Thomas Pacheco is Rewriting The Rules of Modelling
After struggling to break through into the modelling industry Thomas didn't let his height define him.
By Isabella Pettitt
T
here is an unspoken measurement in the modelling industry. Taller is better. Taller is more editorial, more runway, more everything. And at 175cm, Thomas Pacheco has heard the rejection that follows that logic more times than most people could stomach. And after over fifty agencies passed on him, the message was quite clear: too short, not the right fit, not what we're looking for.
And somehow after all of that, he still found the courage to keep going.
"The rejection almost made me want it more," he says. "I knew I wasn't walking into an industry built for me, so I had two choices: let that stop me or build something different."
He chose the latter. But rather than forcing himself into a lane that wasn't built for him, he studied the ever growing and exclusive Fashion Industry to identify where he could actually work, and built a career around that adaptability. Commercial, lifestyle, e-commerce, beauty, personality-driven work. While others were chasing exclusivity, Thomas was focused on becoming bookable.
The decision to self-fund that vision took the courage most models wouldnt have had. "It was definitely scary because there were no guarantees," he says. "I self-funded shoots, travel, portfolio updates, and opportunities without knowing what would come back. But I believed if I treated modelling like a real business instead of a hobby, eventually the opportunities would catch up."
And that they did, International work in Asia had followed and then further representation in both Los Angeles and New York. A career that, by most measures, shouldn't exist, not according to the people who first looked at him and said no.
The shift, he says, came when he stopped fighting his differences and started leaning into them. "Fighting my differences was exhausting. I'm 175cm, I have a more commercial look, and I naturally connect more with lifestyle and e-commerce than ultra-high fashion. Instead of chasing something that didn't fully fit me, I started leaning into what made me different which is being relatable, marketable, and building both modelling and social media at the same time. That's when things started feeling more authentic."
That authenticity extends into how Thomas operates online. Through social media, he documents his career in real time. "I wanted to show the reality behind modelling, the travel, the hard work, the setbacks, and the wins," he says. It's a kind of transparency the fashion industry rarely makes room for, given its exclusive notability.
Yet after all this progress, Thomas is clear-eyed about what the industry still misunderstands. "Most people only see the finished photos, but not the castings, rejection, travel, networking, portfolio building, or uncertainty. There's also no single path anymore. You don't have to fit one mould to build a career if you're willing to adapt and stay consistent."
Although Thomas has come a very long way he's still got farther to go. Based between LA, New York, and Asia "one month in LA focusing on castings and content, another in New York, then Asia working and networking" the day to day is, by his own admission, a little chaotic.
"Long term, I want to prove that there's space in this industry for people who don't fit the traditional expectations," he says. "I think I'm just getting started."
Cherub Magazine
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