?
Music overall. It’s incredible how music moves people, I think it is an art that brings us all together.
Denise Hu, Shanghai
How has social media changed street casting?
It has changed everything. In China, we have a social media site called RED. It is very good for online casting. This time last year, Shanghai was in lockdown for two months, which really taught me to utilise the app, making decisions from photos and videos.
How would you describe conventional beauty standards in Shanghai?
Classic, elegant and sometimes like a sweet doll.
What is the most unusual place you’ve scouted someone?
In a small locker shop where people inside were playing Mahjong.
What has been the biggest moment for someone you’ve scouted?
He doubted the whole thing until he made it backstage in Paris.
Vision Street Casting, Milan
What is it that you look for in a person?
I look for personality, character and a face not necessarily beautiful but unique.
What is the most unusual place you’ve scouted someone?
There are many unusual places where I happened to do scouting: funerals, family parties, Autogrill…
What do young people seem to be interested in where you are?
I find many young people creative and stimulating, interested in politics but also music, fashion, art and technology. Today’s young people want to be noticed in a world that apparently seems to give them space but that in everyday life gives them less and less opportunity.
Taka Arakawa at Alter Casting, Tokyo
How did you start street casting?
I received a number of job requests from friends and people I knew outside of Japan, and then it eventually became a job. At the beginning, I didn’t even know I was actually doing casting.
Where is your favourite place to scout?
I love all the big cities around the world because they are melting pots of different races and cultures – cities like London and Berlin. Recently I was in Brazil and found many beautiful people there too.
What’s the word you would use to describe beauty in Tokyo?
Chaos or disruption.
How important is someone’s personal style when it comes to casting them?
The important thing is the energy they have and how they represent themselves or their community.
Sage Model MGMT, Nigeria
What’s the word you would use to describe beauty in Nigeria?
It would still be ‘beauty’ but in my dialect we say ‘Ewa’.
What is it that you look for in a person?
I go for features that are striking to me and quite unique, like full brows or distinct ears. Attitudes can be worked on later.
How would you describe conventional beauty standards in Nigeria?
The Nigerian beauty standard is largely determined by the thickness of the body, some curves. People feel you don’t eat well when you are thin.
Do you find yourself wanting to challenge those conventions?
I believe that every individual has something special to offer and that it’s our job as scouts to recognise and celebrate that.
What is the most unusual place you’ve scouted someone?
A WhatsApp status.
Kyra Sophie, Berlin
How did you start street casting?
When I was still doing photography I never worked with models, but with people that I found interesting.
What is it that you look for in a person?
It’s the aura that makes people shine and what catches my attention, not the measurements or the looks.
How would you describe conventional beauty standards in Berlin?
Caucasian and sleek. People are slowly understanding that being slim and flawless isn’t what people are looking for any more.
How important is someone’s personal style when it comes to casting them?
I would say the more ‘unusual’ someone looks, the more interesting the person is.
How do most people react when you approach them?
People are usually very surprised when I approach them, as it is quite unusual to be stopped in the street and told that you are beautiful.
What do young people seem to be interested in where you are?
They are into art, politics, music and know what is happening in the world. Having the possibility to help them with a bit of extra cash in their pockets, and a platform for them to share their stories and to motivate others to trust and believe in themselves, is the main reason why I’m doing what I am doing.
Feat. Artists, India
How did you start street casting?
Given how many different cultures and ethnic backgrounds coexist in our country, it feels unfair to see only a single standard of beauty representing us. We wanted to change that by recognising the different forms of beauty that make India so special.
How has social media changed street casting?
We would usually be casting in the main metropolitan cities but, because of social media, we’re able to find people from remote places as long as they have an Instagram account!
How would you describe conventional beauty standards in India?
Our beauty standards are still heavily influenced by European standards of beauty (big eyes, small upturned nose, etc). It is slowly changing, though.
What is the most unusual place you’ve scouted someone?
We scouted one of our models, Brijesh, while he was moving furniture in the building where we worked.
Credits
Curated by Louis Prier Tisdall