Abroad - Places outside the country where you live, and you can go to model.

Accessories - Fashionable items that you wear to complement your clothing, such as jewelry, belts, pocketbooks, hats and scarves.

Advance - A sum of money paid to you by your agent on behalf of an advertising company that wishes to book you for a job. This is usually paid in advance of your working to secure your services particularly if you are in demand as a top model.

Advertising - The action of getting the word out or letting the public know about a product or service.

AFTRA - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists is a union for performers which establishes specific fees for different types of performances and protects the model's or actor's rights.

Age Range - The ages that a model can portray (usually a 5 to 7 year span)

Agency - An establishment that does business on behalf of the model, such as booking jobs and collecting payment for the model for a specific fee (usually 15-20% of amount collected).

Agent - A person who works for an agency or who has a privately held business to book models.

Appointment Book - A calendar or date book used to record bookings, go-sees or any other business activities. You may also use this book to keep a record of your expenses for tax purposes.

Assignment - This is the same thing as a booking or modeling job whereby a model is paid for services performed - runway, print, trade shows and other types of employment associated with modeling.

Audition - This is a trial performance which is given to show the casting directors how well you are qualified for the job.

Beauty - The qualities of a person that are pleasing to the viewer's eyes.

Beauty Shots - Pictures that are taken from the shoulders up, featuring the hair, the skin, the eyes, the smile and the makeup. Also known as head shots.

Black and White Photo - A picture that is taken specifically to produce black, white and gray images. Usually black and white photos are suggested for head shots.

Book - This has two meanings: To book means to assign or a book can mean a model's portfolio

Booker - A person who gets the jobs for models; the same as an agent.

Booking - This is an assignment.

Buy-out - When a client arranges a one-time payment or flat fee for a commercial instead of paying residuals for the job. This means that you will not get paid every time the commercial plays - the fee should be quite substantial.

Call Back - When you go on an audition and the casting director likes your performance and wants to see you again.

Career - This is a profession which you have trained for and intend to stay for a period of time.

Carriage - The way a model carries herself or walks.

Casting - The act of choosing a suitable model for a particular assignment.

Casting Director - The person who works with advertising agencies to select the talent for a particular modeling job.

Catalog Work - Modeling for photographs which will be used in catalogs produced by a manufacturer or distributor to sell clothing or other items.

Cattle Call - This type of audition where hundreds of models will show up to be viewed by casting directors or photographers. Usually new models are sent by their agents so that they can be introduced.

Celebrity Model - A model who has become top in the field and who earns very high salaries. Also referred to as a "Top Model" or "Superstar".

Character Model - A model who is not necessarily a beauty, but who may have strong interesting facial features and selling attributes for specific products.

Checklist - A notebook which is referred to daily where you list all of your "things to do".

Child Model - A young model (usually between the ages of 2 and 12) who promotes products such as toys, clothes and food in ads on television.

Client - A person or company who a model actually works for and who pays the cost for advertising or production.

Commentary - A dialogue or script that explains the fashions being presented at a show.

Commentator - The person who gives the commentary at a show.

Commercial - Ad advertisement which is broadcast on radio or shown on television.

Commercial Look - A look that is appealing to the targeted audience. Usually this is someone that they can identify of the same age or ethnic background.

Commercial Model - A model that sells products that are generally purchased by their targeted audience. Fashions are not sold by this type of model.

Commissions - A percentage of the total amount of money paid to an agent on behalf of a model.

Competition - A contest between rivals or a term used to describe models who are just like you and working in the same market.

Composite - A photo card which is comprised of several different pictures of a model (usually 2-5 poses). This card can be produced in either 6x8 or 8x10 inch formats and should contain at least one head shot and different poses which show your best physical attributes.

Contact Sheet - This is a photo which includes all of the shots from one roll of film. (Each image is the size of a negative and should be viewed through a loupe or magnifying glass) It is printed so that the model can compare the slight differences in the poses and angles and select the best ones for the portfolio or composites.

Contract - A binding agreement which outlines specific terms and performance guidelines between two or more parties, such as an agent and model or model and client.

Coordinator - A person who brings together all of the aspects associated with a specific production, such as the hiring of models and the selection of location and production staff. The coordinator's tasks begin when the production is developed and ends at the completion of the project.

Day Rate - This is the amount of money paid to a model for one day regardless of how many hours that model works. The time, however should not exceed eight hours.

Demonstration - This is the act of showing an audience how a product works.

Dermatologist - A professional person who deals with skin disorders.

Designer - A person who conceives and creates fashions or other unique items.

Director - The person who supervises or oversees the production of a show. This person is responsible for the flow of the show and makes decisions about lighting, staging and overall presentation.

Dressers - The people who work back stage at a fashion show to help the models with quick changes by having the garments ready for them and helping them with buttons or zippers. They also keep the dressing room neat by hanging garments after they are worn.

Dry Skin - Sometimes dry skin is tight or itchy and it may appear dull. Be sure to cleanse with a cream or lotion (soap may dry your skin even more) and always use a moisturizer.