Modeling In Her Seoul
Each work day, I make the hour-long trek from the Bronx down to lower Manhattan — a commute I do not necessarily mind, but am thankful is not any longer. However, ‘distance from home’ is not a factor in the job search of model Hadley Krueger who, at twenty-one, independently spent three months in South Korea on business. This industry pilgrimage is a somewhat standard experience for those in the nascent stages of their modeling careers. While abroad, models rotate through several diverse roles and can gain the skillset needed to thrive in the business and take their bookings to the next level. While she tends to shoot for a wide variety of jobs, Hadley needed to find a location meeting all her needs — and with the help of her Minneappolis-based mother agency, it was decided that Seoul checked all the boxes.
At any age, packing your life into a suitcase and flying fifteen hours overseas is intimidating — but, it being her second time voyaging outside of the country for work, Hadley was optimistic. She often reflects on the invaluable lessons learned working, arguably, those that many her age have not yet come to understand. Emphasizing the importance of “becoming comfortable with being alone in unfamiliar places,” Hadley braved three long months without friends and family and embraced total immersion into a new culture.
She admits she had trouble with the language barrier, but remained confident by remembering her purpose: to work with incredible brands and the people involved with them, as well as to make connections and lasting friendships from all over the world. Spending time with many models her own age, Hadley found a support system and ‘surrogate family.’.
Models like Hadley not only find themselves exploring unfamiliar territory on work trips — but also, in their day-to-day schedules. She says, “As a model, you don’t know when your next job will be … You may work five jobs in one week, and then go a month without booking anything.” In addition to the unpredictable schedule, such precarity also exists within the nature of these jobs. Location assignments can be decided upon at the last minute, and shoots can be announced just a short thirty minutes before the model is expected to arrive. Candidly, Hadley shares that this makes her job more stressful than glamorous, at times.
Despite the struggle, Hadley remains committed to her goals. Adhering to a ‘play it by ear’ timeline and having her appearance be the center of her work is not a dealbreaker — in fact, she is catching a flight to Taiwan in two short weeks, where she will live and work for another three months. When asked what is next for her, Hadley says, “I am hoping that after this next placement, I will be back in the states working for a while and trying to get signed to agencies in either New York or Los Angeles.” Her talent and unwavering work ethic are the perfect combination needed to propel her to the top of her industry, and we do not doubt that Hadley Krueger will soon become a household name.