The New York Times has the thinnest models. If the Styles section wants to obsess about the way models are treated, why does it consistently hired such young thin models? The Times could adopt a policy similar to the French, where no one under 16-17 BMI can be part of a fashion shoot. They should also consider imposing on advertisers.
6
Julia is (or was) a fitting model and she was upset that the client discussed the size of her hips? In front of her? When the purpose of the job was fitting clothes for a photo shoot?
Seriously, you kids are in some sort of alternative universe.
You are choosing it for yourselves. It already has its defined parameters. It is selling fantasy.
Seriously, you kids are in some sort of alternative universe.
You are choosing it for yourselves. It already has its defined parameters. It is selling fantasy.
10
I'm wondering how many of these models would have found work 40 years ago?
6
Of course, everyone realizes the marketplace dictates what racial group is in demand. For obvious reasons, this results in disparate impact. White Caucasian types is what is/has always been in demand. This has been the archetype of beauty since the beginning. If non whites feel they have been marginalized, it might be a good idea for them to segregate their notions of beauty devoted to black demographics. This isn't right or wrong. It certainly isn't mean spirited. It is called reality, something many people continue avoiding..
5
If the fashion industry were to vanish off the face of the earth tomorrow, life would continue without a hitch. Yes, many people would have to find a new job, but after that everyone could focus on more important things.
7
The sexism in these comments is very telling. We are not entitled to consume women's bodies.
6
I modelled for 15 years starting in the late 80’s. This article evoked many memories for me - feeling like an object etc. I also remember having to lie about my age and education (I started after college) for years - not good to be 'too old' or have a brain. Agencies are in a position to be able to take advantage of the models because they are often in a foreign country, at the agency’s mercy. You need the agency's support and contacts, so you play the game and accept many terms that are unfair. Modelling allowed me to be in a creative environment where I met some incredible creative minds, some of whom later became well known - but I also feel it somewhat robbed me of my youth (being told you are old at 23, 24 etc and waking up 10 years later wondering where your youth went). The business made me focus too much on physical aspects I could not or did not want to change - often just because of the latest comment from some agent, client, make up artist, stylist or photographer - it's easy to take it to heart and hard to relativize - especially when you are young. In this business your self-image should be solid if you don't want to suffer too much and survive with your inner self intact.
Good to hear models are speaking out and telling the real story. Maybe things will evolve - and I hope they do - but I think the root of the problem is deeper. Our society and our concept of human beauty needs to evolve and be more accepting of ageing, real people and bodies.
Good to hear models are speaking out and telling the real story. Maybe things will evolve - and I hope they do - but I think the root of the problem is deeper. Our society and our concept of human beauty needs to evolve and be more accepting of ageing, real people and bodies.
9
The ultimate humblebrag! Oh, poor me, I'm a fabulous model and it's oh so terrible!
9
If one doesn't care for heat one ought to stay out of kitchens.
10
All workplace harassment or abuse of anyone is reprehensible, but to complain about being objectified in some way if one is s a model is like compiling people punch you in the face if you're a boxer. It is inherently part of the job in an inherently unhealthy profession. No surprise.
8
I guess for the NYT only female models exist...
2
It seems bizarre that the most beautiful humans are continually told they aren't attractive! Models are young enough to not realize what they are getting into, and to be especially vulnerable.
Anyway, no one with a job with health insurance should feel immune from being told to stop their bad habits.
Not to bring the level of discussion down, but the art of humiliation seems to be magnified in our social and political environment these days.
Anyway, no one with a job with health insurance should feel immune from being told to stop their bad habits.
Not to bring the level of discussion down, but the art of humiliation seems to be magnified in our social and political environment these days.
3
Nobody has a harder time in life than incredibly beautiful young women. Their struggles are inconceivable! The grueling hours of personal grooming alone are devastating. No one pays any attention to them. No one gives them favorable treatment. And above all, who is less likely to catch a lucky break out of nowhere than an incredibly beautiful young woman?
I suppose it would be a terrible waste of space to print an article on impeccably educated, dedicated, ambitious, responsible young women who in spite of all these qualities can't earn a living wage, let alone get paid fabulous sums to sit, stand and walk.
I suppose it would be a terrible waste of space to print an article on impeccably educated, dedicated, ambitious, responsible young women who in spite of all these qualities can't earn a living wage, let alone get paid fabulous sums to sit, stand and walk.
20
I am one of the models in the video... We are not having a pity party, we are speaking about labor and social issues. I'm sorry you feel hate toward us, that was not our intent. We are trying to change our industry so that the women of our society are not constantly bombarded with unrealistic images that tell them they look wrong and that they should change themselves. We do not like that message. We are trying to diversify the visual messages that the media is selling, so that there is a wider range of body types and ethnicities, and in turn setting a healthier example for women everywhere.
32
Good for you, Julia, but the folks you work for are so rich, powerful and well-entrenched they can afford to allow you to air your conscience while they confidently maintain the status quo.
Your dilemma reminds me of NFL players confronting the danger of CTE; the business you're in is too profitable to make any but "cosmetic" changes.
Your dilemma reminds me of NFL players confronting the danger of CTE; the business you're in is too profitable to make any but "cosmetic" changes.
4
Look. The world of high fashion is not exactly a stronghold of women's empowerment. Not very many female designers have true interest in creating functional clothes for real bodies--much less all those male couturiers.
It is a business intended to convince the woman with money that she can wipe the floor with her rivals by wearing a garment someone else decrees as fabulous.
That any woman in full control of her faculties still considers stiletto heels to be an element of "power dressing" tells you more than what these resentful young women possibly can.
Even when I was a minion to the boardroom crowd, I dressed as I felt comfortable. I have never owned a business suit. My heels were Capezio Mary Janes--designed to support an actual female foot.
There have been designers, from time to time since the end of the 19th century, who made clothes intended to flatter and enhance the actual female form. They were always and remain in the minority.
Even right now, at this moment, comfortable cuts of denim are derided as "mom jeans."
If you can't think for yourself, don't blame others who think badly for you.
It is a business intended to convince the woman with money that she can wipe the floor with her rivals by wearing a garment someone else decrees as fabulous.
That any woman in full control of her faculties still considers stiletto heels to be an element of "power dressing" tells you more than what these resentful young women possibly can.
Even when I was a minion to the boardroom crowd, I dressed as I felt comfortable. I have never owned a business suit. My heels were Capezio Mary Janes--designed to support an actual female foot.
There have been designers, from time to time since the end of the 19th century, who made clothes intended to flatter and enhance the actual female form. They were always and remain in the minority.
Even right now, at this moment, comfortable cuts of denim are derided as "mom jeans."
If you can't think for yourself, don't blame others who think badly for you.
9
The insane rush to 'stardom' and fame for this Jon Benet Ramsey crowd doesn't justify the ill treatment they receive but then don't be a model and do something adult wth your life.
6
Shocking concept here, but maybe people should be treated as human beings, with respect, whether they are models or scientists or ditch diggers? Why are models mostly anonymous in magazines unless they are Kendall Jenner? They list everyone else on the shoot - hair and makeup, photographer, editor, stylist. Why not the person in the photograph, the person who embodies the vision of the designer, the stylist, editor, H&M person? Why is it illegal to sexually harrass, not pay, or endanger the health of your employee anywhere else, yet if they are a model, it's just fine? Top designers and photographers can be the worst abusers. These models are asking for respect and decent and fair treatment. They are human beings, not coat hangers. In turn, they are responsible for being professional and looking their best, yes. That's their job. Being denigrated is not part of their job description, is it? Nor is being mistreated or abused. Nor is being treated with less respect than a chair. There's nothing outrageous or "whiny" about asking for fairness and common decency.
PS: I love diversity. I love Gaultier for embracing diversity of all kinds. I love seeing all kinds of looks and ages and ethnicities on the runway and in magazines. It makes things more interesting. And if the clothes are too boring to compete with the model's look, then whose fault is that?
PS: I love diversity. I love Gaultier for embracing diversity of all kinds. I love seeing all kinds of looks and ages and ethnicities on the runway and in magazines. It makes things more interesting. And if the clothes are too boring to compete with the model's look, then whose fault is that?
45
I am one of the models in the video, I just want to thank you so much for this kind and thoughtful comment. It means so much to all of us that you understand all of these things. : )
36
It is illegal to harass, etc.. One just has to hire the lawyer to deal with it, like in any job.
But, just like in any job, most people put up with it because they are in fear for their job, their profession, so they do not speak up. It is understandable, but one tacitly accepts the abuse by remaining silent.
People must speak up.
But, just like in any job, most people put up with it because they are in fear for their job, their profession, so they do not speak up. It is understandable, but one tacitly accepts the abuse by remaining silent.
People must speak up.
2
Why were the interviewees all female? Why was there a high percentage of non-white interviewees if the Times is criticizing the industry for mainly employing white models? Wouldn't a statistically representative selection of models provide a more accurate view? How does someone who pursues a career that is entirely dependent on looks expect sympathy when they complain about people in the industry discussing their looks? What's so terrible about only drinking water for the day before a shoot or show? I know tons of people who have fasted for many reasons (religious, acting, dropping weight classes for sports, etc.). The fasting directly affects their appearance, which is directly related to their job performance. If they don't want to fast for a certain event, don't work at it. If too many events require fasting for a non-faster to earn enough, then switch to another career that isn't completely devoted to personal appearance. Amidst the frivolous complaints, there are serious & valid complaints, like sexual harassment, which need to be dealt with, but the ridiculous complaints only serve to obscure the important ones.
8
It is sad that the fashion industry promotes a standard of beauty of a girl resembling a skinny, prepubescent boy. Why is extreme skinniness and the emaciated look considered "beauty"?
I'll never forget a summer I spent in southern Africa where the full-figured and voluptuous African women were celebrated. All of these women are gorgeous!
I'll never forget a summer I spent in southern Africa where the full-figured and voluptuous African women were celebrated. All of these women are gorgeous!
8
I am one of the models in the video... Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful comment!! I am so happy to hear your perspectuve on this. : )
Aside from the exploitation issue, what I found interesting was the photoshopping comment. These gorgeous women and their fabulous bodies isn't good enough for some.
4
I see a conflict in claiming the models are powerless but at the same time if all of them walk away they have a lot of power. Why do these girls want to be models and why do they put up with what they go through? It starts by giving into the idea of glamour and, honestly, to have your ego pumped up bse you were actually brainwashed by the magazines you now complaint about... Why put up with such terrible industry? Do tey think they have no other option? Seriously? Or do they think their ego is more important and thus they put up with it? I have no answers to any of these questions and don't expect people to have answers. But those questions need to be asked and each of these girls need to figure out whether they really want to be in the industry and what's their own self worth.
5
Just because you can take off your clothes and be photographed doesn't mean that you should.
3
RuPaul didn't sing "You'd better work" for nothin' ....
These women all seem pretty young, so take it from me -- you need to place all this is a larger perspective. You're all so beautiful people pay to point a camera at you. That means you're exponentially more fortunate than many people all over the world. You could be in Syria, or a Muslim in Burma, or food-insecure anywhere in the world.
Periodic hurt feelings aren't the same as real injustices. As a woman who is easily twice most of your ages. I saw in this piece the widest variety of figures and complexions I've ever seen in a modeling article. Huge change has come to this industry. That said, you all willingly entered a profession that's 100% predicated on your appearance, then seem shocked people are critiquing your appearance. That IS the game. To you hair may be a personal or political statement, to people who run fashion shows and those who represent you it's just a body feature that sells or not, supports the designer's statement or not.
I'm a dyed-in-the-wool feminist, and feel very strongly about inequities and injustices visited upon women. But I also expect women to approach the world realistically. Also, if I had a 16 year-old daughter doing an adult job, in a known-to-be-edgy industry, I wouldn't let her go on her own. It behooves these parents to stay aware. Helmut Newton (among others) was doing S&M-themed layouts in the 1970s; it's hardly news that modeling can involve some very adult themes. But in the grownup world it's about the job, not you.
Periodic hurt feelings aren't the same as real injustices. As a woman who is easily twice most of your ages. I saw in this piece the widest variety of figures and complexions I've ever seen in a modeling article. Huge change has come to this industry. That said, you all willingly entered a profession that's 100% predicated on your appearance, then seem shocked people are critiquing your appearance. That IS the game. To you hair may be a personal or political statement, to people who run fashion shows and those who represent you it's just a body feature that sells or not, supports the designer's statement or not.
I'm a dyed-in-the-wool feminist, and feel very strongly about inequities and injustices visited upon women. But I also expect women to approach the world realistically. Also, if I had a 16 year-old daughter doing an adult job, in a known-to-be-edgy industry, I wouldn't let her go on her own. It behooves these parents to stay aware. Helmut Newton (among others) was doing S&M-themed layouts in the 1970s; it's hardly news that modeling can involve some very adult themes. But in the grownup world it's about the job, not you.
17
I wonder why some savvy clothing designer has not set up a runway show with nothing but mannequins all arranged on a moving walkway of some sort. Perhaps roller coster designers could assist in that.
That way, designers could dismiss with much labor, make their mannequins any color, sex, shape, etc., desired, at whim.
No need to have human models at all. Perhaps that would make folks happy then, hmm?
That way, designers could dismiss with much labor, make their mannequins any color, sex, shape, etc., desired, at whim.
No need to have human models at all. Perhaps that would make folks happy then, hmm?
3
While there are, indeed, a few points that bear attention, the vast majority of the complaints and criticisms of these overpaid spoiled young women and girls are found in almost every kind of employment. The only difference here is that the employees are beautiful.
But really, these women enter a field where they know in advance that the entire industry is ABOUT appearance, attraction, desirability, and then they complain because they are being treated like an object?! Please.
The only situation where there is genuinely cause for concern is with minors and other young girls. But it is not the role of the agencies to protect them; it's their parents'. If their parents or guardians fail in their responsibilities, that is not the fault of the agencies. The agencies are only in this to make a profit, the same with designers. Any young women (or young men) can and will be abused or taken advantage of, whether it be Wall Street or a white-shoe law firm, which sucks as much as it can out of young employees, even graduates of Harvard Law School, toiling days and nights while hoping to make partner after seven years.
All in all, these women-in many respects--fail to appreciate their own good fortune, with a horizon of good earnings with very little foundation-work required, and ought to think of the lives of those millions of us who were born with normal good looks, but not a face to be photographed. Come back to Earth, and stop whining.
But really, these women enter a field where they know in advance that the entire industry is ABOUT appearance, attraction, desirability, and then they complain because they are being treated like an object?! Please.
The only situation where there is genuinely cause for concern is with minors and other young girls. But it is not the role of the agencies to protect them; it's their parents'. If their parents or guardians fail in their responsibilities, that is not the fault of the agencies. The agencies are only in this to make a profit, the same with designers. Any young women (or young men) can and will be abused or taken advantage of, whether it be Wall Street or a white-shoe law firm, which sucks as much as it can out of young employees, even graduates of Harvard Law School, toiling days and nights while hoping to make partner after seven years.
All in all, these women-in many respects--fail to appreciate their own good fortune, with a horizon of good earnings with very little foundation-work required, and ought to think of the lives of those millions of us who were born with normal good looks, but not a face to be photographed. Come back to Earth, and stop whining.
10
Perhaps the biggest scam to be perpetrated on young women, and the general public, within the last couple of decades is the chimerical title of "supermodel", which translates into "shallowest creature imaginable". Not only can women hope to succeed in the modeling industry, they can now aspire to this vacuous sobriquet, which must be conferred by a cabal of savvy marketers in some hidden redoubt. I've seen nothing in these exalted creatures, either in grace or intelligence, that distinguishes them from ordinary, run-of-the-mill beauties - except the luck of the draw and a relentless PR firm. The illusory lure of untold fame and riches promised by this designation probably keeps some models slogging on long after they should have cut bait.
3
Oh to be an "ordinary run-of-the-mill beauty".
2
Models are not independent contractors (IC). The IRS should examine the industry and force reclassification. You might think freelancers are automatically ICs. Not so.
ICs control their jobs; employees follow their employers’ dictates. The issue of control is fundamental to the distinction.
I used to work in the film business. In the 80's, many production companies wrongly classified film crews as ICs, because they are freelancers. The IRS cracked down. Now most companies use payroll services to properly pay their crews as employees. This includes actors, a job similar to modeling. Actors have a day or hourly rate determining their salary. Most are freelancers, represented by an agent. But an actor is told when and where to work and what to do. On TV shoots, they are considered employees because the employer controls them.
A set designer can be a true example of an IC. Imagine a designer submits a flat rate quote to create a set per an approved design. The designer provides workers, tools, and materials to get the job done. If costs come in under budget, there will be greater profit for him/her. The employer does not control him/her.
Consider a model walking at a fashion show. She is told when and where to be, what to do, and for how many hours. She is an employee.
Erroneous classification as IC hurts models. They won’t receive important workplace protections like worker’s comp and must pay the full cost of social security. They need a union!
IRS- CRACK DOWN NOW!
ICs control their jobs; employees follow their employers’ dictates. The issue of control is fundamental to the distinction.
I used to work in the film business. In the 80's, many production companies wrongly classified film crews as ICs, because they are freelancers. The IRS cracked down. Now most companies use payroll services to properly pay their crews as employees. This includes actors, a job similar to modeling. Actors have a day or hourly rate determining their salary. Most are freelancers, represented by an agent. But an actor is told when and where to work and what to do. On TV shoots, they are considered employees because the employer controls them.
A set designer can be a true example of an IC. Imagine a designer submits a flat rate quote to create a set per an approved design. The designer provides workers, tools, and materials to get the job done. If costs come in under budget, there will be greater profit for him/her. The employer does not control him/her.
Consider a model walking at a fashion show. She is told when and where to be, what to do, and for how many hours. She is an employee.
