Luana: A Model Discovered by a Scout on “TikTok”

Photographer: Daniel Agudelo
Model: Luana Giorgio

Luana studies Labor Relations at University and her dream is to become a model. She was born in Argentina, and when she was two years old her family decided to move to Spain. Nine years later, she returned to Argentina, where she worked as a model on several occasions. Since 2017 she lives in Barcelona again, where she did not find any agency that would give her an opportunity to become a model… Until she was discovered by ModelManagement.com.

Our platform, which connects models with brands, agencies, photographers, and industry professionals, discovered her on “TikTok” and after meeting her, we wanted to have Luana in our portfolio and support her in her growth as a model. She is a woman with great charisma, self-confidence, and eager to work and grow professionally. Her success in social networks is not by chance and that is why we want to know her story. For this reason, Luana is one of the protagonists of the series “Person behind the model”.

The first question is almost obligatory… How does Luana Giorgio (@lugiorgio) get 1 million followers on the app “TikTok”?

I still don’t believe it, because everything happened so fast. When I think that I have a million followers, it seems incredible to me because I have been in the app for only a few months now and I know that there are people who have been there for years who have never achieved these numbers… It is difficult to assimilate; I feel very lucky. It’s insane.

When did your “TikTok” adventure start?

Last year I created an account for the first time, I uploaded three videos and left it, I didn’t like it too much. But this year, during quarantine, I started making videos and uploading content every day and thanks to that my following grew rapidly. At first, I was a bit shy. I admit that it was difficult for me to start, but in social networks, once you start everything gets easier, the results come out smoothly if you are constant.

“To have success you have to be constant and create content, in addition of seeing and analyzing what your followers like about you”

You mentioned that you upload videos every day, how important is the constancy in the world of social networks?

Constancy is essential for everything. The more content you make and upload per day, the more chances you have that the videos will go viral and more people will see them. By uploading a single video per week, you cannot expect to reach a large audience. To have success you have to be constant and create content, in addition to seeing and analyzing what your followers like about you.

What kind of content do you create?

I mainly upload videos of myself dancing, which is what I like the most. Also, some comedic videos, but mostly dancing. I admit that most of my followers are men, and I know they like to see me dance (laughs).

Do you always have the same number of likes?

No, it is changing. It all depends on the algorithm of “TikTok”. What gives more visibility is the videos appearing in the “For you” page, which is the space that the platform destine to videos that, thanks to its algorithms, it knows that you will like them. The more you appear in the “For you” page, the more visits you have, and therefore, the more likes you get.

You say that everything has happened very fast, at what point did you realize that you were having a lot of success?

I uploaded a video that had about twenty million views. It became very, very viral, it had many likes, and after that video, in a week I had three hundred thousand followers more… There I said “Wow… This is so huge”. The bad thing is that that video is no longer visible, they deleted it.

Why?

“TikTok” deletes many videos for non-compliance with the rules. In that case, it was a video that was viral, the typical one that everyone does. I was showing my ass a little bit, and even though I was wearing pants, they considered it inappropriate and it was removed.

I suppose you are against this type of content being vetoed…

For sure. It makes me very angry because in the summer, for example, when I wanted to upload videos in a bikini, there were days when they wouldn’t let me upload any video. Sometimes you really don’t want to record or don’t want to upload things because you know they will delete it or they will not let you upload it. They should change their minds a bit. It happens to all girls, it may be that you wear a top and shorts, or even pajamas, and they delete your video. It’s not fair.

Does the same thing happen to boys?

No, they can be shirtless without a problem. It may be that someone will delete something, but I assure you that “TikTok” is full of shirtless guys. It is fine with me, but they should also let the girls upload whatever photos they want. If a girl’s nipple shows up a little, the content is removed, this does not happen to boys. The veto is also a bit of luck, it depends on who reviews your video, they may delete it or not.

What motivates you the most to create more content every day?

I record what I want and when I want to. Currently, what motivates me the most is having a lot of followers who tell me nice things. I read all the comments of my followers, I receive a lot of support… Sometimes I receive text and voice messages from followers who tell me that they love me very much. I am a bit ashamed of course, I am not used to it because I am a normal person and it seems incredible that they say these beautiful things to me. It gives me a lot of tenderness and I like it a lot. They are a great incentive to continue with this adventure.

What negative effects can social networks have on people?

For the followers it can create standards that are not real, and for the content creators themselves, sometimes they are exposed to receive a lot of hate and that makes them feel bad about their body because people criticize a lot.

“It is not fair that people who do not know you at all judge you or criticize the way you live your life”

Do you also suffer hater bullying?

