The fashion world today reminds me of how life imitates art. Even more, it could be compared to the animated movie, “The Incredibles.”

In the movie, beings with superpowers inhabit the earth alongside normal human beings. They are called the Supers who perform incredible feats that leave mortals gasping in awe and breaking into applause.

But not just anyone could be a Super. One needs abilities that one must hone and use expertly. There are those who try to be Supers, but they have lesser powers, or none at all.

Then, for some reason, the Supers go into seclusion and mortal men must deal with life’s challenges on their own. They make do with the acts and abilities of lesser-powered beings who try to fill in the void left by the Supers. Mortals reminisce and wonder aloud, “Where are the Supers?”

This is how it is in today’s fashion scene, especially where modeling is concerned.

There’s a vast difference between then and now. I was a professional model in the ’80s and early ’90s. I got into modeling when I was invited to join a male model search. There was a lack of male models then.

It was quite hard to break into fashion then. It wasn’t enough to have good looks or to be tall. You had to strive to have what was called the X factor. The X factor was that hard-to-define ingredient that made you stand out in the crowd. It wasn’t just physical beauty (in modeling, that’s a dime a dozen). It wasn’t towering height either. It wasn’t having the guts to walk and be viewed (and critiqued) by hundreds of people. It was a quality that made one seem more than a mortal—especially on the catwalk.

I witnessed this quality on finals night of the male model search. Several professional models were featured that night to make the show more than just an amateur model show—the female greats like Desiree Verdadero, Tetta Ortiz, Izza Gonzales. Among the men were Leo Rabago, JB Abesamis and Eric Quizon.

We rehearsed for a couple of days and got to walk alongside the pros. They were confident and relaxed. So this was modeling. It seemed easy enough to do. I was so wrong.

Incredible models

On show night, it was as if they were almost superhuman. They revealed their superpowers and blew us all away. On the ramp, we could hardly recognize the easygoing people we had rehearsed with. They shone with power as they moved up the runway, so differently from how they did  during rehearsals. The men moved with confident manly grace. They were incredible but the women were awesome. They did not just walk. They floated! It was like they were spirits gliding above the ramp.

They made the clothes they were wearing look fantastic. To all young models today: that’s the job of a model—make THE CLOTHES look good!

Through the years I worked as professional model, I have had the privilege of working with top designers, top directors and top models.

For these models, to get to the top wasn’t easy. They had to work their way up—not by just having a good family name, a beauty title or winning a contest. They needed consistent ability to deliver outstanding work.

My friend Maricar Totengco hated walking around Makati to attend the numerous “go-sees” (auditions). But she spent countless hours refining her walk for the ramp. You don’t see this walk in today’s models. They say it’s no longer in vogue but I suspect that this was an excuse because it’s not easy to do. It looks awesome and commands attention when done by an artist who knows how to model different types of clothes.

Tired and tiring walk

That’s another nit to pick. Top models did a different walk and projection, depending on the clothes they wore. That was giving respect to the designer’s creations. Many of today’s models do the same walk, regardless of the outfit. A Barong Tagalog or long dress should not be paraded the same way as a club outfit. A bouncy walk in a long formal dress cheapens the outfit and makes the model look like a streetwalker. But you see this in a lot of today’s shows.

Why the downgrade in fashion? Maybe because, as in the “Incredibles,” many new designers and directors themselves have not had much chance to have seen the Supers. So they settle for lesser talents. In the movie, the villain’s intent is to give everyone artificial superpowers. He says, “…When everyone is super, nobody will be!”

And that’s how today’s modeling scene is. Anyone who’s done a little mall show or had a shoot calls him- or herself a model. Almost everyone thinks he’s already a supermodel.

Being super lies in one’s ability to carry an outfit and make it look outstanding. Once in a while you are blessed to watch real Supers in today’s shows. Desiree Verdadero, Tweetie de leon, Suyen Chi, Lou Bunyi, Patti Betita and Gem Padilla do rare special guestings. And strongly active Marina Benipayo consistently owns the ramps she walks on. Get a chance to watch and you’ll see that super is really supposed to mean SUPER!