Erroneous classification as IC hurts models. They won’t receive important workplace protections like worker’s comp and must pay the full cost of social security. They need a union!
IRS- CRACK DOWN NOW!
13
You really need to read the factors that the IRS uses to determine the status of an independent contractor, specifically the Common Law Rules. You are flat out wrong in your assertions.
1
The issue of exploitation in the fashion industry has gone on for many decades.
With all the education and information available in 2017 about the fashion industry, body "dysmorphic" disorders, anorexia etc, to still blame others exclusively for the consequences of our choices does not hold water
With all the education and information available in 2017 about the fashion industry, body "dysmorphic" disorders, anorexia etc, to still blame others exclusively for the consequences of our choices does not hold water
12
Human beings should not be abused, but if you aren't aware that the whole purpose of the fashion industry is to objectify women, you didn't do your research (sixteen years old, or not). Choosing to go into modeling and being surprised by the conditions is like choosing to go into medicine, then complaining that it's not fair that you have to deal with sick people.
16
I am sorry, I don't need to read the article to know about what is truly....If you "want" to be a fashion model, first and foremost, you have to renounce to be yourself. Yep. you have to enter into a box, a very narrow box since it only accepts the marketing ideals: sell-sell-sell to all of us, particularly women, this product and that product in order to reach the "unreachable" : an emaciated, teenager who never smiles.
It tells us a little about our "culture", no?
It tells us a little about our "culture", no?
7
What an interesting industry.
At least 2 male models have been 'discovered' by their mug shots.
One from NC was arrested in April 2016 for speeding and for auto theft and also booked for alleged assault on a female, alleged breaking and entering plus resisting arrest.
The scout / agent who saw his mug shot went out of his way to locate him via social media.
Another male model from California was arrested for firearm charges and grand theft.
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/641794/Sexy-mugshot-criminal...
Sounds like these ladies profiled are too good for this industry, if this is what it is about.
At least 2 male models have been 'discovered' by their mug shots.
One from NC was arrested in April 2016 for speeding and for auto theft and also booked for alleged assault on a female, alleged breaking and entering plus resisting arrest.
The scout / agent who saw his mug shot went out of his way to locate him via social media.
Another male model from California was arrested for firearm charges and grand theft.
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/641794/Sexy-mugshot-criminal...
Sounds like these ladies profiled are too good for this industry, if this is what it is about.
1
Model, Schmodel - I see all these ultra skinny ( yes I'm body shaming ), unhealthy, gawky young girls teetering around SoHo looking totally lost on their phones! 75% of them twenty years ago wouldn't have made it passed the reception desk at any legitimate agency. Every girl thinks that if your young, skinny and tall she can be a model. How about being hot looking? The agencies are taking most of these girls for a ride and are getting over on them financially or some other social connection that the agency is working. I guess it's the democratization of the fashion world that has become so passe except for the very high end or the one percenters.....
3
if you do not want to be treated like a sex object, don't act like one. they are not putting you on runways/photos b/c of how pleasant or smart you are.
11
I modeled for a while in college in NYC to help pay the bills, and part of why I quit were the things these women talk about. I was told since I was black I could "lose 15 lbs" to get that "exotic starving African" look, or gain 5-10 lbs of muscle to have an "urban sporty" look, but I wasn't going to get jobs if I had a "white girl" body, since you know, they could get white girls for that. It was suggested I pick up smoking to help me lose weight. After a while the money wasn't worth the blows to my self esteem being so objectified cost me.
8
Struck by the word "truly" in title. I did not know NYT had two classes of stories, and if so, all should marked if they fall into "true" category.
7
This article is more foam in the wave of this generation: I want my image to appear in fashion advertisements and reserve the right to complain about being objectified. I volunteer to be in an article exposing my objectification to the world in an attempt to shame those who hire me and those who don't hire me. I am not the gold standard of beauty so there is something wrong with the gold standard of beauty. I identify as beautiful, there I am beautiful.
This attitude is cropping up in every facet of life under the social justice banner. When reality catches up with this indoctrinated generation it's going to be unbearably hard for them to cope.
This attitude is cropping up in every facet of life under the social justice banner. When reality catches up with this indoctrinated generation it's going to be unbearably hard for them to cope.
16
Exactly, and put far (far) better than my attempt.
The attitudes(s) are just so very, very draining. So much "me" everywhere.
Thank you for putting it so succinctly.
The attitudes(s) are just so very, very draining. So much "me" everywhere.
Thank you for putting it so succinctly.
6
"I want my image to appear." Yes because it's a job! Do you not want your work too be visible and successful? I know I do. Why is the model vain for selling her work but the photographer and fashion studio are not? They're all part of working for a finished product.
1
Zoli, a top model agent in the 1970's said it best. " The privileges of beauty are immense". It's unfortunate that the current standard of beauty in fashion has been poisoned by the number of Twitter followers a model has.
4
When the handsome Bloodhound with me in my photo was just a pup, I was approached by an agent for DOG MODELS, asking if I'd be interested in representing him for modeling in print work and catalogues. You know, I thought I'd heard everything, but this is indeed NYC. I thought about it for 15 seconds, but having worked with dogs for 15 years at that time, I knew that the life of a dog model is quite stressful. They do understand, on some level, that they are being evaluated on something, and that whether or not they are chosen is of some significance, etc.
When I decided to get Nash, I accepted responsibility for him; I wanted to give him a wonderful, happy life. Not to put him to work. That he turned out to have a handsome face and a striking persona were only cause to love him and care for him even more, not to exploit my good luck.
What kind of parent(s) would treat their own child any less than a beloved dog? That's the real question here, not the common profit motive of the modeling agencies and fashion designers, who act no differently than other employers of exploited young employees everywhere. There is nothing extraordinary about them, or this industry, in any respect.
When I decided to get Nash, I accepted responsibility for him; I wanted to give him a wonderful, happy life. Not to put him to work. That he turned out to have a handsome face and a striking persona were only cause to love him and care for him even more, not to exploit my good luck.
What kind of parent(s) would treat their own child any less than a beloved dog? That's the real question here, not the common profit motive of the modeling agencies and fashion designers, who act no differently than other employers of exploited young employees everywhere. There is nothing extraordinary about them, or this industry, in any respect.
10
I have little patience for those who pursue fields for the glamour and money, like modeling or film, but who also want credit for being social justice activists at the same time. Look, there are people who have dedicated their careers to important social issues these women rejected in favor of gaining attention for their looks. Now that they recognize the choice they made may have been a bad one, that's reason to support them, and even reason to celebrate their insights, but let's not now give them credit for being the "pros" in social issues they happily ignored while others went to school then delved into those social justice trenches and have been there ever since.
14
Articles like these and direct accounts from models and their realities are of the utmost importance. As individuals that live their lives in the public eye, I cannot imagine how daunting the task of creating an "ideal" or "perfect" image/lifestyle must be. I have a great respect for models and how many continue to model and fight for equality in all regards despite receiving backlash/negative critiques from photographers, managers, makeup artists, the public, etc. What angers and sickens me is the idea that there is only one type of beauty, which in the case of this article and in reality is being white and skinny. As much as people like to believe that our society is in good standing with respect to disregarding others' body shape, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, etc., there is an immensely large amount of work that still needs to be completed. Although our society and, in this case, the images being advertised in regards to models and those in the public eye, have progressed significantly, there is still a common belief that anyone who is nonwhite and "plus-sized" is not truly beautiful. Having one type of beauty is the root of the issues discussed in this article, and having friends and relatives with modeling experience allows me to validate those concerns and conclude that others feel the same way. As a community that is becoming increasingly eduacted on the realities of the modeling industry and the realities of global beauty standards, it is time to act.
3
with respect to disregarding others' body shapes, race, gender identities, sexual orientations, etc.*
As a community that is becoming increasingly educated*
As a community that is becoming increasingly educated*
It has most likely already been said in the comments here but I'm gonna say it anyhow, ''stay in school and don't give up your day job''. Modeling is a fleeting occupation at best. Looks fade as does the fickle desires of the agencies as to what's trendy or needed. Some certain looks may be good right now but out next season, as are other physical aspects.
13
People love the videos of models tripping and falling on the runway, love seeing them abused in model shows. Enjoy bitching that "she isn't really that pretty, or too tall, too short, thin lips, flat chest," I've heard it all. People love a Stupid Model (also the title of that fun book) It has been this way since I started as a 17-year old model in Paris, and I often think that some things would have been easier if only we'd had cell phones. Like the time Andre Courreges made us, all the models he was casting, strip for him - it would have made a great video for glee and outrage, or the time we, 16 international models, were abandoned with no tickets home in the Australian outback - one video would have gotten us a reality TV show. Young models are naive and often called "stupid" because they are ill prepared for the BS and bigotry they encounter and by all accounts (here) model bashing is never politically incorrect.
9
Interesting article. As the old adage says, if you don't like the heat get out of the kitchen. These women chose to go into the modeling profession and it has been long understood that who ever hires them expects a certain type of look and body, plus crazy work hours and demands. I am not one bit surprised by the trials and tribulations they have been put through. It is a tough business with a lot of competition. Not unlike many other businesses where people are forced to do things they dont want to keep the job.
16
The worst abuses are only hinted at here. Models are often urged to run up debts on surgery, classes, clothes and those who don't make it are pressed into seedier "sidelines."
8
One of our sons was scouted by Red in NYC at age 17 and luckily we were able to talk him out of it. The financial shenanigans are unacceptable.
6
Unfortunately this is the natural outcome of an industry that fundamentally boils down to a "best-in-breed" competition.
Instilling constant feelings of inadequacy and a competition for attention are what fuels the billion dollar beauty industry in the first place. That these women have been subjected to that experience isn't particularly surprising.
Instilling constant feelings of inadequacy and a competition for attention are what fuels the billion dollar beauty industry in the first place. That these women have been subjected to that experience isn't particularly surprising.
2
So, a pure selection of nothing but females? There exists NO male fashion models whatsoever? Come on, Times. Segregation, discrimination, and bigotry is not based solely on race.
9
'27.9 percent of the models who walked the fall 2017 runways were nonwhite.
theFashionSpot'
and
'In an assessment of the fall 2017 ad campaigns, The Fashion Spot found that 30.4 percent of the models were nonwhite.'
This sounds about right, if you expect that the races represented in modelling to more or less reflect the population at large. According to the 2013 census, 77.7% of the population is white. i.e. 22.3% are non white, so non-whites are slightly more represented in the industry, approx 6% surplus representation, than their population at large for the runways, and approx 8% surplus representation for ad campaigns. And the whites are slightly under represented by the same margins, respectively.
It seems that the statistics are reasonable are are slightly skewed in favor of diversity and not against it.
I do not see anything to complain about here, at least regarding diversity.
theFashionSpot'
and
'In an assessment of the fall 2017 ad campaigns, The Fashion Spot found that 30.4 percent of the models were nonwhite.'
This sounds about right, if you expect that the races represented in modelling to more or less reflect the population at large. According to the 2013 census, 77.7% of the population is white. i.e. 22.3% are non white, so non-whites are slightly more represented in the industry, approx 6% surplus representation, than their population at large for the runways, and approx 8% surplus representation for ad campaigns. And the whites are slightly under represented by the same margins, respectively.
It seems that the statistics are reasonable are are slightly skewed in favor of diversity and not against it.
I do not see anything to complain about here, at least regarding diversity.
12
Anyone who's lucky enough to be attractive soon learns they can trade on their looks. The signals begin at a very early age and no words even need be spoken; it follows through with unconscious reactions by teachers and once puberty sets in, business is booming. It is no particular attainment on their part, so anything positive that comes from it is just icing on the cake.
Where most drivers never have to navigate terrain any more forbidding than I95, automakers produce commercial showing their vehicles braving the most blasted terrain because they are trying to sell a ridiculous dream. Like it or not, females and males are in constant competition with each other and will seize any promise of advantage. Most women will never look like these women, yet, all denials to the contrary, the desire to do so is what sells clothes and cosmetics.
Where most drivers never have to navigate terrain any more forbidding than I95, automakers produce commercial showing their vehicles braving the most blasted terrain because they are trying to sell a ridiculous dream. Like it or not, females and males are in constant competition with each other and will seize any promise of advantage. Most women will never look like these women, yet, all denials to the contrary, the desire to do so is what sells clothes and cosmetics.
6
That's right. We desire what these models have and the models know it and revel in it. The vast majority of us chase beauty, sometimes with cosmetic surgery and always with desperation. It's the biggest scam and waste of energy ever. To chase, reach, never obtain.
2
the sites men look at for pleasure are often full of super fit six-pack women who aren't model pretty. get a six-pack and men will chase YOU.
Isn't it obvious that if you take a job as a model you've agreed to be objectified? Isn't that basically the job description....to be an object in the visual field for the marketing of something? If you don't like interacting with the traveling public don't be a flight attendant. If you don't like being seen at the surface, then don't be a model. If you have something to say, say it, but why expect modeling agencies and marketers to care about what you have to say given that that has nothing to do with why you got the job.
18
The insensitivity and misinformation in these comments is astounding. I have worked with new models in New York for the past five years. The ages of the models featured in this profile are much higher than the average age of "new face" models; most girls enter the industry for the first time from the ages of 14-20. These are TEENAGE GIRLS, children! A large percentage of new models are girls from abroad, who are scouted by agents and sent to the US under the impression that they will be working and offered opportunities far more valuable than those available in their home country. Many girls are from eastern Europe or east Asia and come here alone, with no knowledge of English or how to navigate New York; they often leave having booked little to no jobs and in more debt than they started in. The bitterness in these comments, for young women of limited means drawn into the "glamour" and opportunity of an industry that then mistreats and exploits them, is upsetting. You can think fashion is frivolous (because, frankly, it is) but don't blame the bottom of the food chain for the abuses they've suffered at the hands of the gatekeepers of the industry.
16
Exactly. The "models" in this article (excepting the Calvin Klein model) are not professional models, but aspired to be models. Reputable agencys exist and contract models who meet the standards required by designers to exemplify their aesthetic vision--their perogative. The women featured in this article are older and heavier than that standard.
2
While no one should be abused or otherwise treated as an object in an employer-employee relationship, fashion and thus, modeling, is all about the visual impact, the so-called objectification of the model. (I say "so-called" because the word "objectification" is tossed around far too easily these days, that and "misogyny"; too many people use words improperly, but I digress.)
And while society can argue day and night as to what constitutes a "normal" looking body, face, proportions, etc., the fact is that the buying public has preferences and there is not much one can do about that, and that public is who buys or does not buy based on what they see.
I would ask these model, though, just what was it you thought modeling would be? Perhaps the first question is why did you even consider modeling in the first place? A good way to get famous? You thought you had "the look"? I mean, I imagine it is rare that a model is hired for his or her intellect. I mean nothing insulting by that, simply to point out that one's "brain" is not relevant to modeling.
Your body is. That's what it is all about. Your body and how clothing looks upon it. (I oversimplify; I know there is more to modeling.)
And while society can argue day and night as to what constitutes a "normal" looking body, face, proportions, etc., the fact is that the buying public has preferences and there is not much one can do about that, and that public is who buys or does not buy based on what they see.
I would ask these model, though, just what was it you thought modeling would be? Perhaps the first question is why did you even consider modeling in the first place? A good way to get famous? You thought you had "the look"? I mean, I imagine it is rare that a model is hired for his or her intellect. I mean nothing insulting by that, simply to point out that one's "brain" is not relevant to modeling.
Your body is. That's what it is all about. Your body and how clothing looks upon it. (I oversimplify; I know there is more to modeling.)
10
Everyone has problems at work, the important difference between us being that the women in the article look a lot better than most people who have experienced similar problems.
8
By being a model, you are tacitly agreeing to objectifying yourself...That is the basic purpose of a model..to be a physical symbol...to be the embodiment and representation of what someone or some business/industry wants to sell to the public. These are crocodile tears to me.
15
Yes, being a model is a way that our hard headed commercial society exploits the youth and beauty of young women for the utterly shallow interests of some people (not me of course :-)). Of course we know that women dress for other women, so we men can’t take the fall on this one. And compared to the way that our society exploits the youth and beauty of professional football players, for equally vacuous reasons, models have it easy. Maybe Timothy Leary had it right; our society is a male menopaucracy, a society run by old men who are envious of the young.
18
I wouldn't buy a single thing thess women are modelling
7
These young women are the penultimate victims of the perverse industry they are devoted to and invested in. The ultimate victims are the rest of the female population, who are never paid to look good, but are nonetheless expected to even as they are underpaid for honest work; who are nonetheless constrained, shamed and hoodwinked, objectified and sexualized and ranked by the very images in which these outspoken women appear. This is, beyond any argument, the whole idea behind fashion and advertising! The young women here surely experience some of the worst that this culture has to offer, but I have to figure that the shame foisted on women who feel like they'd never even make the cut is wider and worse. The anorexics and bulemics I've known were never paid a dime, but they were certainly directed by fashion photographers all the same.
Perhaps it's time for the Times to take an axe to their fawning fashion-industry coverage. This industry produces little value and does incalculable harm. Moreover, as it would seem that the highest end of the garment industry is apparently incapable of fitting good-looking clothes onto an ordinary human body, they deserve no respect as artists or craftspeople. Refer to Tim Gunn's moving and sharp rebuke of industry leaders' lack of vision, talent, and love for human beauty ("Make it work" on NPR).
Perhaps it's time for the Times to take an axe to their fawning fashion-industry coverage. This industry produces little value and does incalculable harm. Moreover, as it would seem that the highest end of the garment industry is apparently incapable of fitting good-looking clothes onto an ordinary human body, they deserve no respect as artists or craftspeople. Refer to Tim Gunn's moving and sharp rebuke of industry leaders' lack of vision, talent, and love for human beauty ("Make it work" on NPR).
