The Dark Side of Modeling and The Entertainment Industry

Community Post: Trusting My Gut in an Industry That Sometimes Feels Shady

Hey love,

I wasn’t sure I wanted to share this at all—but I decided that this community space I’m building is the best place to start.

Right now, I’m really focusing my energy on creating a personal, centralized space where the people who watch my videos, join my courses, use my tools, or email me can actually connect with me and each other. I already have tons of free courses and resources built into this app—and the only thing missing was a real community aspect. So here I am, planting the first seed by sharing something vulnerable and personal that happened to me just today.

It’s now the middle of the afternoon, and I still haven’t been able to film any of the content I wanted to create because I’ve been emotionally tied up in this experience—feeling confused, stressed, and trying to process it. Honestly, this woman gaslit me so well that I started questioning what even happened. I’ve spent most of the day trying to sort it out.

Full disclosure: I dictated the entire story to ChatGPT and uploaded all the texts, screenshots, voicemails, and receipts. It was emotionally exhausting to relive everything with so much detail, but by the time I finished, I realized I wanted to say something about it here. So I asked for help organizing my thoughts into this post—and this is what came through. I’ve read it, approved it, and I had help. Period.

The Story

This week, I was approached with a last-minute modeling opportunity from a small agency I’ve been loosely connected to for years. I hadn’t worked with them in a long time and honestly, I’m not actively modeling anymore—but I’m still open to occasional gigs if the energy and setup feel right.

The message I got didn’t include key info like location, timeframe, job requirements—just the pay and the date. I didn’t respond at first. Eventually, the agent followed up directly, asking if I was available. I replied, saying I’m available, but pending final details. I made it very clear that I wouldn’t be able to confirm until I knew exactly what I’d be agreeing to.

Well… those details didn’t come until 9:30 p.m. the night before the job.

When I finally saw the email, I realized immediately it was a no for me. I was being asked to show up hair and makeup ready for a makeup shoot, bring my own clothes, park in a random garage, wait to be picked up by a shuttle, and be taken to an undisclosed location—with no real idea of who I’d be with, what I’d be doing, or how long I’d be there.

Let me just pause and ask: how are you booking a model for a makeup campaign, and telling her to do her own makeup beforehand? What if I didn’t use that brand’s products? What if I showed up with a look that didn’t match the campaign? How is that even professional? Not to mention, they didn’t give me a hair/makeup brief, didn’t specify wardrobe clearly, and were sending me to a mystery location. My alarm bells were screaming.

It was especially suspicious because this was supposedly a Spanish-language commercial for a widely recognized makeup brand that you see in nearly every store—not just a little indie company. If that were truly the case, there is absolutely no scenario where they wouldn’t require specific makeup application using their own products, applied by their team, in the exact style and tone of the campaign. That’s not just about safety—that’s about basic brand control, operational clarity, and marketing alignment.

The fact that the main detail of the project—how the makeup would be done, what the look was meant to be, what the visual goal even was—was completely missing, was the ultimate red flag for me. As a business owner myself, that’s not just concerning. It’s sloppy and unprofessional at best… and intentionally misleading at worst.

So I declined—politely, respectfully, and within an hour of receiving the full information.

And that’s when the agent lost it.

She sent multiple messages accusing me of being unprofessional, told me I “wasn’t allowed” to cancel after saying I was available, and removed me from her agency list. It felt like emotional manipulation—like I was being punished for setting a boundary and trusting my instincts.

And just when I thought the weirdness was over…

A couple hours later, I got a mysterious phone call to my work phone number—not my personal one. I answered, but no one responded. Instead, I heard muffled voices in the background, and I could’ve sworn I heard a woman speaking with a very similar accent to the agent I had just been dealing with. It could be a total coincidence—it might’ve been a random spam call. But the timing was strange, and it left me feeling even more unsettled.

Was it a mistake? Was someone trying to get information on me or just rattle me? Was it nothing at all? I don’t know. But I’ve learned to document, stay calm, and trust the feeling—not the confusion.

I’m not saying this was illegal or dangerous. I’m saying it didn’t feel professional, and it didn’t feel right. And honestly, it reminded me of past experiences where I showed up for one kind of booking and it turned out to be something totally different. That bait-and-switch energy is more common in industries like this than people realize—and I’m just not available for it anymore.

Whether it’s hair and makeup ready for a makeup campaign (??), or being told last-minute to show up with beachwear and zero clear brief—if something feels off, it usually is.

And for the record, the so-called “brand deck” I received for this job? It was literally just a few mood board-style photos pulled from Pinterest. No style guide. No direction. No concept. No team contact. I’m so petty I honestly want to recreate the entire shoot myself—but for my own brand, on my own terms.

Because here’s what I know now more than ever:

My safety is not negotiable. My peace is not for sale. And my worth does not depend on someone else’s approval.

So while this threw off my whole day, I’m proud that I stayed in my power. I’m proud I trusted my gut. And I’m proud to share this here, because I know at some point, others will find this post and maybe feel a little more seen, a little more validated, or a little more brave to say no when something feels off.

Thank you for being in this space with me. Whether you’re here for the courses, the conversations, or just to grow—this community is yours too. And we’re going to keep it real, raw, and safe here.

Love,

Patty