The glitz and glamour of the fashion industry may keep us jaw-dropped in awe and desire, but rest assured, it does not come easy. We keep drooling over the gorgeous ladies and gentlemen in godly shapes and looks, which put the ramp on fire, and secretly wish to be like them. However, what we see is only the end. The means often remain buried beneath all the hype and hoopla.

Being a supermodel is no duck soup! The path to this pinnacle of limelight is a result of persistent dedication and hard work. Many young men and women see modeling as a lucrative career option and aspire to be famous supermodels, only to get disillusioned after they set foot on the rough roads to this end. Indeed, you need to have it in you to be one. Now, what is it that one needs to have?

First and foremost, one will need the never-say-die attitude, the stamina and confidence. There are ups and downs in this profession, there are people who will try to balk your steady success curve, and there will be moments when you would be working days and nights without sleep and you would wish you had never come. But all said and done, you need to hang on if you want to be the 'chosen one'. That is the basic criterion.

Once you have the right attitude to pursue your dream, next comes the look factor. The ideal shape for a female model would be a 34"-24"-34" with a height of 5'9". If you match this or anything very close, you can flaunt almost any fashion costume and woo the world's admiration. A good model must have a shapely body, beautiful hair and skin. For men models, the standard height is 5'11" to 6'2" with a size of 40"-42".

Time to reach out to a modeling agency and coordinator now! The kick-off to your modeling career rests with these agencies, which will train you with workshops, courses, local shows and print modeling. They will also help you find a photographer to create your portfolio and comp card. Remember, choosing the right photographer is also a vital decision. A skilled man at the lens would capture your best looks, which you can sell to the fashion world. So being a little choosy with the photographer helps at times. Go through the photographers' portfolio before you appoint him/her to shoot you.

Now when you have everything in place-the attitude, confidence, professional skills, attractive portfolio and comp card-it is time to move ahead and get real assignments. The agencies provide models with work and take a commission against it. The rest depends on you. Take for instance the UK supermodels Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista or Naomi Campbell. They have dreamt big and stayed persistent. You can be one of them too! Just believe in yourself.