18
Van Morrison summed it up best in his song Wild Nights:
"All the girls go by, dressed up for each other...."
When I walk around with my ex-model wife, I am astounded to see how women size other women up, repeatedly, unendingly, wherever we go.
That sums it up. Men are generally not the least impressed by fashion, and prefer women to have a more natural look without the makeup and jewelry.
By and large the fashion industry is about women, driven by women, and
financed by women.
Without the hyper-competitive nature of women when it comes to appearance, the entire industry would collapse.
So, please, lay the responsibility for this madness where it belongs.
"All the girls go by, dressed up for each other...."
When I walk around with my ex-model wife, I am astounded to see how women size other women up, repeatedly, unendingly, wherever we go.
That sums it up. Men are generally not the least impressed by fashion, and prefer women to have a more natural look without the makeup and jewelry.
By and large the fashion industry is about women, driven by women, and
financed by women.
Without the hyper-competitive nature of women when it comes to appearance, the entire industry would collapse.
So, please, lay the responsibility for this madness where it belongs.
3
I am a fitting model. I have worked for 40 years in this industry. I'm a size 8. I am 5,6 and 140 lbs there are many girls like me working in this industry that make sure the clothing they fit works to fit a ordinary woman's body . There are many many good fitting clothing lines out there !
1
Dmj:
The hypercompetitiveness of women is a symptom of patriarchy. Men care intensely about the attractiveness of potential partners and have a numerical advantage. The fashion and beauty industries persuade women that they can stand out to a man by buying the right outfit or applying the correct foundation.
So, please, lay the responsibility for this madness where it belongs.
The hypercompetitiveness of women is a symptom of patriarchy. Men care intensely about the attractiveness of potential partners and have a numerical advantage. The fashion and beauty industries persuade women that they can stand out to a man by buying the right outfit or applying the correct foundation.
So, please, lay the responsibility for this madness where it belongs.
3
For what it's worth here's my suggestion -- Quit!! I can't believe that these over paid fashion models are complaining about today's politically correct on the job problems from racism to body objectification. There's a million young women out there who would love to be tottering down the runway during Fashion Week in your stilettos. No one forced these lovely ladies to be models and you've got to cope with the negative aspects of the job. It comes with the territory.
14
I understand these young women are signing up for modeling work on their own volition; however, I can't understand all the negative, scolding comments. Since when is it ok to reach out and grab a woman's nipple and say see it needs to be hard! I don't care what profession your in or what job you hold, this is a basic human concern. Simple abuse. So if an Uber driver gets assaulted it must be ok,right? Because that is a job that involves some inherent risk. They must be asking for it . And I venture to say most of the negative comments here are from women. Sad.
13
Thank you so much Woodsy... I am one of the models from the video. I too am upset by all of the negative comments that this video has gotten. It is all quite hateful really... very sad. Anger is a secondary emotion, generally stemming from sadness or feeling hurt. The women who left negative comments, they must all be sad and hurt about this issue, and I completetly understand why. it makes all of us feel badly about ourselves, model or not.
1
Let me see if I understand this . . . people who choose to go into modeling, which is about nothing more or less that using your physical appearance to sell an image and ultimately products, are shocked to find that they are objectified based on their physical appearance. Wow. Not sure even The Onion could come up with that one.
31
On the constant pressure to be ultra thin and lose weight: Can a fashion designer answer this:
Why are sample sizes of clothes all made in such small sizes, that even thin women are pressured to lose weight? Is there any technical reason for this? Or is it "just how it's always been"?
Why do designers not design for more sizes, and what would they lose if they made their samples in bigger sizes?
Why are sample sizes of clothes all made in such small sizes, that even thin women are pressured to lose weight? Is there any technical reason for this? Or is it "just how it's always been"?
Why do designers not design for more sizes, and what would they lose if they made their samples in bigger sizes?
9
This is why the retail clothing industry is suffering. How a garment looks on a size 2 model gives me no idea of what it would look like on my plus sized body, so I have no reason to buy their clothes. If they used models that looked like their customers, they would be in a better financial position.
3
Tiny sized garments use less fabric, meaning they are cheaper? Just guessing I admit.
1
Designers believe that clothing looks better on slender, somewhat androgynous women's bodies and the "show" part of fashion show is important. Runway shows are about mystique and unattainability.
4
I modeled from age 6 to 17, the last five of those years with Eileen Ford in NY. Eileen and her husband Jerry took a personal interest in us, and her children's division manager, Claudia Black, would discuss each booking so I knew what to expect. If anything seemed out of line, I had her number. There was no "company store" arrangement whatsoever, as I heard other agencies inflicted. John Casablanca, for instance, would charge a fortune up front for a portfolio, then never call that "model" for a job. I realize I was lucky in another respect: at 5'3", I was out for fashion modeling, which was 90% of the business. The remaining 10%, usually asking for an "all-American girl", kept me busy. I never wore makeup. Eileen said the "natural look" was my calling card. Reading what these fashion models have been through made me sick. Ford Agency was so caring and professional: It should be the standard. If an agency asks you to front them money, or takes it out of your check for "expenses", WALK AWAY. If they are unrealistically controlling, walk away. If you are sexually harrassed, file charges. Take a stand, and the industry will conform! Unionize?!
16
Tara: I am curious if you post back here, what was that 10% of modeling jobs that was for an "all American girl"? catalogs? I've never heard of any model, even child models, who did not wear SOME makeup, either.
As far as a union...what union could EVER represent a profession where the workers "age out" by 17 or 23? what kind of seniority could such workers ever have? the choice of "which model" is very arbitrary, and tastes in fashion change all the time.
As far as a union...what union could EVER represent a profession where the workers "age out" by 17 or 23? what kind of seniority could such workers ever have? the choice of "which model" is very arbitrary, and tastes in fashion change all the time.
1
One of the many bonkers things about this is that the people who model clothes for adults to wear are sometimes not even adults. They are children dressed up to look like grown women. Hence the unlikely adult body shapes. They might as well be skinny teenage boys.
13
Rebecca, today there are more than few transgender MTF fashion models -- much loved by designers, because as biological men, transgender MTFs have very very narrow hips and no breasts.
2
In her book “Attitudes of Gratitude,” M.J. Ryan wrote about how people, especially women, can become obsessive about their physical appearance, and about how painful it can be to compare themselves to the beautiful people on TV and movie screens, and in magazines.
“… Eating disorders, plastic surgery, billions spent on make-up and clothes — we all know the price that is paid…
Nothing helped me get over this issue more than a book by Francis Scavullo, in which he photographed the world’s most beautiful women. There they were, page after page of breathtaking women, teamed with comments from the women themselves. Not one of them was satisfied with the way she looked. Everyone complained about something: their nose was too big, hair too thin, mouth too wide… That’s when I decided once and for all to stop being dissatisfied with the way I looked. If the world’s most beautiful women couldn’t be satisfied, no one could, and so I might as well get over myself.” — pages 145-146.
“… Eating disorders, plastic surgery, billions spent on make-up and clothes — we all know the price that is paid…
Nothing helped me get over this issue more than a book by Francis Scavullo, in which he photographed the world’s most beautiful women. There they were, page after page of breathtaking women, teamed with comments from the women themselves. Not one of them was satisfied with the way she looked. Everyone complained about something: their nose was too big, hair too thin, mouth too wide… That’s when I decided once and for all to stop being dissatisfied with the way I looked. If the world’s most beautiful women couldn’t be satisfied, no one could, and so I might as well get over myself.” — pages 145-146.
7
"That’s when I decided once and for all to stop being dissatisfied with the way I looked. If the world’s most beautiful women couldn’t be satisfied, no one could, and so I might as well get over myself.” — pages 145-146."
Much easier said than done. Females start receiving messages about their attractiveness and the supposedly related value of it starting at birth. Over their lives, they are bombarded with millions of (often doctored) images to which they are supposed to aspire. It's difficult completely to overcome that level of internalization.
Much easier said than done. Females start receiving messages about their attractiveness and the supposedly related value of it starting at birth. Over their lives, they are bombarded with millions of (often doctored) images to which they are supposed to aspire. It's difficult completely to overcome that level of internalization.
1
If the job/life of a model is so bad, get out. No one is forcing you to stay in the biz. I understand that when you first enter into the biz, you don't really understand what it really is like, but I can't understand staying if it is so bad.
Again, either stop whining or get out.
I think the reason many stay in the industry is because they couldn't get or handle a 40hr/week office job. No real skills other than their looks.
Again, either stop whining or get out.
I think the reason many stay in the industry is because they couldn't get or handle a 40hr/week office job. No real skills other than their looks.
17
You should have done the article without any pictures. By including the pictures (and large ones at that), you are further defining these women by their looks.
One outcome of the photomodel look has always struck me. Equating being photogenic with being beautiful. Many models look quite plain in person. Many ravishingly beautiful women do not photograph very well.
And then there's the thin thing and the young thing. It's hard when you get older and easily heavier. Older women get put in the trash heap in so many ways, and this is certainly one of them.
One outcome of the photomodel look has always struck me. Equating being photogenic with being beautiful. Many models look quite plain in person. Many ravishingly beautiful women do not photograph very well.
And then there's the thin thing and the young thing. It's hard when you get older and easily heavier. Older women get put in the trash heap in so many ways, and this is certainly one of them.
15
Quit being a noodle if you do not want to be covered with gravy.
11
Disappointed but not surprised by all the comments along the lines of: "Well, this job appears glamorous from the outside, so I, the reader, don't have to take the concerns being expressed here seriously." Did you all miss the part where it is explained that as often as not the "perks" are paid for with money taken out of the models' paychecks?
Re the question of objectification: Yes. The model's job is to look good and wear clothes well. I get that. However, the comments about what they deal with reveal very clearly the amount of racism and other biases rampant in the industry. I don't think it's too much to ask for those who work in fashion to understand that natural hair can be beautiful hair, or that it's not OK to comment to a black model that she's lucky to have Eurocentric features, or to recall that many of the supermodels of the past did indeed have visible hips and breasts and there's no reason every single one of their successors should have to constantly starve themselves if they don't naturally have the currently anointed body type. Editors and bookers and photographers can and should do their jobs and make things look beautiful without being bigots or encouraging women to self-harm.
Without models, there would be no one to photograph, nothing to put on the magazine pages. Yet until they get to the very top of the industry, it seems that they are in fact treated like coat hangers. Why is this acceptable?
Re the question of objectification: Yes. The model's job is to look good and wear clothes well. I get that. However, the comments about what they deal with reveal very clearly the amount of racism and other biases rampant in the industry. I don't think it's too much to ask for those who work in fashion to understand that natural hair can be beautiful hair, or that it's not OK to comment to a black model that she's lucky to have Eurocentric features, or to recall that many of the supermodels of the past did indeed have visible hips and breasts and there's no reason every single one of their successors should have to constantly starve themselves if they don't naturally have the currently anointed body type. Editors and bookers and photographers can and should do their jobs and make things look beautiful without being bigots or encouraging women to self-harm.
Without models, there would be no one to photograph, nothing to put on the magazine pages. Yet until they get to the very top of the industry, it seems that they are in fact treated like coat hangers. Why is this acceptable?
39
Because most people couldn't get that job no matter how badly they want it (and droves do want it). So they just aren't beautiful enough to ever be picked and while they work at Starbucks or the deli these models are in their faces, in every catalogue, magazine, on tv, being worshipped for what they were born with. So when these divas claim they have it hard, enagaging in their largely unobtainable profession, it doesn't tend to evoke the deepest sympathy in those not privileged to ever experience any of that, good or bad.
3
Did you ever consider that maybe it is the consumer, not the industry who is responsible in part, if not in whole, for objectification, exploitation, racism and unhealthy body image. The industry as a whole has no agenda to alienate its audience. Numerous attempts to broaden the scope of fashion and advertising have fallen flat on an indifferent consumer base. There is no profit motive in disconnecting from the audience. Look inward before whining about the industry.
Because they ARE coathangers. Even the most successful ones. It is, like professional sports, a brutal job, dangerous to one's health and one in which only a very few are ultimately successful and highly compensated. Perhaps these facts should be emphasized over the fame, glamor and lifestyle top models enjoy.
2
There was calls to my daughter when she was little to model for fashion shots. It all sounded so glamorous, but as her parent, I declined. I didn't want that life for daughter, being judged by just her looks, and not her brains. It's at once superficial and ethereal. It's a life that is unreal and make-believe.
I do have questions about the insistence of diversity, for the sake of diversity. Yes, I get it, you need to be able to define a wide range of looks as "beauty", and beauty is all about inspirations. But let's be honest with ourselves, everyone - and I mean literally everyone - aspires to the tall and skinny. They DON'T aspire to be plus size, except that they can't shrink themselves. I don't mean to sound harsh or critical, but that's the reality. The same goes with being black, or some such ethnic-ambivalent looking models. Most people associated black beauty with, say, Halle Berry, someone who's black-skinned, but otherwise looks like just a Caucasian in feature and build.
Is it really wrong or racist, then, that we prefer certain looks, and not others? In this highly politically charged environment, as we are in now, where everything has to be politically correct, do we have to say everything is beautiful, much like we are expected to tell every kids that everyone is a winner (even though we fully know that some are dumber than the others, in reality)?
Perhaps we should just replace all human models with avatars.
I do have questions about the insistence of diversity, for the sake of diversity. Yes, I get it, you need to be able to define a wide range of looks as "beauty", and beauty is all about inspirations. But let's be honest with ourselves, everyone - and I mean literally everyone - aspires to the tall and skinny. They DON'T aspire to be plus size, except that they can't shrink themselves. I don't mean to sound harsh or critical, but that's the reality. The same goes with being black, or some such ethnic-ambivalent looking models. Most people associated black beauty with, say, Halle Berry, someone who's black-skinned, but otherwise looks like just a Caucasian in feature and build.
Is it really wrong or racist, then, that we prefer certain looks, and not others? In this highly politically charged environment, as we are in now, where everything has to be politically correct, do we have to say everything is beautiful, much like we are expected to tell every kids that everyone is a winner (even though we fully know that some are dumber than the others, in reality)?
Perhaps we should just replace all human models with avatars.
7
It's fine to prefer a certain body type as being aspirational, but if the companies that employ these women to model their clothes want to make money, they have to show what they look like on real bodies. Otherwise, they don't get my money as a consumer. Art plays a large part in the fashion business, but the bottom line is that it is a business and if I can't see myself in their clothes, I'm not buying them.
3
Except that if that were the case, the fashion industry would be out of business, and it isn't, because that isn't how it works.
It can't sell clothes by showing people how they would look on ordinary people, but by having people imagine how wearing the clothes could make them look like the model...
It can't sell clothes by showing people how they would look on ordinary people, but by having people imagine how wearing the clothes could make them look like the model...
5
@AG is exactly right. @AmyRafflensperger, fashion model is not meant to be there to show how the clothing looks good on YOU. If you want to do that, you go to clothing store and try it on. If you truly think fashion models are to show every body types, you're just delusional.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying by ignoring 99% of the target audience is a smart move, nor am I saying it's right. But hey, it has worked for decades now, and it will still work, without or without those plus size models, or models of all colors.
In fact, if we really just focus on the merchandise, why do we really need to figure the models' face or arms (that might betray their skin colors)? Mannequins work just fine. Speaking of which, did you ever complain to department stores for NOT having mannequins of different sizes and colors? I highly doubt it.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying by ignoring 99% of the target audience is a smart move, nor am I saying it's right. But hey, it has worked for decades now, and it will still work, without or without those plus size models, or models of all colors.
In fact, if we really just focus on the merchandise, why do we really need to figure the models' face or arms (that might betray their skin colors)? Mannequins work just fine. Speaking of which, did you ever complain to department stores for NOT having mannequins of different sizes and colors? I highly doubt it.
2
I think the basic problem is the entire word and job called "Model". It is self defined to be the model (as in ideal) -- so you obviously are hired for this work because you are what your employer wants others to strive to look like. If diversity is the desire, there should be no professional models and just hire different people all the time. The "ideal" now is chosen to make people feel "less than" and make people feel they need to change everything they can about the body they have.
2
This about child labor and abuse in many cases. It's wrong whether it happens in a sweatshop or in a modeling studio. Have a heart, people!
12
Before last week, I would have felt sympathy. But then, I used the NY Times Upshot website that told me that as a scientist, my exact opposite career is a model. So with less in common with models than persons from any other occupation, now I just want to see the same story and photo shoot with scientists (because in this day and age, it's obviously all about me and people like me).
8
Wow- you want to make a living on your looks and then get upset by people judging them? Things are getting weirder and weirder...
16
Designers are selling their creative talents. Their name is entwined in the fashion and when it is good, it is very, very good. The cost, though, is beyond the means of all but the very rich.
We buy the perfume, cosmetics, scarves - all licensed products . In this lies the mega-millions that fashion royalty reaps:
Runway models are very tall, thin and proportioned for couture. They cannot be just another pretty girl, a bit too short or a bit too chubby. It doesn't work. Never did.
My guess is that the young women featured in this article did not find success in a business where many try and few are chosen. They know this. The industry makes no pretense of what it is they want. Any issue of Vogue defines the standard. These young women need to move on. They are young and time is on their side. But 'being pretty' is and never was enough to reach the 'top' in this business. Plus-size coverage will never be more catalogue as it is not the couture image. Why should it be.
What is inevitable for tall, thin young girls with defining features will be a far broader spectrum where neither color nor race is quantified. A beautiful mix of cultures.
We buy the perfume, cosmetics, scarves - all licensed products . In this lies the mega-millions that fashion royalty reaps:
Runway models are very tall, thin and proportioned for couture. They cannot be just another pretty girl, a bit too short or a bit too chubby. It doesn't work. Never did.
