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“
FASHION VICTIMS Why model behavior in China means keeping a low profile BY MARIANNA CERINI
NOEMI CASSANELLI
30
August 2014 / www.thatsmags.com
First
of
all
I
want
to
tell
you
that
I
don’t
want
my
name
to
appear
in
the
article.
Nor
my
nationality.”
That’s
how
a
conversation
with
Kasia*,
a
startlingly
beautiful
twenty-‐something
working
as
a
model
in
Beijing,
kicks
off.
I’m
meeting
her
at
Wagas
in
Sanlitun,
to
discuss
the
ins
and
outs
of
her
China
career. This
request
for
anonymity
is
soon
to
become
a
familiar
drill
through
the
course
of
my
research,
revealing
a
darker
side
to
the
Middle
Kingdom’s
fashion
industry.
Of
the
eight
women
I
interview,
not
one
will
allow
her
personal
details,
photos
or
portfolio
to
be
published. Model agencies’ names are kept private. So are clients’. When
I
phone
a
Russian
model
–
who
does
fake
Victoria’s
Secret
shows around China – and ask about her visa situation, she hangs up abruptly.
Another,
a
tall,
dark-‐haired
Romanian
who’s
been
modeling
part-‐time,
agrees
to
meet
after
a
casting
call
in
Shanghai,
only
to
later
panic
and
decide
she
doesn’t
want
her
words
to
be
featured
in
print.
The
message
is
clear.
Keeping
a
low
pro ile
is
of
paramount
importance. Given
the
recent
crackdown
carried
out
by
Chinese
authorities
on
the
industry,
this
is
hardly
surprising.
In
May,
police
in
Beijing
set
up
a
fake
casting
call
at
Chinese
agency
M3
in
order
to
ind
models
working
illegally.
More
than
60
people
were
rounded
up
in
the
sting
and
taken
to
custody,
detained
on
the
premise
that
they
didn’t
have
proper work permits or visas. Four models were jailed and, later, deported. Shortly
afterwards,
a
similar
crackdown
took
place
in
Guangzhou,
where
authorities
apprehended
a
couple
of
models
for
the
same
reasons
and
pushed
them
to
disclose
the
addresses
of
others.
Details
on
the
events
were
quickly
hushed,
but
industry
groups
and
bloggers
advised
all
foreign
models
across
the
country
to
avoid
casting
calls
and
to
hide
their
portfolios.
A
couple
of
months
on
and
the
situation
seems
to
have
calmed
down.
In
this
relative
quiet,
all
of
the
models
I
meet
are
back
to
work.
None
of
them,
however,
have
the
proper
papers
to
do
so. Unlike
most
countries,
China
does
not
grant
“entertainer
visas”
to
models.
Most
agencies
simply
sweep
the
visa
issue
under
the
rug,
telling
the
girls
and
women
in
their
care
to
pretend
they’re
traveling
rather than working. “Everyone
knows
there
is
no
visa
that
speci ically
allows
for
modeling
in
China.
The
police
are
also
fully
aware
of
this,”
says
Kasia.
“That
should
change,
but
I
feel
it’s
not
something
that’s
going
to
happen
any
time
soon.
It’s
all
a
big
contradiction.
I
was
on
the
cover
of
a
magazine
two
years
ago,
yet
I’m
theoretically
an
illegal
worker.
It
makes
no
sense.” Born
in
Eastern
Europe
(like
many
of
the
models
here),
Kasia
has
lived
and
worked
in
China
for
the
past
three
years
and
modeled
for
the
last
10.
She
irst
arrived
at
21
on
a
three-‐month-‐long
modeling
contract
–
described
by
her
as
a
‘summer
internship,’
because
many
models
do
this
type
of
work
during
school
breaks.
Her
mother
agency
back
home
had
procured
it
for
her
with
a
local
company.
Girls
as
young
as
15
can
be
dispatched
to
China
on
these
kinds
of
assignments.
Coming
on
three-‐
to
six-‐month-‐long
tourist
visas,
they
arrive
young,
vulnerable
and
completely
beholden
to
their
local
employers,
with
little
negotiating
power.
This
makes
for
a
precarious
situation,
often
combined
with
sub-‐ standard working conditions. On
her
irst
‘tourist’
trip
to
China,
Kasia
was
put
in
an
over-‐priced,
shabby
lat
with
four
other
models,
paid
for
out
of
her
own
pocket.
Asked
to
work
nearly
non-‐stop
for
the
duration
of
her
stay
–
six
days
a
week,
from
sunrise
shoots
to
late
night
events
–
she
was
often
asked
to
travel
alone
to
second-‐
and
third-‐tier
cities
for
business
fairs
and
other
odd
assignments
that
had
little
to
do
with
fashion,
including
the International Grape Festival in Dunhuang and an auto show in Tianjin. Once
her
contract
was
over,
she
decided
to
stay
in
China
but
go
freelance.
