Meet the amazing Francesca Bettella, a 24 year-old model and economic management graduate from Padova, Italy.
@francesca_bettella on Instagram
“I grew up in Abano Terme, in the province of Padua, Italy and did all of my high school studies there. I recently graduated in Economics and Management at the Università of Ca’ Foscari, Venice. I used to love watching America’s Next Top Model and also the Italian version of the show. Growing up I always liked fashion, where I would spend time choosing my clothes and outfits (this not to impress others , but purely for myself). My grandma also transmitted this passion to me—I loved going to her house and stealing beautiful clothings of hers. At 16 she bought my first photo booking and from there my career in modeling took off. Since my first booking I started going to castings from the Veneto area to the capital of fashion, Milan, where I decided to open my VAT number [European tax ID] to be able to maintain myself and start my free-lance modeling career. I started doing fittings, working for e-commerce, catalogs and was featured in magazines like MIA magazine, VANITY FAIR and F magazine."
What are the positive and negative aspects about the fashion world? Would you say that females empower each other in this environment? Any suggestions for aspiring models?
“Throughout my modeling career, I have encountered many difficult moments with fashion photographers and agencies. They start off by promising you the world and persuade you into doing uncomfortable things—I’m grateful that I’ve always kept my guard and stuck to my values whenever I was put in those situations. Regarding females, it's difficult to support each other genuinely because there is so much envy and competition. I saw many friends taking extreme diets to the point of nearly starving themselves, and others dropping out of school to just focus on fashion. Oftentimes, us models are forced to spend the whole day in line with hundreds of other models for a casting. This can become really unhealthy since we begin to compare ourselves knowing that, at the end of the day, the brand is going to pick only one or two models. Over the years I started to take these situations less personally though, because I know that the stylists or photographers already have a certain vision for their brand so they will pick whoever fits what they are looking for. They don’t pick someone else because you’re not beautiful, it’s simply because you don’t fit the job. You are who you are and nothing can change that. Instead of wanting to be someone else, embrace every little aspect of your persona! I know as well though that this career is not a life-long one, so a few years ago I decided to pursue my studies. It became pretty clear to me that one cannot stay young and be a model forever (chuckles). I knew that I needed a more stable career to focus on in the long-run, and now I have just graduated with a degree in Economic Management!”
How do you stand out as a model?
"Many models focus too much on their beauty, so I would say I stand out because I am calm, simple and helpful. Having a good work ethic is key, help out people in the business. I believe the key is to be active in the fashion world itself—show that you are a hard working person, not only in the runway or photoshoots, but also in the process of making clothes,, etc. Being outgoing, versatile, but also easy to work with will make people more likely to remember you.
Other than fashion, I love to go horseback riding, take long walks in nature with my dog, and spend time with my friends and boyfriend. In the future, I hope to finish my master’s degree and find a job that combines both the business and creative world."
On Instagram: @francesca_bettella