My guess is that the young women featured in this article did not find success in a business where many try and few are chosen. They know this. The industry makes no pretense of what it is they want. Any issue of Vogue defines the standard. These young women need to move on. They are young and time is on their side. But 'being pretty' is and never was enough to reach the 'top' in this business. Plus-size coverage will never be more catalogue as it is not the couture image. Why should it be.
What is inevitable for tall, thin young girls with defining features will be a far broader spectrum where neither color nor race is quantified. A beautiful mix of cultures.
3
As far as the whole "regular" body debate, most women I know who can afford designer clothes are themselves a dress size 2 or 4. Most of these are women with rich husbands. I've read that studies show that rich women tend to be thinner than poor women and that rich men tend to be heavier than poor men. the Neiman Marcus catalog is targeting women in the top 10% of wealth in the country. More women may be a dress size 12 than a dress size 4, but more women who vacation in the Hamptons and who can afford a 1500 dollar summer dress are a size 4 than a size 12.
People sometimes talk s if the sole objective of the fashion industry is to control our minds about beauty. That's wrong. The fashion industry is trying to sell clothing to rich women.
People sometimes talk s if the sole objective of the fashion industry is to control our minds about beauty. That's wrong. The fashion industry is trying to sell clothing to rich women.
9
This sounds like a classic share-cropping job, thanks for taking the glamour out of it. Like in the music industry, a company gives you some money up front but you have to pay it all back after you work your gig before you see a penny.
Is $36-48K the median or average pay? That sounds like a part time job. I can't see anyone making a career on that...
I'm curious to know how a model can be declared an Independent Contractor when IRS guidelines say that if your company dictates your time and your work location, you must be an employee.
If you have an effective advocacy group, they should be helping you press charges against people who are harassing you - whether it is sexual harassment, or the bullying that includes belittling you and criticizing you. That's still creating a hostile work environment and can be considered intentional infliction of emotional distress in some cases - so take them to court.
It's unfortunate, but some of that same treatment is found in other professions. It's important to remember that when some people feel that they can't control you, they try to control how others feel about you to keep you in your place. It may greatly diminish the number of bookings you get or clients you work with, but finding the right people to work with is a something we are all called upon to do.
It ain't what they call you - it's what you answer to....
Is $36-48K the median or average pay? That sounds like a part time job. I can't see anyone making a career on that...
I'm curious to know how a model can be declared an Independent Contractor when IRS guidelines say that if your company dictates your time and your work location, you must be an employee.
If you have an effective advocacy group, they should be helping you press charges against people who are harassing you - whether it is sexual harassment, or the bullying that includes belittling you and criticizing you. That's still creating a hostile work environment and can be considered intentional infliction of emotional distress in some cases - so take them to court.
It's unfortunate, but some of that same treatment is found in other professions. It's important to remember that when some people feel that they can't control you, they try to control how others feel about you to keep you in your place. It may greatly diminish the number of bookings you get or clients you work with, but finding the right people to work with is a something we are all called upon to do.
It ain't what they call you - it's what you answer to....
4
Patrice,
Most temporary workers are classified as independent contractors. Most do not set their own schedules and many are told where to work.
Most temporary workers are classified as independent contractors. Most do not set their own schedules and many are told where to work.
1
All work environments have hostility, demands, and are not inherently 'fair'.
Get over it.
Get over it.
2
Modeling is akin to sharecropping now? Really...
1
Only in the NYT would the reporter NOT challenge the absurd assumptions of these "exploited" women.
18
I don't see much difference here between the modeling business and the NFL. Both businesses bring in young people with the promise of fame and riches. They then proceed to take advantage of them, with extreme demands on their bodies, all the while holding out the 'Golden Carrot.' In both businesses a few, very, very few, do in fact get that golden carrot. Most of the people however are used up and tossed aside after a year or two.
With all the publicity on both businesses, young people have to know that they are going to be used and abused if they step through the door, yet still they come, convinced that they are 'the one.'
With all the publicity on both businesses, young people have to know that they are going to be used and abused if they step through the door, yet still they come, convinced that they are 'the one.'
6
Eight of the twelve models interviewed for this article are women of color. That's super interesting because when The Times picks models for its fashion publications, ethnic diversity is RARELY so strong. I wonder if there is ANY explanation they'd care to put forward....as its audience no doubt has noticed this irony?
No worries, not going to hold my breath waiting for a response.
No worries, not going to hold my breath waiting for a response.
8
If someone opposed objectification of women, why enter modeling? I'm afraid you can't decide to make money solely off your looks and then complain when other judge you by your looks.
11
You found a bunch of women who picked the wrong career, so no wonder. Just look at the photos, (and yes, do so objectively, simply based on appearance). And consider their own recounting of how far they got. Maybe you should try the article again with women who are successful in this career. Models who, surprise, will be thin and beautiful.
9
Lethargic perceptions find beauty only where it exists, but compassionate appreciation allows you to pin a blue ribbon on every runner in the race. And we do need more winners, don't we?
1
"Maybe you should try the article again with women who are successful in this career."
They also have horrible, demeaning stories to tell.
But, this is not limited to the fashion industry, unfortunately it's our society and culture, which has yet to evolve for the better.
They also have horrible, demeaning stories to tell.
But, this is not limited to the fashion industry, unfortunately it's our society and culture, which has yet to evolve for the better.
angel98,
Society has much room for improvement, but I would hold my breath in regard to beauty standards. Beauty in the fashion world is about exclusivity. While women of different colors may gain access there's always going to be someone left out.
Photospreads of ordinary people - - and most publications have tried that at least once - - are not inspiring. Regardless of what they say, most people want the dream.
Society has much room for improvement, but I would hold my breath in regard to beauty standards. Beauty in the fashion world is about exclusivity. While women of different colors may gain access there's always going to be someone left out.
Photospreads of ordinary people - - and most publications have tried that at least once - - are not inspiring. Regardless of what they say, most people want the dream.
2
Models are the lowest paid on any photography film set I've been on.
And interns who just get lunch?
Essentially it's about abuse and taking advantage and many creative professions still indulge in that – witness the countless 'unpaid work" on wanted ads.
Essentially it's about abuse and taking advantage and many creative professions still indulge in that – witness the countless 'unpaid work" on wanted ads.
1
But the seamstresses who make the clothes 40 hours a week are paid much less.
3
Modeling is not an attractive business at times. Encouraging a model to mouth-off about certain conditions is probably not a great way to build a career. It's better if the mouth belongs to a competing executive.
I read a quote complaining about objectification in the industry. Scratching my head, I wondered, when is a model not an object in an ad campaign? No one should be mistreated, but let's get real here. If you have objectification issues, then modeling is probably not a career for you.
I read a quote complaining about objectification in the industry. Scratching my head, I wondered, when is a model not an object in an ad campaign? No one should be mistreated, but let's get real here. If you have objectification issues, then modeling is probably not a career for you.
8
People seem to be especially harsh toward what these young women are dealing with, and I can't help but feel that it's because of their profession not being taken seriously, and thus they are not being taken seriously as PROFESSIONALS. Modeling is a trade like any other, in an industry that as another commenter noted, relies on the skills of these women (and male models) to sustain it. From what these women share here, and what has been emerging as social media has given voice to those who did not previously have a platform, we know that these women and often (very young) girls are mistreated and abused, lied to and cheated. It would be easy to write them off as whiny pretty girls who were foolish to step into a superficial industry and expect respect and integrity of their agents, employers, etc. But the reality is that fashion is an industry and models are its workers, and all workers in America are entitled to timely and fair wages, safe and professional work environments (that means mental, emotional, and physical safety), humane treatment, and advocacy and representation if the aforementioned things are not provided to them. They are not crazy to ask this of their chosen trade and industry. Ultimately, these women were presented with a unique opportunity that could lead to an increase in your financial prosperity, you'd con
4
Why don't you complain about how the garment industry treats the workers who actually make the clothes? Or do they not matter because they don't look like models?
3
I think for an attractive young woman, modeling beats sitting in an office or folding sweaters in a retail store (the ones that are left) all day. I say do it while you can and move on to something else (college, segue into another fashion-related career, etc) when it is over at age 30 something.
Models haven't been attractive for years but they do need to be tall and stick-thin. Even so-called plus-size models such as the very pretty Ashley Graham are not actually plus-sized. The models from Seattle, San Juan and Canada are gorgeous IMO. The model from Phoenix reminds me of the 70s model Shelley Hack (what happened to her?)_
Models haven't been attractive for years but they do need to be tall and stick-thin. Even so-called plus-size models such as the very pretty Ashley Graham are not actually plus-sized. The models from Seattle, San Juan and Canada are gorgeous IMO. The model from Phoenix reminds me of the 70s model Shelley Hack (what happened to her?)_
3
Plus size models are typically size 10-12. Meaning they are not plus sized at all -- plus sizes in STORES start at size 18 and go up to about a size 28 or 30.
1
It always strikes me as ironic that a business that concerns itself with the now, the cutting edge, even the future, is so thoroughly steeped in old fashioned ideas and attitudes and rests on pre-50s notions of rights and responsibilities, i.e few to none.
Follow the money. Fashion is a million / trillion dolar industry. The jobs of the people who present the face of fashion, which includes models, photographers, hairstylists, makeup artists, manicurists, casting directors etc. are by and large unregulated, they have no rights per se as independant contractors, hence the huge profits made by the commerce end of the industry – profits so huge would not be made if there was regulation to line it up with current standards.
It's also a world that is relatively small on the creative side and is intensely competitive and stressful, you are only ever as good as your last job, that's a huge amount of pressure – thus few speak about problems, they would be blacklisted and work and career would finish. Think TV anchors. It's only recently they are coming forward with nightmare stories about the same kind of treatment. It wasn't that long ago that actors were in the same position. Think Judy Garland's life for one example.
That someone has said something is a start. Hope to see a change now that at least the paw of the gilded cat is out of the bag!
Follow the money. Fashion is a million / trillion dolar industry. The jobs of the people who present the face of fashion, which includes models, photographers, hairstylists, makeup artists, manicurists, casting directors etc. are by and large unregulated, they have no rights per se as independant contractors, hence the huge profits made by the commerce end of the industry – profits so huge would not be made if there was regulation to line it up with current standards.
It's also a world that is relatively small on the creative side and is intensely competitive and stressful, you are only ever as good as your last job, that's a huge amount of pressure – thus few speak about problems, they would be blacklisted and work and career would finish. Think TV anchors. It's only recently they are coming forward with nightmare stories about the same kind of treatment. It wasn't that long ago that actors were in the same position. Think Judy Garland's life for one example.
That someone has said something is a start. Hope to see a change now that at least the paw of the gilded cat is out of the bag!
4
BTW, why are they called 'models?' What are they modeling? Am I supposed to look like them? All these years struggling to be accepted for anything other than my buying power, and now I have to look a certain way, too? I'm not sure I can take any more of this.
6
I went to private high-school where there was a plethora of young women who wanted to be models. They paid via their families for agencies and photos and attempted to do it. One did Calvin Klein. However that is pretty rare. I was approached in a mall by a scout too and didn't like it. I think they realize the agencies they can profit off girls and women with a mythological dream of being a model. With the new generations this is changing thankfully as the girls who sought to be models were struggling with eating disorders too often.
4
I struggle with some of their complaints because modeling is Literally About Objectification Through a Lens.
10
Objectification is the very basis of modeling.
Also, if the industry was more concerned with using older models, many of the younger ones wouldn't get work.
Also, if the industry was more concerned with using older models, many of the younger ones wouldn't get work.
7
"However, as an independent contractor, the model is ultimately responsible as they’re not a direct employee of the agency. "
As is for most all talent and creatives whether fashion or another industry and whether visible players (models) or invisible players ( the creative team) behind the scenes.
The abuse of independant contractors is the main problem.
Would be great to see an article on independant contractors, they have pretty much no rights at all, those they do have are tough or expensive to enforce as an individual, even when it comes to collecting money owed to them. It's not unusual to be paid 3,4,5 months late, offered "in-kind" payment or not paid at all and/or have to fight (at the cost of a trouble-maker reputation and all doors being closed for future work) to get what you are owed.
Many creative professions only use independant contractors.
As is for most all talent and creatives whether fashion or another industry and whether visible players (models) or invisible players ( the creative team) behind the scenes.
The abuse of independant contractors is the main problem.
Would be great to see an article on independant contractors, they have pretty much no rights at all, those they do have are tough or expensive to enforce as an individual, even when it comes to collecting money owed to them. It's not unusual to be paid 3,4,5 months late, offered "in-kind" payment or not paid at all and/or have to fight (at the cost of a trouble-maker reputation and all doors being closed for future work) to get what you are owed.
Many creative professions only use independant contractors.
4
Another comment- the many who are criticizing the models being interviewed are confusing objectification (part of the job) with exploitation and manipulation- something that definitely NOT part of the job.
7
My first reaction was to think, like others,"well, get into another career, find another job, etc..." However, I came to my senses and thought, why should they have to find another job? Why can't their employers and the system change?
And then I related their experiences to my own as a middle aged woman. My former career was in health care at a major health care system, far different than modeling. Yet I was mistreated, repeatedly pressured to work into my lunch and time that was allotted for charting, and working a lot of unpaid overtime to keep up with my job demands, to the point that I was stressed and developed hypertension. I eventually left my career, something that I slowly implemented over many years, and something that very few have the luxury or ability to do.
A career is a career, a job is a job..... EVERYONE with one has the right to be treated decently and fairly.
And then I related their experiences to my own as a middle aged woman. My former career was in health care at a major health care system, far different than modeling. Yet I was mistreated, repeatedly pressured to work into my lunch and time that was allotted for charting, and working a lot of unpaid overtime to keep up with my job demands, to the point that I was stressed and developed hypertension. I eventually left my career, something that I slowly implemented over many years, and something that very few have the luxury or ability to do.
A career is a career, a job is a job..... EVERYONE with one has the right to be treated decently and fairly.
12
Paul B.:
It's more complicated than that. Many agencies and casting people do not find any black woman without Caucasian features attractive.
I do agree that a number of the women interviewed don't look like model material to me. They are attractive but ordinary and aren't enough to create interest in the clothes their clients are trying to sell.
As I've grown older, I've stopped reading fashion magazines. The impossible, constantly changing images, coupled with the expensive clothes began to bore me. But young people are grabbed by striking images that are larger than life.
As a feminist, I've always been deeply ambivalent about the fashion industry. But I'm not going to deny how ads work.
It's more complicated than that. Many agencies and casting people do not find any black woman without Caucasian features attractive.
I do agree that a number of the women interviewed don't look like model material to me. They are attractive but ordinary and aren't enough to create interest in the clothes their clients are trying to sell.
As I've grown older, I've stopped reading fashion magazines. The impossible, constantly changing images, coupled with the expensive clothes began to bore me. But young people are grabbed by striking images that are larger than life.
As a feminist, I've always been deeply ambivalent about the fashion industry. But I'm not going to deny how ads work.
9
You are correct -- these are not typical fashion models AT ALL. They are older, heavier and more minority women of color. That's nice, but highly unrealistic. There are almost NO models working over age 30. Even 25 is getting pretty long in the tooth, unless you are a famous "name" like Kate Moss. Even then, you'd be mostly doing contracted work for a fashion label or makeup line as "the face of such-and-such".
I am in my 60s, so I'm not being catty here -- these look like nice, lovely ORDINARY young women -- but "fashion model" means something specific that they are clearly NOT -- it means the glamazons of the '80s, or the "waif" models of the '90s.
I do have a lot of problems with the idea that a model (or actress) of color must look like a white girl dipped in tanning solution -- caucasian features, with coffee colored skin. Real ethnic features still seem to be something that fashion editors and photographers feel is not "salable" to the public.
I find a lot of aspects of fashion to be troubling -- yet it is also extremely beautiful, so I do find it intriguing, even when increasingly over the last 30 years, it means less and less to me on a personal basis -- I never dress up much and rarely put on makeup. But it is about more than that; it's an art form. It is very hard to separate that from the way it impacts actual women, especially young women -- or works to make women feel bad about their natural bodies or facial features.
I am in my 60s, so I'm not being catty here -- these look like nice, lovely ORDINARY young women -- but "fashion model" means something specific that they are clearly NOT -- it means the glamazons of the '80s, or the "waif" models of the '90s.
I do have a lot of problems with the idea that a model (or actress) of color must look like a white girl dipped in tanning solution -- caucasian features, with coffee colored skin. Real ethnic features still seem to be something that fashion editors and photographers feel is not "salable" to the public.
I find a lot of aspects of fashion to be troubling -- yet it is also extremely beautiful, so I do find it intriguing, even when increasingly over the last 30 years, it means less and less to me on a personal basis -- I never dress up much and rarely put on makeup. But it is about more than that; it's an art form. It is very hard to separate that from the way it impacts actual women, especially young women -- or works to make women feel bad about their natural bodies or facial features.
2
Much of my career was spent in advertising and a good portion of that was spent finding photographers and casting for photography shoots. I worked on a broad range of fashion and beauty products. Sadly, it works both ways. Products sold to women in their 40s and 50s, my age, are advertised on models in their teens and 20s, holding us to an ideal that we can never meet. Perhaps such imagery is aspirational, but it is certainly not achievable and serves only to feed cosmetic surgeons. Many girls are drawn to this business not only by the glamour, but the allure of wealth. Supermodels, those girls at the very top of the profession, the "it" models, can earn hundreds of thousands of dollars for a single photoshoot with usage. So this career will continue to lure young girls with dreams of stardom, most of whom will earn but a pittance.
5
Just earning a pittance or being treated callously is just the tiniest bit of the bad parts.