“I
made
enough
contacts
to
leave
the
agency
and
start
working
for
myself,
which
was
probably
the
smartest
thing
to
do
for
my
own
sanity,”
she
says.
“I
like
to
be
able
to
choose
what
jobs
to
take.
You
can’t
do
that
when
you’re
bound
to
an
agency.
You
can’t
even
say
no
to
any
assignment,
most
of
the
time.”
I was on the cover of a magazine two years ago, yet I’m theoretically an illegal worker. It makes no sense Still
on
a
tourist
visa,
she
now
tries
to
work
solely
in
Beijing,
taking
the
occasional
out-‐of-‐town
gigs
only
if
the
pay
is
suf icient.
Without
having
to
share
what
she
makes
with
a
company,
she
only
pays
commission
fees
to
her
booker
–
an
agent
who
scouts
girls
and
hooks
them
up
with
jobs
–
which
allows
her
to
live
quite
comfortably.
For
most
models
on
short
contracts,
the
story
is
a
little
different.
Agencies
often
take
up
to
50
percent
of
a
girl’s
income
–
the
Chinese
booking
agency
usually
takes
a
40
percent
commission
from
the
model’s
net
earnings,
her
mother
agency
10
percent
–
and
exercise
an
almost
despotic
control
on
money
for
transport
and
food. If
a
model
puts
on
weight
or
violates
the
strict
standard
measurements
required,
she
could
easily
have
her
allowance
cut
off.
Rent,
too,
comes
out
of
a
model’s
expenses
and
is
later
deducted
from
her
earnings.
To
leave
the
country
broke
is
not
unheard
of.
“Most
companies
lie
about
speci ics
of
the
posts
they
send
you
to,”
says
Lena,
a
Ukrainian
model,
over
the
phone.
After
working
in
Guangzhou,
Hangzhou
and
Shanghai
for
four
years,
she
recently
relocated
to
Milan.
Like
Kasia,
she
opted
for
a
freelance
career
as
soon
as
she made enough insider connections in China. “It’s
quite
common
to
arrive
at
a
job
and
ind
out
you’re
not
just
supposed
to
pose
for
a
shoot
or
stand
by
an
expensive
car
and
smile,
but
that
the
client
wants
you
to
work
overtime,
or
‘entertain’
their
guests,
sometimes
with
dance
routines
and
whatnot,”
she
says.
“The
agency
usually
knows
that
all
along,
but
doesn’t
bother
telling
you.
And
you
have
to
comply
or
they
won’t
pay
you,”
she
pauses.
“That’s
the
key
really
–
if
you
want
to
work
and
make
money
as
a
model
in
China,
you
have
to
keep
your
mouth
shut.” That’s
how
Rafaela,
a
willowy
24-‐year-‐old
Brazilian
beauty
based
in
Shanghai,
caught
hypothermia
on
a
shoot
in
Harbin,
northern
Heilongjiang
Province.
On
her
irst
trip,
she
was
sent
to
the
city
–
which
experiences
harsh
Siberian
winters
–
just
after
Christmas,
to
*All names have been changed. www.thatsmags.com / August 2014
31
LIFE & STYLE «lead
Doll faces – big eyes and small, round lips – and a curvier body shape are what clients want
model
clothes
for
the
forthcoming
summer
season
along
with
ten
others. “We
were
asked
to
wear
these
tiny
bikinis
and
skimpy
clothes
for
eight
hours
straight,”
she
recounts.
“As
the
day
got
colder
and
colder,
I
started
feeling
incredibly
fatigued.
I
didn’t
complain
as
the
agency
had
repeatedly
told
us
to
not
bother
the
client
–
a
rather
important
European
brand
–
but
I
was
freezing.
“Before
the
shoot
ended,
I
lost
consciousness.
They
sent
me
back
to
the
hotel,
and
I
only
got
to
the
hospital
later
that
night,
by
myself.
I
missed
the
second
day
of
shooting,
and
the
job.” Experiences
like
this,
Rafaela
says,
are
almost
the
norm.
“Particularly
for
young,
inexperienced
models
who
come
here
for
the
irst
time
and
don’t
speak
the
language.
I
was
17
when
I
went
to
Harbin.
I
was
too
intimidated
and
compliant
to
stand
up
for
myself.
I’ve
seen
lots
of
other
adolescent
models
in
the
same
situation.”
As
bad
as
it
sounds,
this
is
the
sixth
time
Rafaela
–
who
has
since
changed
her
agency
–
has
come
to
China
for
work.
I
ask
what
brings
her
back.
She’s
no
longer
a
beginner
and
could
surely
refuse
if
the
situation was that grim. “China
is
easier
to
access
than
other
competitive
markets,”
she
says.
“And,
despite
everything,
there
are
more
opportunities
to
earn
good
money.”
Lena
agrees.
“If
you
play
your
cards
well,
you
can
really
make
crazy
amounts
of
cash.