Sometimes I do, especially in the most viral videos that I have. There are haters, and unfortunately, in my case most of them are girls… The truth is that comments can affect, some more than others, but I think that if there are people who do that it is because they are insecure. I guess that they are people who are not feeling good about their bodies so what they do is criticize others to feel better about themselves. Because if I feel happy with my body and I’m good with myself, I’m not insulting others… I don’t have the need. These awful things should never be said. Nobody deserves hate, because it is not fair that people who do not know you at all judge you or criticize the way you live your life.

What is your professional objective? Do you see it linked to social networks?

It depends, because if another social network similar to “TikTok” is created, it will be like starting all over again and maybe I won’t do so well or I won’t be so lucky… I think it’s very changeable. What I have clear is that I want to finish my degree and if I have to work on it, I will, but my dream has always been to be able to work as a model, since I was little. In Argentina, I had already worked as a model, but here I had not yet been able to dedicate myself to fashion…

“After all the no’s I had received in the past, it was incredible that the director of a platform for models himself told me that he would be delighted to work with me”

…Until ModelManagement.com appeared!

Exactly! When I came to Spain again three years ago, I applied to many agencies, but they all rejected me because I had big hips, among other reasons. After those refusals, I let all this time go by without introducing myself to any other agency because I felt that no agency would like me anymore. I came to think that maybe I should focus on something else. I gave up a bit, honestly, I was tired. But life is capricious and now, two years later, I became more dedicated to “TikTok, and Andreas from ModelManagement.com discovered me through the platform. He contacted me and told me that they were interested in me, we had a meeting and we are preparing the photos for my portfolio. After all the no’s I had received in the past, it was incredible that the director of a platform for models himself told me that he would be delighted to work with me. Working as a model is the dream of many girls and thanks to ModelManagement.com I think I will be able to fulfill that dream that I have had since I was little. I still don’t believe it.

Life had a surprise in store for you.

Now more than ever I believe in destiny. For some reason I became a “TikTok” user, for some reason I had this rapid success, for some reason Andreas contacted me through the platform. For some reason I returned to Spain again… I think I had to come back here because here is where very good things are waiting for me.

“The best thing a model agency can do is to look for different profiles and have a wide variety of models”

What would you highlight about ModelManagement.com?

I feel safe, they make me feel that I am in good hands, that they will try to promote me to have a lot of jobs. I am very happy, I feel that I have known Andreas my whole life, he gives me a lot of confidence and the team is great.

I am very grateful for the opportunity because the best thing the fashion world can do is to look for different profiles and have a wide variety of models. I wish all modeling agencies understood fashion the way ModelManagement.com does. I want to highlight the fact that a girl does not have to explicitly measure 90-60-90 to dedicate herself to modeling. I love the fact that models don’t have to be excessively skinny to have the trust and support of an agency.

Thanks to social networks, brands are not only betting on a physique but also on an attitude and charisma…

Attitude is the most important thing because it means the way of transmitting and selling the product. This job is not about taking just one photo and that’s it, it’s much more: how you get on with the camera and how you express yourself. Personally, it is the hardest thing for me, I have to improve because, as I said, I am a newcomer to this world, but little by little I will become more confident, and I will dare to talk more.

What is your greatest quality, what will make you fulfill your dreams?

I am working on improving many of my skills. But I am a hard worker, I like to do things well and obtaining good results that are good for me and for other people. Everything I do I do it because I like it, I never upload anything that I regret later, I never think “I should erase this…”. I like to be myself, and I’m doing good. I see my first videos and I compare them with the current ones and I love it because I see a lot of improvement. Like everything in life, it also has its learning process.

When can a user start earning money with “TikTok”?

It depends on the visits. They pay you for visits per day, if you have many visits per day they pay you more money and per month you add up and you can reach a large amount. Added to all this, obviously, are collaborations… Getting paid to make a video, for example. This is what you earn the most money with. I had a peak of 5 million views a day, but this is not always the same, there are days when you do very well and others where you don’t do so well. In “TikTok” the views of all your videos count, so it is important to have many videos, the more the better. From ten thousand followers they pay you, but before reaching that number you can see the statistics of all your visits and you can interpret what your followers like the most from you.

When someone watches your videos or photos, what would you like to inspire them when they look at you?

Good question! I would like them to see in me a good and sweet girl but also a girl who at the same time has a sexy and wild side that makes her ready to take on the world. That is why I like to interact with my viewers from around the world, I like to be kind and please them when they ask me to say hi or to respond to their messages. It is very beautiful, and I want them to know that I am a good person and that I am very grateful.

Lastly, how important has family support been to you?

I have been fortunate to have wonderful parents who have always, always supported me. From the first moment I told them that I wanted to be a model, they signed me up to agencies in Argentina so that I could learn to model. We lived six hours from my agency and my parents took me whenever they could by car. They did everything for me hoping I could fulfill my dream. When I told them that ModelManagement.com had contacted me, they were delighted and told me to go for it and fight for my dreams. I feel very supported and lucky to have them by my side.