The real risk is that when a girl -- likely one who is not absolute perfection and going to be a top top high fashion model -- does not quite make the cut -- but is still driven to this field, because of the "glamor" -- gets into lower and lower levels of the profession. First catalog work, then "lingerie and swim suits" -- then semi nude modeling -- at the very worst, it can devolve into basically prostitution or pornography. And there is little supervision or management -- most girls are on their own! -- agencies exploit them as much as anything else -- girls as young as 15 can be sent alone on shoots in foreign countries, with no adult supervision. And there are LOTS of men out there, very happy to exploit each new crop of naive young girls -- many of them foreigners who speak little or no English.
The money sounds good, but is spent quickly on clothes, partying, drugs....then five years go by, and you are not a super hottie of 17, but a 22 year old -- not fresh anymore -- and perhaps your body is maturing -- and now you have no high school diploma, no college, no career. Just your looks...which fade literally every day until you are "last year's goods" and tossed to the curb.
The real risk is that when a girl -- likely one who is not absolute perfection and going to be a top top high fashion model -- does not quite make the cut -- but is still driven to this field, because of the "glamor" -- gets into lower and lower levels of the profession. First catalog work, then "lingerie and swim suits" -- then semi nude modeling -- at the very worst, it can devolve into basically prostitution or pornography. And there is little supervision or management -- most girls are on their own! -- agencies exploit them as much as anything else -- girls as young as 15 can be sent alone on shoots in foreign countries, with no adult supervision. And there are LOTS of men out there, very happy to exploit each new crop of naive young girls -- many of them foreigners who speak little or no English.
The money sounds good, but is spent quickly on clothes, partying, drugs....then five years go by, and you are not a super hottie of 17, but a 22 year old -- not fresh anymore -- and perhaps your body is maturing -- and now you have no high school diploma, no college, no career. Just your looks...which fade literally every day until you are "last year's goods" and tossed to the curb.
How are these women any different from many professional athletes, who also make a living from the uniqueness of their bodies? I think the best comparison is with tennis players. They also have no guaranteed salary and face the constant need to meet standard and qualify for the next event.
20
I would love to hear more about what these ladies liked about their jobs and role as a model?
I was a former Ford Model (1980's) who didn't especially seek out the profession. I was a waitress at the time and was told over and over, you are so beautiful. One night a Booker was dining in the restaurant and suggested that I take some pics and go see Eileen. When I finally pursued the idea and showed up at the agency to meet Eileen she asks my age, says you are really pretty and asked if I was 14 or 15 years old. I said yeh. She signed me straight away.
What she didn't realize was that I was actually 29 years old. How is that possible? I am from the Caribean (Trinidad and Tobago); thus, Eileen didn't especially add non-white models. So how could I not feel amazing and special, especially if my only other alternative at the time was being a waitress?
I am glad I explored the opportunity because it taught me a lot about what I didn't want for my life. (Many of these stories here are so true, but I had to explore the field to find out). My mature self soon realized that I could be beautiful--look like a model--but smart enough to realize that I would prefer to be both smart and beautiful. I started college at 32 and went on to establish a very successful business career.
I was a former Ford Model (1980's) who didn't especially seek out the profession. I was a waitress at the time and was told over and over, you are so beautiful. One night a Booker was dining in the restaurant and suggested that I take some pics and go see Eileen. When I finally pursued the idea and showed up at the agency to meet Eileen she asks my age, says you are really pretty and asked if I was 14 or 15 years old. I said yeh. She signed me straight away.
What she didn't realize was that I was actually 29 years old. How is that possible? I am from the Caribean (Trinidad and Tobago); thus, Eileen didn't especially add non-white models. So how could I not feel amazing and special, especially if my only other alternative at the time was being a waitress?
I am glad I explored the opportunity because it taught me a lot about what I didn't want for my life. (Many of these stories here are so true, but I had to explore the field to find out). My mature self soon realized that I could be beautiful--look like a model--but smart enough to realize that I would prefer to be both smart and beautiful. I started college at 32 and went on to establish a very successful business career.
15
I just bought the latest issue of Vogue and noticed that many of the models looked like young teenagers. These models who are rail thin, look more as if they are playing dress up than anything else. On Project Runway this year, they're using models of different sizes which is refreshing because most real women are not 15 years old, 6 ft tall and weigh 100 lbs. However, Project Runway and the whole industry acts as if they are being "fashion forward" and very progressive by including women of color and different sizes, instead of just reflecting the reality of women in this country.I enjoy watching the show and reading the magazines but am well aware that they are still promoting unhealthy body shapes. Reading this article confirms that models are criticized and not getting jobs for having natural hair,dark skin and having a few extra pounds. I'm glad the models are speaking up for themselves and I hope they continue to do so and go even further. Some women are finally starting to feel comfortable in their own skin because we have celebrities and models advocating for them, but there's still a very long way to go before the fashion world can be considered a healthy environment to work in.
5
Yes, I'm sure all the newly homeless women in Texas and waitresses and house cleaners everywhre are crying their eyes out over the plight of spoiled, overpaid, professional show offs models in NY, Paris, and LA.
4
Lots of victim-blaming here. Adolescents and teenagers are supposed to know that an industry they have been propagandized and hyped into aspiring to join, is actually mainly a merciless meat grinder and essentially a fraud? For-profit corporations that conceal their true natures abound, from the Tobacco industry to the NFL. Holier-than-thou commenters are displaying a shameful degree of obtuseness and willful ignorance.
11
These complaints have been made for decades. It's not victim-blaming to expect the participants, their parents, and guardians, to assume some responsibility for getting involved in this exploitative and sexist industry.
13
Hear, hear! Right on the money.
Talk about fun with numbers:
"RACIAL DIVERSITY: Only 27.9 percent of the models who walked the spring 2017 runways were nonwhite, according to a report from The Fashion Spot. In an assessment of the fall 2017 ad campaigns, The Fashion Spot found that 30.4 percent of the models were nonwhite"
So if we take a low non-Latino definition of "white" - they make up 61% of the U.S. population (79% if Latinos are included). So theoretically, 38% (or 21%) should be minorities. So using of the numbers in the article, either minorities are over-represented or under-represented by not quite 8% - oh the horror!
I suspect the authors were better at opinionated journalism than math in school.
"RACIAL DIVERSITY: Only 27.9 percent of the models who walked the spring 2017 runways were nonwhite, according to a report from The Fashion Spot. In an assessment of the fall 2017 ad campaigns, The Fashion Spot found that 30.4 percent of the models were nonwhite"
So if we take a low non-Latino definition of "white" - they make up 61% of the U.S. population (79% if Latinos are included). So theoretically, 38% (or 21%) should be minorities. So using of the numbers in the article, either minorities are over-represented or under-represented by not quite 8% - oh the horror!
I suspect the authors were better at opinionated journalism than math in school.
22
I agree with Warren that based on the Times' own statistics, minorities might actually be over-represented in the industry. The Times should learn to do the math and draw the logical conclusions.
Second, modelling is with few exceptions not a very lucrative profession.
Third, modelling is not an equal opportunity profession. If you are physically unappealing then don't expect to be a successful model. This is not about diversity but about attractiveness. Life is unfair. Some of the models discussed in this article - all I can say is what were they thinking.
Second, modelling is with few exceptions not a very lucrative profession.
Third, modelling is not an equal opportunity profession. If you are physically unappealing then don't expect to be a successful model. This is not about diversity but about attractiveness. Life is unfair. Some of the models discussed in this article - all I can say is what were they thinking.
8
I apologize in advance for my bad math. I originally used tenths of a percent, but simplified it to full percentage without thoroughly checking my numbers.
Cashiering and waitressing, shelf stocking in Walmart and Target are not lucrative, either. But shelf stockers, cashiers, and waitresses actually DO work. Models pose and strut, and that's all.
4
As per 2016 statistics, in the USA, the White, non-Hispanic or Latino population make up 61.3% of the nation's total, with the total White population (including White Hispanics and Latinos) being 76.9%. [ https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045216 ].
Please then explain what is the issue with Racial Diversity in modeling ["The Fashion Spot found that 30.4 percent of the models were nonwhite"]?
As someone who personally was raised in an ethnically diverse household, and whose domestic partner is "nonwhite", I wish the NYTimes wouldn't knee-jerk a perceived lack of diversity without first looking into the facts.
Perhaps the lack of gender diversity of the authors is to blame....
Please then explain what is the issue with Racial Diversity in modeling ["The Fashion Spot found that 30.4 percent of the models were nonwhite"]?
As someone who personally was raised in an ethnically diverse household, and whose domestic partner is "nonwhite", I wish the NYTimes wouldn't knee-jerk a perceived lack of diversity without first looking into the facts.
Perhaps the lack of gender diversity of the authors is to blame....
12
A model's job is to help persuade an audience that:
"Although you'll never be as pretty as me, it might help if you bought the clothes/shoes/make-up that I'm wearing."
When will we read the profiles of casting agents who were deceived and made to feel insecure?
Everyone in the industry profits by manipulation. No wonder that they are sometimes on the receiving end.
"Although you'll never be as pretty as me, it might help if you bought the clothes/shoes/make-up that I'm wearing."
When will we read the profiles of casting agents who were deceived and made to feel insecure?
Everyone in the industry profits by manipulation. No wonder that they are sometimes on the receiving end.
10
Make sure to focus on the positive.
I love the articulation of these models. Body objectification goes with the territory, and I feel for them. Objectification of women is more pronounced in our culture than ever before, in extremely profane forms because this is tolerated.
If there's any good to the profession they're in, aside from potentially landing a highly remunerative assignment, It's the frontline knowledge of the coarseness of objectification.
If there's any good to the profession they're in, aside from potentially landing a highly remunerative assignment, It's the frontline knowledge of the coarseness of objectification.
2
So quit and do some other low skill job. Or get a skill.
Much ado about nothing.
Much ado about nothing.
39
Not sure what the point of the article is.
If you are a singer/performer you are chosen and paid based on your abilities. There is Taylor Swift all the way down to the subway platform performers.
If you play football or baseball, you are chosen based on your abilities. If you get permanently injured you are done. When you get old you are done. If your physical abilities decline you are done.
Here are fashion models, who are selected nearly 100% based on their looks, complaint about people commenting on their looks.
I don't get it at all - what is the point? That "ugly" or fat people should have a shot in fashion too?
Well then people who can't throw a football should have a shot at being an NFL quarterback.
If you are a singer/performer you are chosen and paid based on your abilities. There is Taylor Swift all the way down to the subway platform performers.
If you play football or baseball, you are chosen based on your abilities. If you get permanently injured you are done. When you get old you are done. If your physical abilities decline you are done.
Here are fashion models, who are selected nearly 100% based on their looks, complaint about people commenting on their looks.
I don't get it at all - what is the point? That "ugly" or fat people should have a shot in fashion too?
Well then people who can't throw a football should have a shot at being an NFL quarterback.
42
The issue (or at least one of the many issues here) is that what is being called "beautiful," and therefore presumably "good for modeling," is an extremely narrow range of human bodies. While I wasn't big on fashion/beauty as a kid, as a girl in the US, you still can't escape the messaging that models are what is beautiful. And the take-home message from that is what is beautiful is size 2, white, non-curvy. Personally, I think that (for both men and women) being fat does not make it impossible to be attractive. Not sure what you mean by "ugly," so I won't open that can of worms.
To go back to your NFL analogy, it would be like saying that only QBs from 2 of the Big 10 schools are allowed to become NFL quarterbacks - no one else is even a choice. No one from any other school is what a quarterback "should" be, so why should we even consider them. Or maybe we'll take one from a token other school once in a while to keep the masses happy, but they'll always be 2nd class players.
To go back to your NFL analogy, it would be like saying that only QBs from 2 of the Big 10 schools are allowed to become NFL quarterbacks - no one else is even a choice. No one from any other school is what a quarterback "should" be, so why should we even consider them. Or maybe we'll take one from a token other school once in a while to keep the masses happy, but they'll always be 2nd class players.
1
@Kristina
"The issue (or at least one of the many issues here) is that what is being called "beautiful," and therefore presumably "good for modeling," is an extremely narrow range of human bodies.
Similarly, only an extremely narrow range of human vocal abilities are considered desirable for a singer. Taylor Swift = great, me = not.
Or only a extremely narrow range of humans and human bodies can play at the NFL or compete in the olympics or drive an Formula 1 car.
You can debate the standards of beauty as long as you want. You can call the obese model in this story, Ms. Lee, fit and a body that young women should aspire to have, but that is not reality. Most women don't aspire to be that big and no amount of political correctness is going to make them want to look like that.
"The issue (or at least one of the many issues here) is that what is being called "beautiful," and therefore presumably "good for modeling," is an extremely narrow range of human bodies.
Similarly, only an extremely narrow range of human vocal abilities are considered desirable for a singer. Taylor Swift = great, me = not.
Or only a extremely narrow range of humans and human bodies can play at the NFL or compete in the olympics or drive an Formula 1 car.
You can debate the standards of beauty as long as you want. You can call the obese model in this story, Ms. Lee, fit and a body that young women should aspire to have, but that is not reality. Most women don't aspire to be that big and no amount of political correctness is going to make them want to look like that.
1
Let's see, you're a model and you're objectified somehow. Duh!
28
In the joyful spirit of schadenfreude I think some readers are missing the forrest for the trees: Models can go into five-figure debt to their employers *as teenagers*. Anthropologists studying miners and sugar-cane farmers refer to this kind of economy as "debt-slavery". I'm appalled. How did France once again show more protection for its workers than we do?
17
Susan S.
France showed more protection for its workers because they have begun to learn something from their own tragic history. And indeed, French conservatives and Leftists banded together, held their noses, and voted for "moderate" liberals when faced with the immoral, unethical, and unspeakable racists père Le Pen and fille Le Pen.
Let's face it. Skeptical, supposedly world-weary France has learned to fight for its revolutionary ideals whereas the United States has gleefully abandoned its own better angels. France is showing itself far more compassionate, moral, and committed to basic justice than the United States.
France showed more protection for its workers because they have begun to learn something from their own tragic history. And indeed, French conservatives and Leftists banded together, held their noses, and voted for "moderate" liberals when faced with the immoral, unethical, and unspeakable racists père Le Pen and fille Le Pen.
Let's face it. Skeptical, supposedly world-weary France has learned to fight for its revolutionary ideals whereas the United States has gleefully abandoned its own better angels. France is showing itself far more compassionate, moral, and committed to basic justice than the United States.
Open misogyny in the age of Trump is rampant. What a bunch of hostile comments here. We live in a culture that glorifies superficial things like good looks, endless youth, and quick money, but boy, don't we love to hate women who pursue this.
Young women and men who pursue modeling are just as vulnerable to the attraction of a glamorous life and the lure of money as are men and women who want to be entrepreneurs. I got into modeling as a teenager because I thought I could fund my education. I wasn't stupid, I was interested in acting and I wanted to go to college. I left when I realized I was getting weird about food and dangerously thin. I also realized no one would ever care about my health and well being except for me, so it was up to me to do something else. In other words -- similar struggles that all young people deal with. But why are the commenters here piling on with the hate and judgement? Have some compassion and stop being haters.
Young women and men who pursue modeling are just as vulnerable to the attraction of a glamorous life and the lure of money as are men and women who want to be entrepreneurs. I got into modeling as a teenager because I thought I could fund my education. I wasn't stupid, I was interested in acting and I wanted to go to college. I left when I realized I was getting weird about food and dangerously thin. I also realized no one would ever care about my health and well being except for me, so it was up to me to do something else. In other words -- similar struggles that all young people deal with. But why are the commenters here piling on with the hate and judgement? Have some compassion and stop being haters.
34
Thank you, well said by someone who has actually 'been there' and quit that.
3
Honestly I have no idea where the hate comes from. I think all these models do a wonderful job letting me know that I am impossibly inferior when it comes to looks, and since that (along with 'fashion' that I can never hope to afford) is what we are all about, I might as well hang it up.
2
The description of commenters who criticize an article or writer as "haters" is a bit extreme. It is possible to critique something and not "hate" it. As far as models who resent having to be thin, or a certain height, that is what the profession is about; designers want their clothes to hang on a body which does not distort the design, not a clothes hanger, but close. It is a bit naive to think that women with a weight problem can't figure out how a dress will look on them; those who know how to dress don't pick out clothes which would focus on hips, stomach, etc. It is not the responsibility of the fashion industry to do anything other than to sell the latest fashion; diversity is a welcome new thing. I did not find any of the models in the article attractive; and, that is what the fashion industry is about. I agree with Baron95. If you don't want to conform to what an industry requires, find another employment avenue.
3
Oh Yes! The Poor Models! How they suffer!
Sometimes the NYT is so out of touch with the average American and their concerns!
Whats next?
How tough it is to be a bond trader?
Oh, the shame!
Sometimes the NYT is so out of touch with the average American and their concerns!
Whats next?
How tough it is to be a bond trader?
Oh, the shame!
24
Per some of the commenters, if I agree with you I am a misogynist. Although I believe your point is correct, I can't agree with you because I don't want to be labeled a misogynist.
2
Watching the video I felt heartbroken over these young women's stories to outrage that people in the industry continue to treat those who are a huge part of their success in presenting a new line or getting fashion to the mass consumer. Those economically empowered to treat young women this way are not professionals, they are predators. Having said that, I believe it is paramount that young women, and men as well, wanting to go into modeling be thoroughly educated about the abuse of person they will encounter and also taucht how they can counter it. If they then still choose to pursue a career in modeling, they need to be aware and stand up to such abuse. Simultaneously, the industry needs clearing houses between the models and the employers that guarantee safe conduct for these young people and make sure that if abuse happens (including from agents who take the shoots) the perpetrators are charged with a crime. Finally, to all the fashion magazines "Stop bowing to the mighty dollar and stop accepting ads" that show models in compromising poses just to get a crazy fashion notion across.
1
and parents of 16 year old models need to be involved on when they travel and who they work with - being whisked away from a Disney trip and sent to an S&M photo shoot didn't happen in a parent free vacuum.
bitter and horrendous is the reality amidst the rancor of chasing vanity.
