Supermodel or social-media maven:  are they becoming one and the same?  Is the public more engaged with models now because the windows into their lives are flung open through their “twitter”, “instagram” or “vine” feeds?

In the 90’s we counted the covers and campaigns of the supermodels, knowing each of them by name.  Today, models have to compete with celebrities for these same opportunities and lucrative contracts, and many are using their online presence to to win fans and followers, to inject their own personality into their public image, and as a result, building their own valuable “brand”.

Some agencies are encouraging their models to be social media savvy, posting selfies, tweeting from behind-the-scenes of photo shoots and runways shows, and sharing sneak peaks into their off-duty lives.  Even clients are now being influenced by the social media reach of the models they choose to hire.  A model with a huge following and fan base, that tweets about her day on set for a particular brand, essentially advertises and gives instant street cred to that brand.  The profile of both the model and the brand increases.

Case in point:  top Victoria’s Secret models all have a huge online presence each in her own way, and this helps to build the fan base of the Victoria’s Secret brand, in turn.

Cara Delavigne is one of the most prolific models on social media, now being known as much for her burger-a-day habit and funny facial expressions, as she is for her current editorials and campaigns.  She denies she is an “it” girl, but she clearly is setting the standard for all the other models on social media, and already influencing designers and editors.

Models with ambition can’t ignore the effects of social media on their careers, and fittingly, most models love the attention their online presence brings them, especially when they get the chance to have creative control over their own image.  Models are multi-dimensional now with voices, un-edited and un-retouched, and only a tweet away from their fans and followers.