In the social media era, there came a point when videos of Chinese models went viral on the internet. Many were stunned by these models quick-changing poses as the photographer continually shoots them. According to Chinadaily, these so-called models are China’s Taobao models who can do about two poses per second, which is about 30 poses over 15 seconds!
What are TaoBao models?
If you ever ventured deep into the realm of Chinese e-commerce, you’ve probably seen sites of never-ending inexpensive fast fashion offered by Chinese brands and companies. One of these popular online shopping websites is called Taobao, which is known by many as the “Chinese Amazon or eBay.”
Taobao is a clear example of short-lived fashion trends. Online stores in China would work on a tight timetable just to keep up with the latest items on the market, and Chinese models who display their clothes would bolt through a whole catalog of lightning-fast poses to save time and cost.
How much does a Taobao model earn on a daily basis?
Since Taobao models are valued for their ability to drive sales, while the website monitors each commodity, the modeling approach favors volume and output.
According to Chinadaily, “a model can earn 40 to 150 yuan for posing with one piece of garment. 20 pieces per day are the bottom line. Popular models can earn about ten thousand yuan through one day work.”
How many clothes do they have to wear?
Chinadaily notes that a Taobao model can wear up to 150 clothes and create more than 700 different poses. While having just one minute to change clothes and ten minutes to eat a single meal for the entire day.
How does a Taobao model come up with various poses?
Just like any other shoot, the model has to capture the mood and essence of each outfit they’d wear.
A professional Taobao model named Cui Yue notes that when modeling each outfit, she tries to imagine herself in a fitting situation. “If I’m wearing professional work clothes, I picture myself in an office. I imagine I am a white-collar worker and the feeling just naturally comes out.”
Cui Yue also notes that every time she’d put on an outfit, she considers the material and design. “If it’s lace, I will act more feminine. If it’s fluffy or has pom-poms, I try to be cuter.”
Check out our very own Chinoy TV TikTok ambassador Geneen Sy and her version of the Taobao model!
@chinoytv Common Taobao Model poses with @geneena 🤩 #ChinoyTV #fyp #posingideas
