The life of a model is not easy. There are photo shoots, strict diets and, of course, the price of celebrity. But it's a world Derrick Raphael '06, a sociology major and U-Store model, understands. Raphael's debut in the U-Store's fall semester ad campaign came with a $50 check and broader recognition on campus — whether he wanted it or not.
"It blew up my social life — no, I'm just kidding," Raphael said. While work as a U-Store model has not turned him into an overnight celebrity in the traditional sense, Raphael has had some odd encounters.
"I was on the dance floor of Campus one night when some freshman girls came up to me," Raphael said. "One of them said, 'Aren't you that guy on the U-Store poster?'"
Raphael affirmed her suspicion, but after a few awkward pauses, the conversation never got anywhere past the point that he was indeed a U-store model. The freshman girls then slunk into the background.
All the double takes, the occasional confrontations and emails from friends are simply amusing to Raphael, who has no regrets about taking the job. In fact, according to Raphael, starring in a U-Store ad has been a quiet ambition for a while.
"Actually, it was on my list of things to do at Princeton," Raphael said.
Inquiry
After working at the U-Store during his sophomore year, he asked the staff about modeling opportunities.
His break came this summer when a U-Store employee emailed him and asked if he was still interested in the job. As an advisor for Freshmen Scholars Institute, Raphael was available for the August shoot on campus and gladly accepted. The U-Store also hired two other students, Karen Barajas '06 and Laura Chiang '05, who heard about the opening from advertisements in the store and on the web.
On a hot August morning, the three students headed for the U-Store at about 9 a.m. to prepare for the ad and meet the crew: a University employee and two photographers. After the models changed into preselected Princeton gear, the group headed out to Whig-Clio to take a couple of shots. The whole shoot only lasted about an hour, but according to Raphael, the whole experience was fun and "we got paid for doing almost nothing." The photographers even kept the instructions simple.
"We had to look incredibly happy, smile and not look depressed," Raphael said.
In front of the camera
Working in front of the camera comes second nature to this student turned U-Store model. He has held modeling jobs since the 9th grade and enrolled in a number of model searches and male pageants growing up, which is common in Raphael's hometown of Fayetteville, North Carolina.
The random moments of celebrity on campus today pale in comparison to the attention he attracted in high school.
"Some girls would pin up photos of me in their lockers. It was weird," Raphael said.
One of his favorite modeling jobs was a pre-concert fashion show in North Carolina during the summer of his sophomore year.
Examples
After Raphael walked the runway, sporting clothes from a North Carolina department store, he watched LL Cool J, Chingy and other hip-hop groups take over the stage. The best part, according to Raphael, was hanging out with the artists backstage after the show.
Raphael would like to pursue future modeling jobs, but his double interest in a Princeton degree keeps that ambition on hold. The aspiring Princeton professor, wants to keep a modeling career secondary because it can be "extremely time consuming."
He does, however, encourage other students to take on future U-Store ads or different modeling opportunities.
For those interested, Raphael offers three main principles aspiring models should live by, "Drink plenty of water, work out five times a week (Raphael does cardio on Saturdays and Sundays) and don't drink alcohol."
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