That
was
the
main
reason
I
decided
to
go
to
Guangzhou
a
few
years
back.” A
foreign
face
can
indeed
go
a
long
way
in
China.
Local
brands
and
companies
are
still
very
keen
to
project
an
international
image
by
using
Western
faces,
and
are
often
willing
to
shell
out
to
do
so.
If
a
model
freelances
or
agrees
on
better
commission
fees
with
her
agency,
the
potential
payout
can
be
substantial.
A
catalogue
shoot
can
start
at
RMB600/hour.
A
day
at
a
trade
event,
such
as
a
car
show,
commands
approximately
RMB3,000.
TV
commercials
are
32
August 2014 / www.thatsmags.com
If you want to work and make money as a model in China, you have to keep your mouth shut
what
pay
the
most:
up
to
RMB10,000
for
a
day
of
work.
A
model
who
works
regularly
and
has
a
good
season
can
make
anywhere
between
RMB30,000
and
RMB50,000
a
month.
“To
make
that
kind
of
money
in
Europe
you’d
have
to
be
quite
high
up
on
the
industry
ladder,”
says
Diana,
a
Russian
model
working
in
Beijing.
“Although,
of
course,
you
can’t
always
count
on
such
substantial
earnings
–
especially
as
more
girls
are
coming
in.”
“Hundreds
of
new
models
arrive
every
year.
It’s
also
becoming
increasingly
common
for
small
Chinese
clients
to
employ
students
–
or
simply
good-‐looking
Western
girls
–
which
means
getting
a
job
is
becoming
harder.
We
all
look
the
same
to
them.” Although Beijing and Shanghai are considered more glamorous locations
for
the
industry,
it’s
in
Guangzhou
and
Shenzhen
where
jobs
are
better
paid.
With
more
than
70
agencies
serving
hundreds
of
clients
across
the
country,
however,
modeling
gigs
can
really
be
found
anywhere.
Breaking
into
the
Chinese
market
is
also
somewhat
easier
for
a
number
of
models
who
don’t
it
the
34-‐24-‐34/5’10”
modeling
standard
and
would
have
trouble
inding
jobs
in
irst-‐tier
markets
like
New
York or London. “You
don’t
have
to
be
the
typical
tall,
super-‐skinny
model
to
be
sought
after
here,”
Diana
tells
me.
“Given
the
more
commercial
nature
of
the
jobs
available,
clients
don’t
really
go
for
that
look.
They
prefer
cute,
medium-‐sized
girls
–
say
5’6
or
5’7
–
which
opens
the
industry
to
a
huge
number
of
us. “Doll
faces
–
big
eyes
and
small,
round
lips
–
and
a
curvier
body
shape
are
what
clients
want,”
she
continues.
“It’s
different
for
catwalks:
strong-‐looking
girls
are
de initely
more
prominent
there,
but
it’s
overall
easy
to
have
access
to
the
fashion
world
even
if
you
are
not
a
Gisele
or
a
Karlie
Kloss.” I
see
what
she
means:
each
of
these
ladies
is
beautiful
and
thin,
but
not
excessively
so.
Kasia
shows
a
lean,
almost
athletic
frame.
Rafaela,
with
chestnut
hair
and
pale
skin,
is
petite
with
delicate
lineaments.
Lena
is
a
typical
Eastern
European
beauty
-‐
full
lips,
ice-‐blue
eyes
and
blonde.
Diana
tops
out
at
just
over
5’5”
and
has
a
healthy,
curvaceous
silhouette
that
Karl
Lagerfeld
would
probably
sneer
at.
It
remains
an
odd
fact
that,
despite
contributing
to
the
international
modeling
economy
as
much
as
any
model
in
Europe
or
the
States,
they
are
or
have
been
working
illegally
this
whole
time.
“That’s
what
eventually
led
me
to
leave,”
Lena
says
from
Milan.
“It
was
getting
too
stressful.
It’s
hard
to
make
your
rights
heard
when
your
position
can’t
be
of icially
recognized.”
For
the
others,
China
is
still
a
paradoxical
land
of
gold
and
despair. “Modeling
here
gives
you
opportunities
you
couldn’t
have
anywhere
else,”
says
Kasia.
“It’s
a
double-‐edged
sword
kind
of
situation.
We
all
know
it’s
not
something
we’re
going
to
do
forever,
but
as
long
as we can keep putting up with it – with the clients’ requests, with the waiting, with the traveling solo or the occasional clampdown – there are
good
things
to
be
had.” The
glamour
associated
with
the
job
may
only
form
a
small
part
of
these
young
women’s
worlds
but
Kasia’s
acceptance
of
the
situation is all too common among the models I speak with. As the summer
season
brings
swarms
of
new
models
into
the
country,
‘putting
up
with’
may
be
all
they
are
able
to
do
as
they
continue
to
operate
beneath
the
gaze
of
the
state.
www.thatsmags.com / August 2014
33