3 minute read
Posing behind the camera
ISAbEL WRIGHt
Content warning: This article mentions sexual assault and sexual harassment, which may be disturbing for some readers.
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The thrill of being cast, walking down a runway for Alexander McQueen or Mason Margiela and seeing your face on billboards or commercials is the dream for most fulltime models. However, as romanticized as this lifestyle is, there are darker issues hidden behind this glory.
Among these issues are sexual harassment and sexual assault attempts, which are rampant in the modeling industry. Younger aspiring models are more susceptible to these attempts and the harm that follows since they hold little power against the big names and agencies of the industry.
Studies from The Armstrong Law Firm show that 30% of women working in the modeling industry have experienced sexual harassment at some point in time.
“They’d send me out for test shoots to men’s apartments on my own, and it was really unsafe. One time, the man was really weird and kept trying to make me take my clothes off,” an anonymous source in compliance with Carlmont’s media policy said.
In addition to sexual harassment and
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assault, another issue in the modeling industry is the lack of adequate compensation.
Canadian model and mentor Coco Rocha, who educates young models on the importance of contracts and payment, had struggled with this for a while. She explains how important it is to have a concrete contract before agreeing to a modeling gig. Although some companies hire models with the promise of compensation, other larger companies often have models volunteer to boost their own name and profit. Most of these companies use their reputation for free modeling work so that the company will be plastered on different models’ portfolios.
“I’ve only been paid for one shoot, and I actually didn’t end up getting the money until a couple of months later; that’s a really big thing in the industry,” said Chloe Nugent, a Dallas teenager who has been modeling ever since she was young and is signed to a modeling agency.
On top of not being compensated for most of the shoots, Nugent explained how models have to spend a large amount of money just to start their careers. Test shoots are needed to create a portfolio to present to agencies and can be upward of $1 thousand.
“In order to build your portfolio, you have to pay for test shoots,” Nugent said. “Some of them can be like $800.”
Another one of the various issues in the industry is the effect of high expectations on mental health. Balancing criticism and mental health is a prominent issue throughout the industry. As part of their job, models are often pulled apart for their looks, so modeling agencies can uphold their look and their image. While beneficial for the agencies, the effects are quite the opposite for models.
“A New York agent came to Dallas to scout, and I don’t think I’ve ever been judged harder,” said Nugent. “The way that this person looked at me made me feel so gross. It seemed like I wasn’t even a person, like I was just a project or a doll that was there to be shaped like they wanted, and it was weird.”
Harsh and unrealistic standards for body shapes cause distress, eating disorders, and impacts on mental health. In a survey for Model Alliance, twothirds of the women interviewed suffered from anxiety or depression.
Although the life of a model seems glamorous, the reality is nothing but harsh. Lack of compensation, rampant sexual assault cases, and mental health issues are just the tip of the iceberg. The modeling industry is as dangerous as the next, and one must be careful where one steps on the proverbial catwalk.
Chloe Nugent
