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Jesse James‘ alleged mistress Michelle “Bombshell” McGee seems to have had a pretty successful career as a tattoo model, onilne “model” and stripper. The recent scandal-driven publicity can only help her in those areas, but her 15 minutes is destined to fade any day now — as soon as the next celebrity scandal emerges. (She’s already facing some backlash, being dumped as a model by clothing company Angry White Boy over the weekend.)
Since Bombshell has provided us with no end of entertainment (and horror) for the past few days, it’s only fair that we offer her something in return. So, we’d like to give her some career advice. And, since we’re not experts, we went to someone who is, J.T. O’Donnell, a career counselor, columnist and president and CEO of Careerealism.com and its newly launched members-only career advisory network Careerealism Club. Surprisingly, J.T. was quite upbeat about Bombshell’s career outlook. She also offered some thoughts that might benefit lots of young women, whether they’re stripping or modeling or waiting tables. Here’s her advice:
Look beyond your current job
J.T. said that first and foremost, Bombshell should look beyond stripping and modeling. She may be in high demand now because of the scandal, but that wave of publicity will only last so long. “We see this so often,” she said. “It’s all about supply and demand in the marketplace with what you have to offer, and she’s no different. Kudos to her to choosing to leverage what she has right now, but it’s really short-sighted. When people have a big blow up like this that is rooted in scandal, they usually flameout quickly. She needs to be fearful of that and know that although she might have had a longer career in this, now that she’s blown up her flame it’s going to be doused faster. She needs to start focusing now on an alternative career.”
Look for jobs related to your current industry
“If you’re in a particular field or industry, you want to take a look outside of that and look at what companies, products and services work within that same industry. Then you can leverage you industry knowledge and skills in a different way,” J.T. explained. “What are all the connections to modeling and stripping? You can look into alcohol brands or marketing and promotions firms. A lot of models become agents, because they know what to look for. This will be good for her, because she’ll be leaving while she’s still at the top of her game.”
Focus on your marketable skills
Bombshell is obviously very good at self-promotion and sales, but selling a lap dance requires a different set of skills than, say, selling an alcoholic energy drink. Says J.T.: “She seems to have a leg up in the self promotion department, so what else can she promote in the long run? What other skills does she have? Is she a good communicator, a good connector, can she network well? About 93 percent of communication is non-verbal and obviously she has some very good nonverbal skills. Maybe she can teach other women how to communicate.”
Realize you’re in an industry that many don’t take seriously
J.T. tells the story of a young woman who had been successful as the manager of a strip club on the West Coast — not even a stripper. When she moved East with a boyfriend, she had trouble finding a management job and ending up working in sales at a home improvement store instead. “She was fully capable to take a management job at the store, but they wouldn’t give it to her,” J.T. said. “They didn’t take her or her experience seriously.”
Consider going in to business for yourself
With visible tattoos covering most of her body, including her forehead, going into business for herself might be Bombshell’s best option. “She can set her own rules” if she’s self-employed, J.T. pointed out.
Get started now
“There’s a lot of positive ways that she can go with this but the key is to make the effort now, not just ride this wave of publicity and start later,” J.T. told us. “She’s got options now. It would be a shame to waste that.”
Now, although we’re not experts, here are some jobs and businesses we think Bombshell should consider:
- Alcohol or energy drink brand modeling or promotions
- Playboy or Hustler model
- Model who carries the round numbers in a boxing match
- Model who waves flags at racetrack
- Managing models for Playboy/Hustler/boxing number carriers/racetrack flag wavers
- Selling Neo-Nazi memorabilia
- Managing/promoting online sex site
- Managing/promoting tattoo parlor, strip club, festish shop or some combination
- Reality show star