3
How narcissistic and shallow. Nobody is forcing them into this profession. Also, beauty, or the "right look" is in the eye of the shoot director, and not the model's opinion.
I would want my daughter to wash dishes or clean hotel rooms at that age than become an objectified piece of meat...............but "hope springs eternal", she might be a "cover girl". Disgusting.
The most genuine model interviewed was the one with the disability. She has promise. The others, not so much. My opinion.
I would want my daughter to wash dishes or clean hotel rooms at that age than become an objectified piece of meat...............but "hope springs eternal", she might be a "cover girl". Disgusting.
The most genuine model interviewed was the one with the disability. She has promise. The others, not so much. My opinion.
8
Are you serious? You choose a career in which you get paid based on how you look -- not based on what you think, who you help, what you build, what you create. And you're complaining about being "objectified"? Then do something that doesn't involve being an object. I'm sorry, but the whole premise of this article is silly.
41
The commodification and objectification of beauty IS the modeling biz. Just as 'politics is show biz for ugly people', fashion is art for stupid people.
(For that matter, seeking beauty has been a universal obsession since the species first existed, and is probably an evolutionary strategy in the animal kingdom overall, but all that is ancillary to this discussion!)
Sadly, almost any American girl who reaches puberty with the right combination of physical attributes has been brainwashed to objectify herself as better than her peers, and believe her highest calling is to be a model, actress, or wife of a rich man.
It isn't so in some places:
I have lived in, and traveled extensively in the Scandinavian countries, and Netherlands, where there is such a surfeit of gorgeous, healthy young women (bicycling, salubrious diet, etc.) with the "right" look that most would never think to sell her body for money in the way that these girls do.
Some do, like Lara Stone (Netherlands), and achieve supermodel status. Some of ethnic German extraction in NE Brazil, like Gisele, do it to get off the farm and achieve fabulous wealth and fame.
But mostly you see beautiful young women in Norway and Iceland and those other places pursuing real careers, not selling what they were born with for the titillation of the eyes of strangers.
(For that matter, seeking beauty has been a universal obsession since the species first existed, and is probably an evolutionary strategy in the animal kingdom overall, but all that is ancillary to this discussion!)
Sadly, almost any American girl who reaches puberty with the right combination of physical attributes has been brainwashed to objectify herself as better than her peers, and believe her highest calling is to be a model, actress, or wife of a rich man.
It isn't so in some places:
I have lived in, and traveled extensively in the Scandinavian countries, and Netherlands, where there is such a surfeit of gorgeous, healthy young women (bicycling, salubrious diet, etc.) with the "right" look that most would never think to sell her body for money in the way that these girls do.
Some do, like Lara Stone (Netherlands), and achieve supermodel status. Some of ethnic German extraction in NE Brazil, like Gisele, do it to get off the farm and achieve fabulous wealth and fame.
But mostly you see beautiful young women in Norway and Iceland and those other places pursuing real careers, not selling what they were born with for the titillation of the eyes of strangers.
14
"Sadly, almost any American girl who reaches puberty with the right combination of physical attributes has been brainwashed to objectify herself as better than her peers, and believe her highest calling is to be a model, actress, or wife of a rich man."
Not if she has good parents.
Not if she has good parents.
1
Most women, beautiful or no, pursue real careers in the US, too.
4
The thing is though...there are so many 'subsets' of models, and modeling. So for e.g., anyone and everyone can be a 'model'. The difference is....who are you modeling for?...how and where is your image used/displayed?...how much are you getting paid, and what other fringe benefits do you get (i.e., invites to parties on private yachts in the Greek Isles vs an invite to a 'VIP' event at a club in Manhattan)?
When it comes to the diversity of models, my problem has always been that, for the most part, this 'diversity' is often just a 'trend'... like, 'hey, let's use very dark models from Africa for this show...it will create a cool 'look'" or '....let's embrace transgender and adrogyny and use models where their gender is irrelevant and/or ambiguous'....then the next year it's 'let's use 'exotic' asian models', or 'let's use older models for this season, to show that (gasp), older folks can be cool and attractive too...' etc. I will know that we've truly progressed and embraced all peoples, and not 'pigeon-holed' them, when all shows contain a diverse group of models without even having to 'plan' for it...when they are simply using PEOPLE or individuals, who have an interesting look, gait, etc.
I
When it comes to the diversity of models, my problem has always been that, for the most part, this 'diversity' is often just a 'trend'... like, 'hey, let's use very dark models from Africa for this show...it will create a cool 'look'" or '....let's embrace transgender and adrogyny and use models where their gender is irrelevant and/or ambiguous'....then the next year it's 'let's use 'exotic' asian models', or 'let's use older models for this season, to show that (gasp), older folks can be cool and attractive too...' etc. I will know that we've truly progressed and embraced all peoples, and not 'pigeon-holed' them, when all shows contain a diverse group of models without even having to 'plan' for it...when they are simply using PEOPLE or individuals, who have an interesting look, gait, etc.
I
6
Interesting article, and enjoyed hearing all of these ladies' stories. Hopefully abusive practices such as long hours, incurring debt, and sexual harassment can be addressed by models and agents who specify reasonable work conditions in their contracts. Conversely, young girls and women interested in modeling need to treat modeling like anyone would who's interested in working in a certain field - learn what the job really entails, how long the hours are, how one gets paid, and if the field is really for you. If you don't like being looked at as an object, work inconsistently, can't get paid and carry too much debt, why would you continue doing it?
Beyond that, it's high time that casting directors, art directors, editors, etc. think beyond the tired cliche of using super-skinny, young people to sell stuff. It's no surprise that people's eyes are drawn to someone attractive or unique-looking - but depending on who the ad is intended for, it seems the general public would react much stronger to a model or spokesperson who makes sense for the actual item being sold. For example: I once saw an ad in a interior design magazine, for a brand that sells $20,000 sofas. The model in the ad looked about 19, was scantily clad, looking like she'd spent her night partying and had collapsed on her rich parents' couch. Not that I can afford that sofa, but that ad struck me as tone-deaf. How come the model couldn't look like the accomplished woman or man who actually owned the sofa?
Beyond that, it's high time that casting directors, art directors, editors, etc. think beyond the tired cliche of using super-skinny, young people to sell stuff. It's no surprise that people's eyes are drawn to someone attractive or unique-looking - but depending on who the ad is intended for, it seems the general public would react much stronger to a model or spokesperson who makes sense for the actual item being sold. For example: I once saw an ad in a interior design magazine, for a brand that sells $20,000 sofas. The model in the ad looked about 19, was scantily clad, looking like she'd spent her night partying and had collapsed on her rich parents' couch. Not that I can afford that sofa, but that ad struck me as tone-deaf. How come the model couldn't look like the accomplished woman or man who actually owned the sofa?
4
Inquisigal,
I don't approve of the ad you described, but the reason that the models weren't a handsome, wealthy-looking, older couple is because sex sells and many consumers have been conditioned to expect it.
I don't approve of the ad you described, but the reason that the models weren't a handsome, wealthy-looking, older couple is because sex sells and many consumers have been conditioned to expect it.
2
Lifelong Reader,
Society may have been conditioned to expect it in decades past, but there's no reason not to try to change things now. I don't think people react positively to ad campaigns featuring young, thin, "sexy" girls when it's not related to the product - and I doubt I'm the only one who feels this way: that's why people are starting to speak up about diversity and advertising, and I would include age diversity as equally as important. Ads - such as the one I mentioned, with the pricey sofa - should reflect their would-be buyers. I work in a field related to interior design & very high-end furniture and art objects, and the primary buyers are wealthy straight women and gay men, often over age 40. Neither of these types of people would look at the model chosen for the ad and feel sexual attraction, or a sense of lifestyle kinship. But, if an older, smartly attired gent was shown hosting a cocktail party, or the ad featured a beautifully-dressed, attractive older woman hosting a networking event or luncheon, I'm guessing the real buyers of that product would feel strong brand-loyalty. Surprisingly enough, a study was released this year, purporting that sex actually doesn't sell; check it out if you're interested: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/uoia-rss062217.php
Society may have been conditioned to expect it in decades past, but there's no reason not to try to change things now. I don't think people react positively to ad campaigns featuring young, thin, "sexy" girls when it's not related to the product - and I doubt I'm the only one who feels this way: that's why people are starting to speak up about diversity and advertising, and I would include age diversity as equally as important. Ads - such as the one I mentioned, with the pricey sofa - should reflect their would-be buyers. I work in a field related to interior design & very high-end furniture and art objects, and the primary buyers are wealthy straight women and gay men, often over age 40. Neither of these types of people would look at the model chosen for the ad and feel sexual attraction, or a sense of lifestyle kinship. But, if an older, smartly attired gent was shown hosting a cocktail party, or the ad featured a beautifully-dressed, attractive older woman hosting a networking event or luncheon, I'm guessing the real buyers of that product would feel strong brand-loyalty. Surprisingly enough, a study was released this year, purporting that sex actually doesn't sell; check it out if you're interested: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/uoia-rss062217.php
Modelling = objectification. It's as simple as that. This nonsense should be illegal for minors, and shame on any parent who lets his or her daughter get involved.
10
The whining never stops...
For heavens' sake, unless someone is holding a gun to a person's head saying "do this job, or else," can we please stop with these types of articles that, at the end of the day, trivialize those who are moored to truly dreadful professions against their will.
For heavens' sake, unless someone is holding a gun to a person's head saying "do this job, or else," can we please stop with these types of articles that, at the end of the day, trivialize those who are moored to truly dreadful professions against their will.
17
The exploitation of fashion models seems a worthy cause for "former top model" Melania Trump to adopt during her remaining time in the White House, but that would require the publication of her modeling portfolio, documentation second only to her husband's tax returns in its secrecy.
6
And that's why I am not allowing my absolutely gorgeous 15 year old to enter this business no matter how much she begs me. She thinks it's glamorous, free clothes and travel.
6
So I work as a model, using my body as an object to sell stuff all day, and I am shocked - SHOCKED - that I'm - (gasp) - objectified.
17
Where are the people over 30? Is this an editorial choice?
4
That's the point. Models, by and large, are good lucking and YOUNG.
1
I would like to second JD from Arizona's comment, 'Why all the rancor expressed by the commenters?" It isn't just rancor though in some of these comments, it is a lack of empathy and even outright disdain. True, women, and men, who choose this profession, do so knowing that an essential component of the profession is being critiqued on their looks. But, one can still have a discussion about how people are treated, how they are talked to and about. One women here talks about someone reaching out and grabbing her nipple. Is that really something that should be considered OK, in any profession?
What isn't talked about in this article, (and what would be great if the NYT looked into because it is so-wide-spread), is the often hidden but very common occurence of just how really badly many women feel about their bodies and looks. And I mean, bad. Women don't talk about it much, and (many though not all) men don't often realize it. The images of women in fashion make so many women feel bad about themselves. Because many women feel so bad about themselves, they sometimes are disdainful of other women who are thin, pretty, etc. But these models aren't choosing the range of images being shown in magazines, in fact, several are advocating for a broadening of images of beauty. Everyone is harmed in some way by narrow images of beauty. So let's crack it open, a million images of beauty!
What isn't talked about in this article, (and what would be great if the NYT looked into because it is so-wide-spread), is the often hidden but very common occurence of just how really badly many women feel about their bodies and looks. And I mean, bad. Women don't talk about it much, and (many though not all) men don't often realize it. The images of women in fashion make so many women feel bad about themselves. Because many women feel so bad about themselves, they sometimes are disdainful of other women who are thin, pretty, etc. But these models aren't choosing the range of images being shown in magazines, in fact, several are advocating for a broadening of images of beauty. Everyone is harmed in some way by narrow images of beauty. So let's crack it open, a million images of beauty!
6
Comparing models to ditch diggers or waitresses misses the point. These women are the essential lynchpin of an industry that makes millions of dollars, and most of them are barely making enough to survive, in a profession with a very short shelf life. The money is there and it's going to their handlers and middlepersons, not to the people who actually make the wealth possible. This is pretty much the definition of exploitation, and these women have right to fight against that.
136
No, models ARE akin to waitresses and ditch diggers... they help DELIVER and promote a product, but they do not risk capital to CREATE it or sustain its production. BIG difference. Reward typically is expected to be commensurate with risk. And somehow I don't equate learning to balance in five-inch stilettos with putting out the bucks to create, manufacture, inventory, distribute and market those heels.
7
Look no further than so many corporations where the CEO makes so much more than the lowest paid workers. Airlines scream about high costs and nickel and dime us then report high profits. The 1% or top 20% (depending on the lastest expose) seems to be laughing all the way to their offshore bank!
5
They can not model too, can't they? Unionize? Lots to be done, but ultimately, they want to be famous, which is perhaps a pretty sad, pointless, and useless goal in life.
...and the backlash begins. Amazing how so many commenting here show their own biases and hatred towards those in the modeling business, as though somehow any discrimination of mistreatment is their own fault. Try tell a cop to stop being a cop if he doesn't want to be shot at or a firefighter to to leave his job if he doesn't want to be burned. No! Security measures are in place to protect those. Sexual harrassment and discrimination laws protect those in every other field? Why shouldn't there be similar measure for models...or some of you just to jealous and hateful to see that models are also humans who have feelings, too? Yes, I am a former model, so I know of what I speak
85
Then STOP making comparisons about models versus cops and firefighters! The latter two occupations perform a needed public service and might just help save lives. Models? Not so much!
10
You paint very broadly here...some, like myself, DO struggle to hear these complaints because he very nature of modelling is to be objectified...that said, I do not wish ill will on anyone, but the comparison to firemen or police is inaccurate..those professionals do not choose to enter those professions to get burned or fired upon, they do it to serve others...but that's a bit of a stretch for a young person who is choosing to perpetuate the very objectification they then complain about. Sorry, your point is misguided.
3
So what? Models do not improve any one else's life, so why should they be paid the absurd amounts they are. Firemen and policemen perform vital services and serve others. Models don't serve anyone but themselves and their own egos.
2
I don't mean to seem crass, but modelling is a choice and if it doen't meet the needs of the model, find another profession. I agree that working conditions need to improve and pay is what it is--models in demand get higher pay, the same as in any profession. Some writers make millions, some writers make the rent. If there is sexual harassment, then report is right away--it may cost you your career but maybe not. Don't wait 43 years to claim you were grabbed by an unscrupulous president. and, law enforcement needs to clean up their act as well. Men need to treat women as humans, which isn't always the case.
8
seriously? why is this newsworthy, in any sense? We know this, the commercial objectification and exploitation of women is of a piece with how the market objectifies and macerates all things, human or otherwise.
6
I feel badly for these girls, but what did they think was going to happen?
2
They were very young. They might not have thought much about it.
1
"Every day that you're working as a model you're objectified somehow."
Okay, I get it - I really do.
But, sheesh, that's like a sanitation worker complaining, "Every day I do this job I am surrounded by trash."
Or, a bookkepper, "All day, every day, numbers and more numbers."
Of course they are objectified. They are models whose purpose is not to be human, not to have a personality, or deep thoughts or anything else - they are mannequins (albeit, living mannequins) whose purpose is to display clothing in its best light.
Deal with it.
Okay, I get it - I really do.
But, sheesh, that's like a sanitation worker complaining, "Every day I do this job I am surrounded by trash."
Or, a bookkepper, "All day, every day, numbers and more numbers."
Of course they are objectified. They are models whose purpose is not to be human, not to have a personality, or deep thoughts or anything else - they are mannequins (albeit, living mannequins) whose purpose is to display clothing in its best light.
Deal with it.
7
Wait . . . .isn't modeling ABOUT becoming an object?
What part of "objectifying me" is bad, then?
What part of "objectifying me" is bad, then?
5
Maybe these folks should try getting a 'real' job. Like millions of your country(wo)men...
I'd like to see what they would have to say after that.
I'd like to see what they would have to say after that.
2
It is a tough field to make a living at with all the pressure. What would be really helpful would be to blow the lid off the secretive and exploitative porn industry that tries to recruit pretty girls to do gross things; have them speak out about how objectified they were!
4
Fashion models, at least until one develops an identifiable persona separate from their role as model (e.g. Twiggy, Banks, Gisselle, Moss, Klum, etc), are objects by choice and definition. Their bodies are the vehicle by which the clothing, for example, is understood for fit, form, expression both for the clothing itself and the potential buyer. Yes, people can be objects...whether as extras in a production or foot soldiers in a war, humans selected based on physical attributes and are completely dispensable and substitutable are de facto objects.
Don't like it? Quit and find another job where personal skill is more valued.
Don't like it? Quit and find another job where personal skill is more valued.
4
Terrible use of statistics regarding pay. The NYT should know better. 50 models making $20,000 a year and one model making $1,000,000 dollars a year yields and average of about $39,000 per year and a median of $20,000. The median salary is a MUCH better (and more realistic) indicator of salary than an average.
3
So what? Millions of SS recipients who worked all their lives are expected to live on 10k a years, so 20k for sashaying down the runway and pouting at everyone seems generous to me.
It's not like the rest of us who aren't models are not objectified almost every time we walk in a room, at work, at parties, in public places - we always judged on out outer appearance.
The difference is that we don't get the perks the models do - the fame, the clothes, the make-up and hair experts, the all expenses paid first class travel, the opportunities to meet famous and interesting people and - oh - the money.
Objectification comes with being a woman in our society, and being judged on our looks is a burden for most of us in our jobs, not a benefit.
I'm sure that modeling has it's problems - every job does - but on the whole ask any woman if she'd like to take a spin at being one - then ask a model if she'd like to trade jobs and paychecks, preparation and hard work with a secretary or teacher or nurse or women in high corporate or legal or military positions. All with objectification, too.
No tough to figure out, huh?
