She was excited to take a job out of the country, and it turned out to be a modeling job from hell: ‘Never book me for that client ever again’
She worked 14-hour days with only 25 minutes for lunch.
Kenzie Stimack (@macklovinnn) was excited to model overseas. But after working long days in the desert and allegedly being disregarded by the brand’s staff, she described her experience on TikTok as her “modeling job from hell.”
“A few days before the job, the client changes the rate to half of what it used to be,” Stimack told TikTok. Despite the sudden rate change, Stimack pushed through because she was excited to fly out for the job. When she arrived, the location was a three-hour drive away from the airport.
“What could go wrong?” Stimack told herself, but she had to get up as early as 4:45 a.m. and be at the makeup chair. They drove to the first shoot location. While she didn’t specify the country where the job took place, Stimack said the photoshoot took place in a desert.
“It’s 40℉, you’re in the middle of the desert, and of course, they pull out tiny, tiny dresses,” Stimack said. She had no complaints about feeling cold, because it was part of the job. However, Stimack was put off when the crew kept telling her to “just pretend” she felt warm. She alleged that she was also not allowed to wear a jacket because the brand staff was worried about the outfits creasing. But while Stimack was freezing, she alleged the crew wore heavy winter jackets during the shoot.
“Since you’re in the desert, it starts to warm up. It’s lunchtime. It’s 80℉,” Stimack said. She was eager to take her break, but staffers allegedly told her she only had 20 minutes for lunch. Stimack continued, “As they get an hour to eat lunch.” While the rest of the crew was still eating, Stimack explained that they wanted her to get her makeup and hair done early.
Her modeling job exposed her to extremes
“You go out to another shoot. This time you’re outside of a church in all wool clothing,” Stimack alleged. It was around 80℉, making her outfit extremely warm. She added that a religious ceremony was happening during her photoshoot. Because she had to start modeling, the locals allegedly gave her looks, as if she was disrespecting their culture.
“You’re starting to get hot. You’re starting to feel dizzy,” Stimack recalled. She asked the crew if she could take a break, cool off with the air conditioner, and have some water. Stimack said, “They look at you like, ‘We only brought one water bottle,’ as if they didn’t want to share.” She further alleged that when she asked to take the clothes off for a short time, the crew reminded her that they didn’t want the outfit to crease. But unlike the dresses from earlier, the clothing she was wearing in this shoot is made of wool.
Regardless, Stimack got her short break. She continued, “You get back out there. You’re sweating, you’re dying, you have a heat stroke. You keep shooting, and shooting.” While on a horse, Stimack realized that it was already 6:00 p.m., and yet the shoot hadn’t ended. Stimack said they ended after fourteen hours of work. This would continue for two more days, and Stimack alleged she was only supposed to work for those ten hours.
Almost left behind in a foreign country
When she finished the shoot, Stimack couldn’t wait to get home. But on the way to the airport, the crew informed her it would take them six hours. After a couple of hours, the staffers allegedly didn’t inform Stimack that they had already booked new tickets for themselves. When they finally told Stimack that they were going to get dropped off at the nearest airport because they had booked new tickets, she was surprised. The hairstylist who was with her was also shocked by the announcement.
When Stimack asked about their tickets, a staffer allegedly implied they could buy their own tickets. The staffer allegedly added that they couldn’t buy tickets for Stimack and the hairstylist because the last flight was already fully booked. Nevertheless, the model argued and reminded them that the brand agreed to cover her travel expenses.
Eventually, they agreed to Stimack and the hairstylist’s requests. She booked a flight and reached the airport after seven hours of travel, with no toilet breaks and a dying phone. Stimack reached the airport, relieved that it was over. She called her modeling agency and told them, “Never book me for that client ever again.”
While Stimack was exhausted by the ordeal, she confirmed that she received overtime pay for the extra hours she worked. Some jobs have long hours, but not all are thankless. One neurosurgeon from Chicago explained why he was willing to lose sleep over his patient.
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