Shirtless and oozing with sex appeal, former Psi Upsilon brother, Josh Pence '04 graces the cover of the summer Abercrombie and Fitch's A&F Magazine. As an economics major, this venture might launch his career in novel directions.
"It's really just a streak of luck," Pence said about his cover feature. "I didn't even know they were going to use that picture until I saw it on the cover -- I was pretty surprised," Pence said.
A highlight of his new job, Pence spent an all-expense paid week in the Dominican Republic with 24 other models. The week included all-day photo shoots and night-time socializing.
"All the food was free, the liquor was free," said Pence, who presently works for New Model Management, a modeling agency. "I was pretty stoked about it."
However, despite these perks, Pence insists, "[Modeling] doesn't pay as much as you might think. In that respect the job is not as glamorous as it sounds."
Although the quarterly A&F Magazine developed a reputation for its racy pictures in the past, Pence said the shoot reflected a policy change by Abercrombie to alleviate concerns of the highly sexualized nature of its content.
"They pulled back the reigns a lot in terms of how far they can push the envelope, so nothing was that weird," he said.
Despite his current success, Pence said adventures in modeling began almost by accident.
After graduation, Pence moved to Los Angeles to pursue an interest in acting that he developed during his senior year. While in L.A., a friend suggested he begin modeling on the side to help pay his way through classes.
"Going into [modeling], I definitely wasn't cognizant of the fact that this could be anything I'd be doing for an extended period of time," said Pence. He has also recently accepted modeling jobs for L'Uomo (an Italian version of Vogue for men) and Cosmopolitan magazine.
Although a modeling career differs greatly from the investment banking internships Pence took while at Dartmouth, he said his family remains supportive.
"My dad did a little acting and modeling when he was my age, so I think he knows where I'm coming from," Pence said.
Following his success with Abercrombie, Pence might continue with various fashion shoots in Europe during the summer. However, he does not see himself modeling for the long term.
"I'm here to study acting and be serious about that," Pence said. "The way events unfolded was highly unlikely and yet they just happened that way."