The difference is that we don't get the perks the models do - the fame, the clothes, the make-up and hair experts, the all expenses paid first class travel, the opportunities to meet famous and interesting people and - oh - the money.
Objectification comes with being a woman in our society, and being judged on our looks is a burden for most of us in our jobs, not a benefit.
I'm sure that modeling has it's problems - every job does - but on the whole ask any woman if she'd like to take a spin at being one - then ask a model if she'd like to trade jobs and paychecks, preparation and hard work with a secretary or teacher or nurse or women in high corporate or legal or military positions. All with objectification, too.
No tough to figure out, huh?
19
Did you read the article? Most of the models explicitly stated that travel expenses came out of their pay. No model at this level is getting free first class tickets to Europe!
1
It would be nice to see the article include male and transgender models perspective as well.
8
Are you working for "All Models Matter" ?
6
And no "privileged" white women over 50 modeling, either.
1
How ironic that an industry run largely by bleeding liberals who otherwise preach how they worship and demand diversity somehow have problems including diversity in their own industry.
9
How do you know this is an industry run by liberals, bleeding or otherwise?
3
Why bring politics into this discussion? Nothing in this article was political.
1
And you clearly illustrate the oblique hypocrisy so rampant among those who choose blanket generalizations over thoughtful discourse and then complain about the lack of thoughtful discourse. Truly ironic ... though I'm certain it isn't exclusive to narrow-minded conservatives!
2
I know it's a brutal summation, but if you don't want to be treated as an object, don't choose a career as one. Of course young men and women must be treated humanely and well, and not be taken advantage by sordid industry impresarios, but the nature of fashion is that it's shallow and objectifying. It's like joining the military and complaining about the violence.
373
This was my thought as well. Don't be a model. There are hundreds of other careers that will treat you better, and when designers can't get anyone to walk in their shows they'll wonder why….
18
Working as a Debt Collector, I was told I should be ashamed of myself for doing this type of work. I had been laid off and this was the only job I could find so I could keep my Health Insurance benefits. This was in 2012.
If I had quit, do you think the industry itself, or the institution I worked for, would pause and say, "hey, maybe this is wrong...let's shutter our business today, and forever."
And who would pay my rent and health insurance while I found one of those "hundreds of other careers that will treat you better"?
Some of you all are clearly not living in the cold hard world.
If I had quit, do you think the industry itself, or the institution I worked for, would pause and say, "hey, maybe this is wrong...let's shutter our business today, and forever."
And who would pay my rent and health insurance while I found one of those "hundreds of other careers that will treat you better"?
Some of you all are clearly not living in the cold hard world.
11
Models might also start considering themselves women instead of “girls” if they want more respect. I didn’t see anything glaringly abusive in the comments from the “girls” featured here. You are hired to have clothes hung on your body and then you complain that people make comments about the difficulty of fitting those clothes on your body. The most egregious issue, to me, is the delay in payment. It seems this could be addressed with a bit of assistance from the so-called supermodels, who might be in a better position to make public statements.
7
This is a front page article? Fashion models feel objectified at work? Models are meant to be seen and not heard?
I'm all for fighting for everyone to have safe and healthy work environments, but this is kind of ridiculous.
I'm all for fighting for everyone to have safe and healthy work environments, but this is kind of ridiculous.
33
Speak up or quit.
6
Oh, please. I have no sympathy. Go spend 6 to 11 years on post secondary school education to work 70 hours a week for a boss who treats you poorly.
In 2004, was plucked off the street in NYC to pose half-naked for a semi-famous gay art photographer. At the time, I was working on my PhD and teaching as an adjunct. The photographer paid me 200/hr. I was making about 20/hr as an adjunct. I was treated like an object when he was taking pictures, but the rest of the time he asked about my dissertation. Ladies, if you don't want to be treated like an object, then get a PhD. If you hope to earn enough without attending college to own a condo in Manhattan, then zip your lip and drop five pounds. It's better than working on an assembly line.
In 2004, was plucked off the street in NYC to pose half-naked for a semi-famous gay art photographer. At the time, I was working on my PhD and teaching as an adjunct. The photographer paid me 200/hr. I was making about 20/hr as an adjunct. I was treated like an object when he was taking pictures, but the rest of the time he asked about my dissertation. Ladies, if you don't want to be treated like an object, then get a PhD. If you hope to earn enough without attending college to own a condo in Manhattan, then zip your lip and drop five pounds. It's better than working on an assembly line.
10
The larger question is why is the fashion industry so mean, cruel, catty, bitchy, etc.? Probably because everyone knows deep down - or even not that deep down - that it's all just gas. They make up in attitude what they lack in substance.
Hey sounds like the dude in the white house too actually!
Hey sounds like the dude in the white house too actually!
4
So the story is: I was hired solely based on my appearance, I have little other skills, but I hate that I'm always judged based on my appearance.
Ok, so go get a job at McDonalds. No one will judge you based on looks there.
Ok, so go get a job at McDonalds. No one will judge you based on looks there.
20
15 years ago, I saw a special on Ben and Jerry's search for a new VP or something. They were looking through headshots and resumes. Ben picked one and asked, 'what about her? She seems very qualified." Ben looked at her photo and, seeing how slender she was, replied, "doesn't consume enough product." He wanted an employee who looks like she eats a lot of their ice cream.
3
"Every day that you’re working as a model, you’re objectified somehow." Truly humorous and very hypocritical! You (or worse, your PARENTS) signed you up to be an object - a hanger paid to display designer clothing, accessories makeup. etc. Stop whining and complaining about doing your job ... or quit! The inappropriate touching and barely veiled racism are, unfortunately, widespread in American society and clearly aren't exclusive to modeling.... just ask any woman who has been around President Trump!
14
If you become a writer, you'll be judged on your writing. If you become an MMA fighter, you'll be judged on how you fight. If you a chef, you'll be judged on how your food tastes.
That's how jobs work.
That's how jobs work.
27
Ironically, the modern trend is for runway models to be as androgynous as possible so as not to distract attention from the clothes. But I have good news: given the minimal amount of performing that models are supposed to do these days, it is only a matter of time before somebody comes up with a robot that can do the job without complaining.
Fun fact: much of the output of the high fashion houses is bought by rich women in the Middle East who wear it once, send it out for cleaning, and never bother having it picked up.
Fun fact: much of the output of the high fashion houses is bought by rich women in the Middle East who wear it once, send it out for cleaning, and never bother having it picked up.
5
Horrible industry with a close link to porn, drug abuse and sex work, where many models end up if they don't make it or fall out of the fashion scene. Young girls are really vulnerable to predators that infest the modeling industry.
5
I'm trying to come up with something I care less about than the struggle of fashion models and, for the life of me, I just can't.
46
Times have changed. The brilliant fashion designers of the 1970's have been replaced by false labels brands and marketing by the numbers. Models are selected in the same vain. The first sign we were on a down hill slope came about when Vogue put ex porn actress turned reality star, Kim Kardashian on it's cover. An avalanche of bad taste followed when America followed suit by putting Donald Trump in the white house. Umm...Does that make Anna Wintour guilty of treason or is she a true clairvoyant?
11
When I was young and naive, living just outside Florence, I did a bit of modelling in the nude. I was an artist's model. It paid about five dollars an hour, as I recall, more than I got paid for teaching EFL or working as a builder's labourer on the renovation of the apartment of an acquaintance.
All the artists were female. As a nude model, I was the subject of their work. I was paid for this. I was exposed to the gaze of each female artist, who drew and painted the nude male whom she saw in front of her, guided by the teacher, of course, but ultimately according to her own lights, skill, insight, imagination, and experience.
I don't recall any of the women talking to me before or after the session, to thank me, say, or ask me any questions. Nor did I expect them to. It was just a job, quite boring and tedious, but it helped pay the rent.
All the artists were female. As a nude model, I was the subject of their work. I was paid for this. I was exposed to the gaze of each female artist, who drew and painted the nude male whom she saw in front of her, guided by the teacher, of course, but ultimately according to her own lights, skill, insight, imagination, and experience.
I don't recall any of the women talking to me before or after the session, to thank me, say, or ask me any questions. Nor did I expect them to. It was just a job, quite boring and tedious, but it helped pay the rent.
7
I don't think that anyone should be abused at work.
However, I feel that a model complaining about others' commenting on her appearance is akin to a teacher loving his job except for the students, you know?
However, I feel that a model complaining about others' commenting on her appearance is akin to a teacher loving his job except for the students, you know?
31
Geez seriously. You get picked because of your value as an object on which to hang other objects with the objective of selling them, and you*re upset at being treated like an object?
You go out there scowling on command, for money. And you hope to make gazillions--though most, of course, will not--starving yourself as you emulate a drug addict*s cachet.
And I should feel bad for you?
You go out there scowling on command, for money. And you hope to make gazillions--though most, of course, will not--starving yourself as you emulate a drug addict*s cachet.
And I should feel bad for you?
33
Knowing the reality of the job before you take it doesn't make it less demoralizing to be treated as a sub-human object. Should a teacher feel fine about being grossly underpaid or about how the public education system is treated by the government, by parents who fight them rather than work with them, by the children they educate who don't care and have already given up, by elitists who look down upon anything less than an expensive education that most cannot afford, all because they know about it all beforehand?
When we hear about injustice, we should fight for change, not denounce those who speak out.
When we hear about injustice, we should fight for change, not denounce those who speak out.
3
who said teachers are grossly underpaid? I was a teacher (adjunct professor). Teaching is easy and many teachers couldn't do other white collar work. Furthermore, teachers get summers off. Education is important, but that doesn't mean that teachers are important. That is a fallacy.
2
Ryan: Change only--and always--comes from within.
For every young woman complaining about the circumstances of modeling, there are thousands willing to claw their way into a chance at the limelight.
Why would any parent in her or his right mind allow an adolescent to enter this meat market? Answer--to get rich off their kid.
When women start laughing at the tubercular parade, instead of admiring it, change will happen.
Otherwise, not so much.
For every young woman complaining about the circumstances of modeling, there are thousands willing to claw their way into a chance at the limelight.
Why would any parent in her or his right mind allow an adolescent to enter this meat market? Answer--to get rich off their kid.
When women start laughing at the tubercular parade, instead of admiring it, change will happen.
Otherwise, not so much.
2
this article wanted to be inclusive, but missed out on some obvious diversity. where are your Asian models and male models?
104
Asian and a Latino women tend to be too short to model. Most catalog, runway, and magazine models are 5' 8" and above. Therefore, most are white or black.
5
Or anyone over age 32?
How about modelling for petite catalogues? Contrary to what most people think, 5ft 4 inches is the average height of the US woman, not 5 ft 8 or above as models are. Asian and Latinos are two of the fastest growing demographic groups in the US. As a petite Asian woman, I only shop at stores and companies offering petite clothes.
Also, there are many Asian women and Latinas who are NOT short. Better diet has meant the average height of Asian men and women has increased in the last 2 decades. At least for Chinese groups, they mostly originated from South China in the past, where the average height is shorter but now Chinese immigrants come from all over. Northern Chinese - my paternal side -- are not short.
Also, there are many Asian women and Latinas who are NOT short. Better diet has meant the average height of Asian men and women has increased in the last 2 decades. At least for Chinese groups, they mostly originated from South China in the past, where the average height is shorter but now Chinese immigrants come from all over. Northern Chinese - my paternal side -- are not short.
1
There is such irony in this piece. These women rightfully complain that their industry pays no attention to who they are on the inside, yet these same women participate in that same industry built around telling each and every woman that what is important is not who and what they are, but how they look and what they wear.
22
What if someone tried to do a fashion shoot and no one came?
I am saddened though not surprised to hear about the objectification that models experience. Their stories reflect what all women experience. Maybe the models suffer financial constraints that force their hand, or maybe they could consider doing other work. If women refused to participate in this type of objectification, wouldn't it have to end?
I am saddened though not surprised to hear about the objectification that models experience. Their stories reflect what all women experience. Maybe the models suffer financial constraints that force their hand, or maybe they could consider doing other work. If women refused to participate in this type of objectification, wouldn't it have to end?
4
Gee, I wonder if their complaints make any of the countless millions of exploited workers, putting up with much more serious indignities and far worse working conditions for minimum wage (or less), feel any better about their plights.
7
Let's face it, sex sells. I find it more than a bit ironic that these high-fashion models, who earn mind-boggling high incomes, complain about how they are "objectified."
They are not curing Cancer, they are not scientists, many of them barely got out of high school, but they were blessed with certain genes that made a camera love their faces (and bodies). They are in the entertainment business and nobody is putting a gun to their heads.
They are not curing Cancer, they are not scientists, many of them barely got out of high school, but they were blessed with certain genes that made a camera love their faces (and bodies). They are in the entertainment business and nobody is putting a gun to their heads.
9
Regarding the point: "Every day that you’re working as a model, you’re objectified somehow." Of course you are; that is the job!
When people look at a picture of you how else are they supposed to interact, with your personality on the page?
When people look at a picture of you how else are they supposed to interact, with your personality on the page?
10
Modeling for the fashion industry is inherently oppressive. The woman (and men) are objects from which to hang a designer's high-priced 'creations'. Anyone who caters to this industry is complicit, from those who go to fashion shows, buy this overpriced garbage, or pick up a fashion magazine. They are celebrating physical beauty and inflated luxury possessions. The abuse is sickening.
By the way, The Times would have done well to have included male models in the profiles included to get a perspective on what it is like for them.
By the way, The Times would have done well to have included male models in the profiles included to get a perspective on what it is like for them.
6
Isn't it great that these jobs will eventually be replaced by high definition 3D graphics and robots so that no one will feel objectified!
3
These models who hire themselves out to be objects are offended that they're objectified?
Who would have thunk it?
Who would have thunk it?
9
"Twelve models, in their own words, on issues like racism, body shaming and financial problems."
How about try not to be a model? You won't be beautiful forever anyway. Like football players, at some point you'll need to have some actual skills or attributes beyond those you lucked into at birth.
How about try not to be a model? You won't be beautiful forever anyway. Like football players, at some point you'll need to have some actual skills or attributes beyond those you lucked into at birth.
13
Reading this article reminded me of the old geisha/brothel system in Japan where girls were charged by the house where they work for all of their expenses, and forced to pay off their debt by working. It's sad that such a system is alive and well in the USA.
6
People who seek their livelihoods in the fashion and modeling industries really have no business complaining that their work isn't respected. They choose to make their living peddling meaningless things but somehow believe that they deserve respect. So, a little FYI for all you models, fashion designers - aspiring or otherwise: Rethink your life! Do something that adds value to the world and makes it a better place, rather than just selling/renting out your body and implicitly telling people that they'll be happy and content if they only looked like you in this season's latest costumes.
14
The language of "objectification" comes from the philosophy of existentialism, and it's not always bad. Sartre's existential psychoanalysis suggests people seek objectification if their sense of their radical freedom (Sartre thinks consciousness is radically free) is or becomes unnerving (the usual example is, when crossing a bridge, you might realize you could just jump, and you find yourself gripping the railing). Objects are not free ... they are things ... and so people who display themselves as objects usually do it for that reason, to decrease their instability. I would suggest, if you're in modeling and also lack a sense of your radical freedom, you're in the wrong line of work.
2
Excuse me while I weep copious tears. They willingly work in an industry where the only qualifications are youth, beauty, and a tall and skinny body. They get to travel the world, get paid a lot of money, and maybe marry a rock star or pro athlete. I'm sure it's not a perfect job, but compare it to working in an office or waiting tables for bupkis.
5
Who complains more about their jobs - models or ballet dancers? Both jobs I wanted desperately but my family didn't allow me to have. Hey - try typing for a living. Heh.
6
An idiotic article.
If you don't want to handle animal bodies, do not become a butcher.
If you don't want to touch people's hair, do not become a barber.
If you don't want to sit in front of a computer all day, do not become a software developer.
Why should we be surprised that the modeling industry is as described here ?
If you don't want to deal with that kind of industry, no one is forcing you.
If you don't want to handle animal bodies, do not become a butcher.
If you don't want to touch people's hair, do not become a barber.
If you don't want to sit in front of a computer all day, do not become a software developer.
Why should we be surprised that the modeling industry is as described here ?
If you don't want to deal with that kind of industry, no one is forcing you.
23
apologies in advance for being tone deaf. If I was a beautiful person with a chance to be a top model maybe mhy outlook would be different.
BUT - (1) while I can understand being young and not knowing better (in which case perhaps shame more on the parents), generally aren't you signing up for pure objectification when you go into modelling (or even acting)?
(2) Shouldn't we discourage our youth from going this way? what kind of a shallow and risk filled life are we letting them pursue?
(3) there is a basic acknowledgement that we all make, that we are all physical creatures and are swayed by beauty. But, shouldn't we really discourage the beauty industry as it is....shouldn't we have all sorts of body types and beauty levels that are represented so that our popular consciousness is coerced into seeing the truth so that the objects and the watchers are both made painfully aware of what real people look like and what living in a real reality looks like?
(4) we can't all just decide that the best of the best of the best (so to speak) of global beauty is something that each of us should grind toward (or despair over) like a poisoned siren's call.
BUT - (1) while I can understand being young and not knowing better (in which case perhaps shame more on the parents), generally aren't you signing up for pure objectification when you go into modelling (or even acting)?
(2) Shouldn't we discourage our youth from going this way? what kind of a shallow and risk filled life are we letting them pursue?
(3) there is a basic acknowledgement that we all make, that we are all physical creatures and are swayed by beauty. But, shouldn't we really discourage the beauty industry as it is....shouldn't we have all sorts of body types and beauty levels that are represented so that our popular consciousness is coerced into seeing the truth so that the objects and the watchers are both made painfully aware of what real people look like and what living in a real reality looks like?
(4) we can't all just decide that the best of the best of the best (so to speak) of global beauty is something that each of us should grind toward (or despair over) like a poisoned siren's call.
51
Thank you, you stated the same points I wanted to but with a softer tone...cheers!
If I made the choice to be a model, I don't think I'd feel right about complaining of being objectified anymore than I would feel okay complaining about being launched into space if I had chosen to be an astronaut.
277
EXACTLY!
2
Amen - are they kidding? Their JOB is to be objectified! This is the silliest thing I come across in NYT in a long time!
1
My thoughts exactly, although many of the other complaints were valid, especially the sexual harassment and payment problems.
How surprising that one would be objectified when working as the agent of objectification for the objectification industry.
7
My thoughts: First, that most models are complicit in helping keep the "standards" for women ridiculous. If you don't like being told to live on water or lose 10 lbs. (b/c otherwise you're not "good enough"), then have the guts to walk away. Respect yourself and get a job that doesn't hinge on how little you can make yourself weigh.
Second, is it possible to get through even ONE article these days without someone in the article complaining, as Ms. Elsesser does, about "tiny microaggressions"? You know what, Ms. Elsesser, you're 25 and you can't begin to imagine the MACROaggressions older women in regular ordinary jobs have had to deal with for much of their careers. It's called "reality."
And yes, of course you feel insecure: the people who hire you are going to deliberately say things designed to make you feel insecure. And you, by being a model, are contributing to a visual culture that is focused on making as many women as possible feel insecure! So, are you moving womanhood forward by modeling? I don't think any female model is doing any favor for women in general - they are all part of an industry whose intent is to make women feel like they don't quite make the grade (and likely never will).
So, ladies: Decide if you want to be a "model" (with all that implies, both good and bad). And if you find modeling to be demeaning, then get out of modeling & into another job.
Second, is it possible to get through even ONE article these days without someone in the article complaining, as Ms. Elsesser does, about "tiny microaggressions"? You know what, Ms. Elsesser, you're 25 and you can't begin to imagine the MACROaggressions older women in regular ordinary jobs have had to deal with for much of their careers. It's called "reality."
And yes, of course you feel insecure: the people who hire you are going to deliberately say things designed to make you feel insecure. And you, by being a model, are contributing to a visual culture that is focused on making as many women as possible feel insecure! So, are you moving womanhood forward by modeling? I don't think any female model is doing any favor for women in general - they are all part of an industry whose intent is to make women feel like they don't quite make the grade (and likely never will).
So, ladies: Decide if you want to be a "model" (with all that implies, both good and bad). And if you find modeling to be demeaning, then get out of modeling & into another job.
17
President Trump should be a sympathetic ear for models' complaints. He married two models and seems to take a fiendish interest in beautiful women.
1
I will avoid the "poor little beautiful girl" counter. Yes I read the entire article. I learned of Kelly's debt, Jillian's disability, and Diandra getting stiffed. All included seem grounded and alert. But there remains two overriding factors that make complaining useless. First, the industry is grounded in superficial illusion and the day when advertisers will promote the ordinary will never come. Second, there will ALWAYS be women (and men) willing to put up with the abuse for a shot at money and fame; i.e., show me a trade union of models and I'll show a bunch of out-of-work people. Change what you can but learn to live with what you cannot.
5
Being a fashion model is the epitomy of being obectified in the eyes of the camera.
You are there to sell the clothes, the look, the perfume. You are there to sell the fantasy. If this is a problem, work in a different field because the industry is not going to change. That being said, these young women are certainly articulate and savy and their views on beauty, disability and eternal youth are interesting.
You are there to sell the clothes, the look, the perfume. You are there to sell the fantasy. If this is a problem, work in a different field because the industry is not going to change. That being said, these young women are certainly articulate and savy and their views on beauty, disability and eternal youth are interesting.
1
We're supposed to be concerned now about working conditions for fashion models?
People whose principal qualification for their profession is their physical appearance, which basically a result of their genetic make-up? Stated otherwise, pure luck is their actual qualification for making money by standing around and having people shoot pictures and video of them.
Are we supposed to feign shock about the fact that the businesses that pay them, which are plainly in the business of selling products based on image, are unwilling to engage them when they don't fit the image that's being sold? They are selling female sexuality and are surprised to find that their sexuality is addressed in exploitative and objective terms? They're exposed to unlawful and deplorable labor policies, sexual harassment, and gender and race discrimination in the workplace? Welcome to the world princesses.
People whose principal qualification for their profession is their physical appearance, which basically a result of their genetic make-up? Stated otherwise, pure luck is their actual qualification for making money by standing around and having people shoot pictures and video of them.
Are we supposed to feign shock about the fact that the businesses that pay them, which are plainly in the business of selling products based on image, are unwilling to engage them when they don't fit the image that's being sold? They are selling female sexuality and are surprised to find that their sexuality is addressed in exploitative and objective terms? They're exposed to unlawful and deplorable labor policies, sexual harassment, and gender and race discrimination in the workplace? Welcome to the world princesses.
9
"If you are a model you are objectified"
I cannot imagine a more self centered job than being paid to be stared at.
Welcome to reality girls.
I cannot imagine a more self centered job than being paid to be stared at.
Welcome to reality girls.
17
If I 'stare' at a stranger, I'm 'creepy.' If I 'stare' at a model, I'm... a potential buyer?
When I was a kid, they were called 'mannequins' --how sad to hear that they are still treated like objects instead of hard-working people.
1
Only women? Can not wait for your pieces on homemakers and stewardesses.
1
"Being a role model is about using your freedom to show other people it’s safe to be themselves." This is just not true. This model is simply rationalizing a job whose sole impact on young girls and women is to tell them that there is, in fact, only one way to look: very skinny, like her. The article does a nice job of showing plus-size and other non-conventional models, but that isn't representative of the modeling world at all. Modeling is overwhelmingly about very, very thin girls.
In the 1980s, models were also thin, but not like now. I modeled a bit in high school and college, and was told at an agency: "I rarely say this, but you are painfully thin. You're just too thin to model. Gain a little weight and come back." I wasn't anorexic --- just naturally very skinny. Ten years later, my "painfully thin" body would have been viewed as ideal.
Models should understand this: there is nothing positive about what they are projecting to girls. They are part of a system that values nothing but consumerism and superficiality and the mindlessness of fashion trends. Be a model if you like. I don't judge the choice. But if you think you are a good role model, you are deluding yourself.
In the 1980s, models were also thin, but not like now. I modeled a bit in high school and college, and was told at an agency: "I rarely say this, but you are painfully thin. You're just too thin to model. Gain a little weight and come back." I wasn't anorexic --- just naturally very skinny. Ten years later, my "painfully thin" body would have been viewed as ideal.
Models should understand this: there is nothing positive about what they are projecting to girls. They are part of a system that values nothing but consumerism and superficiality and the mindlessness of fashion trends. Be a model if you like. I don't judge the choice. But if you think you are a good role model, you are deluding yourself.
27
I collect vintage clothing, and have a small collection of vintage fashion magazines from the 1930s to the 1970s.
Though the models in these are attractive in my eyes, and certainly not overweight....they could NEVER EVER work in today's fashion environment. And these were TOP top models of their era -- I collect only magazines like Vogue, not catalogs.
Models pre-1970 were much more filled out -- trim, but healthy looking. Twiggy in the late 60s probably was the change agent -- she was just SO thin. And very young. All of a sudden, it was not enough to be slim, tall and pretty. You had to be BONE thin -- emaciated.
If you see a model today -- not Photoshopped in a magazine ad -- but in real life -- they are just shockingly thin. Concentration camp thin! Only lingerie and swimsuit models have anything resembling a natural figure. High fashion models have to insanely thin, and kind of thin that is only rarely natural -- most achieve it that thinness with starvation, crazy diets, smoking cigarettes and cocaine.
Though the models in these are attractive in my eyes, and certainly not overweight....they could NEVER EVER work in today's fashion environment. And these were TOP top models of their era -- I collect only magazines like Vogue, not catalogs.
Models pre-1970 were much more filled out -- trim, but healthy looking. Twiggy in the late 60s probably was the change agent -- she was just SO thin. And very young. All of a sudden, it was not enough to be slim, tall and pretty. You had to be BONE thin -- emaciated.
If you see a model today -- not Photoshopped in a magazine ad -- but in real life -- they are just shockingly thin. Concentration camp thin! Only lingerie and swimsuit models have anything resembling a natural figure. High fashion models have to insanely thin, and kind of thin that is only rarely natural -- most achieve it that thinness with starvation, crazy diets, smoking cigarettes and cocaine.
Oh, just stop. If you don't want to be objectified, body shamed and criticized, then don't be a model. Girls, your job is how you look. In that line of work, criticism of that is fair game.
10
really????? we are supposed to feel sorry for these girls who
chose a profession that sells objectification.
let me get my platinum violin out to feel sorry
for exploitation and shallowness.
chose a profession that sells objectification.
let me get my platinum violin out to feel sorry
for exploitation and shallowness.
5
Modeling is a way of selling your body, and that is a very hard existence. Only the few on top can slam with doors.
1
The whole fashion and beauty industry is designed to create discontent. Because only through discontent with one's self can you entice people, esp. women and often young women, to spend $60 on a lipstick or $450 on a blouse. When I taught high school I often told my students one of the easiest ways to be happier was to avoid fashion and lifestyle magazines. With no one telling you that you're ugly, fat and old, you can feel surprisingly good.
8
You're so right. I like to think that working in the fashion industry inoculated me against fashion, and life is definitely easier now.
1
Wait -- I'm not ugly, fat and old??????
Good article for moms and dads to teach their girls and boys from an early age. It can be done by example, no crappy magazines is a good place to start.
What are models doing but perpetuating unhealthy images of what people in our society should aspire to?
8
What parent would allow their 14 year old child to enter this repulsive, exploitative field? Girls, stay in school, work hard, don't do drugs, get a life.
8
In a free market economy, these women are free to refuse to work for employers they don't like.
Why should they be treated any differently than any other worker who's told that if they don't like the working conditions or treatment, they can quit and try to go elsewhere. Because that's basically how most employees are treated nowadays.
Of course, the problem with all of it is that ALL employees should be respected and treated well and paid a living wage. The idea that models feel entitled to an exemption - better treatment - based on their beauty is pathetic.
Why should they be treated any differently than any other worker who's told that if they don't like the working conditions or treatment, they can quit and try to go elsewhere. Because that's basically how most employees are treated nowadays.
Of course, the problem with all of it is that ALL employees should be respected and treated well and paid a living wage. The idea that models feel entitled to an exemption - better treatment - based on their beauty is pathetic.
8
I always thought I always thought models were supposed to represent the aspirational attributes of the brand, not the actual people who buy the clothes. No?
3
Hiring talent? Absolutely, for years, actors, models, DP's, gaffers, and it's always the same story - a difficult often impersonal business that attracts difficult, typically impersonal folks, especially on the hiring side. Hiring decisions, especially for talent (models) are arbitrary, capricious, and whimsical, based on which way the wind is blowing. In the words of someone, if you are seeking love in the modeling business, buy a cat! BTW the exploitation of models and "expenses" collected by their agencies is nothing more that indentured servitude.
7
For years I was on the other side of the modeling experience, picking models for photo shoots. At the time, you got head shots and if you liked the way someone looked you got the books. What was important was how they photographed and if they had the right look for the job. I wouldn't wish this career on anyone. That being said, I worked with a myriad of highly professional and talented models who did an amazing and difficult job. Being a model is a difficult job at best and certainly not as glamorous as many are led to believe. They are objectified constantly. Respecting a model as a professional, equal to the photographer, makeup and hair stylist, clothes stylist and whoever else is on the shoot is paramount to having a successful shot.
72
Comparing a model as a "professional" to a photographer, stylist, fashion designed, etc is outlandish. A model's job may be "hard" for all the horror stories listed in the article and it is often physically demanding--and I'm not talking about diet, exercise, etc--but just the long hours on a single shoot, straining in various poses.
But the model--let's be grown-up here--is essentially a living mannequin. Her job requires no formal education, no sophisticated training, nothing. Her job is to be beautiful and comply w/the photog and designer's vision. Her voluntary contract w/an agency is, at its core, a commitment to meet somebody else's vision of beauty.
Of course, none of this means models don't deserve respect as human beings. Of course they do! Is that even a question? My beef is not with them, but the industry. I wish more young women knew better before getting into the industry because the job they have chosen is inherently all about being objectified. Once they realize that, I wish more got out.
But the model--let's be grown-up here--is essentially a living mannequin. Her job requires no formal education, no sophisticated training, nothing. Her job is to be beautiful and comply w/the photog and designer's vision. Her voluntary contract w/an agency is, at its core, a commitment to meet somebody else's vision of beauty.
Of course, none of this means models don't deserve respect as human beings. Of course they do! Is that even a question? My beef is not with them, but the industry. I wish more young women knew better before getting into the industry because the job they have chosen is inherently all about being objectified. Once they realize that, I wish more got out.
2
And exactly what IS "the right look" ?
WHO decides?
WHO decides?
This article made realize that even models, can also feel insecure about themselves, and even though you might have a good body compared to any other ordinary girl in her age bit she can get negative comments on her body in front of her, to her face. at the beginning i thought you just had to do whatever you have to do to get what you love but this article made me realize that there are limits and i thought that in this industry there were no limits and it as okay and it was normal but it proofed me wrong that there are limits and thing can change and it should change cause no body is perfect and everybody should deserves to enjoy industry. you shouldn't have to perfect clear skin full lips perfect skinny figure, to join this industry because not everybody is like and we will never be like therefor why limit the industry for only specific human.
1
Their names, ages and locations are given right under the pictures!
The Times perpetuates the problem of objectification through omitting the names of the women photographed for much of the article. In the mobile version I read, some photos have credit for photographer but not for the models. This has been the standard forever. Only in recent years have fashion magazines bothered to name the model. But the makeup artists, clothing designers, jewelry that they wear is always credited. I imagine by contract. What gives with The Times not naming the women whose photos they use to illustrate the article?
9
Their names, ages and locations are given right underneath the pictures! (I hate it when the page jumps up and down and I end up clicking on the wrong item...)
3
Are you not seeing their names big and bold at the top of the copy under each photo? Are you only looking at the pictures and not reading what's under it?
2
Sea, I agree, that the pages and platform are unstable, "jumping up and down" or just clicking to another story entirely! I spoke with NYT customer service about this and, yes, "they are aware of the problem." I blame the endless so-called "personalized" ads, which are driven by Google tracking. In a word, it's a mess.
2
The 'indignities' of modeling can hardly be compared with the difficulties of, let's say, digging trenches, harvesting grapes or lettuce, or doing construction work. Busing tables in a restaurant is right up there as well.
I can't think of anything more superficial than being desired for how one looks.
Having dated several a few models over my life I can say that being valued for what you look like, and buying into it, leaves a hollow shell inside. From my experience, the most beautiful women are often the most insecure. Hard to believe, but true.
I can't think of anything more superficial than being desired for how one looks.
Having dated several a few models over my life I can say that being valued for what you look like, and buying into it, leaves a hollow shell inside. From my experience, the most beautiful women are often the most insecure. Hard to believe, but true.
20
Why is that hard to believe? You think 'beauty' equals self-confidence? Where would you have gotten that idea? From an ad?
Fit the clothes to the person, not the person to the clothes. Models should represent the women who buy the clothes--which are seldom manufactured to fit real people.
6
Thank you NY Times for this article. The industry does need oversight. Age and weight requirements at a minimum. The agencies make a fortune off of these young women but make no effort to protect them from unscrupulous labor practices.
6
This is one of the strangest career choices a person can make. You are not hired because you are particularly smart of educated but how you look in and out of clothing. I agree everyone should be treated with respect in a work situation but unfortunately you measurements, clear skin, fitness is level and body type is why you are considered for this work. This job/career could be considered comparable to acting however actors study their craft often for years before getting anything beyond an open casting call. There have been gains in this industry in regards to the look and body types of models finding work. To complain about long waits to even be seen is silly since how many of these young people would stand in line for a new iPhone, concert tickets, etc...
21
Fashion models don't deserve sympathy on this issue because they are part of the propaganda machine that segments our society, codifies its (lack of) values, and dictates decision making to a world of zombies.
If they want to participate in the above, then surely they should expect to reap the hypocrisy of vanity. Otherwise, there are just too many other, real, productive contributions society needs right now beyond standing in front of a camera.
If they want to participate in the above, then surely they should expect to reap the hypocrisy of vanity. Otherwise, there are just too many other, real, productive contributions society needs right now beyond standing in front of a camera.
27
Oh God NY TIMES. This article could/might have been something like - what's it truly like to be a DREAMER! We want to know.
14
There is absolutely no reason why The NY Times can't publish this very interesting series about model's lives AND another story about Dreamers somewhere down the road. Journalism is not a zero sum game.
5
Why all the rancor expressed by the commenters? Our society glorifies modeling as a wonderful job for young women. Is it any wonder that young--often very young--women take the bait when they are "scouted" in a public space? They think they're going to be like Gretchen Bundchen and make millions. They also believe the hype that the job is glamorous.
Those of us with more experience or more education know modeling isn't a desirable career; 16-year-old girls often don't. Like so many other workers, they are exploited and harassed. I'm very glad to see these models finding their voices. I hope this is the first step toward some empowerment. "If the conditions are so harsh, quit and get a regular job," as stated by one commenter, is less than helpful but is disrespectful. Life and work just aren't that easy.
If these women can voice the downsides of this over-hyped job, perhaps the word will get out and young women will spurn the corrupt system, thus pressuring the system to clean up its workplace conditions and pay higher salaries on time.
Those of us with more experience or more education know modeling isn't a desirable career; 16-year-old girls often don't. Like so many other workers, they are exploited and harassed. I'm very glad to see these models finding their voices. I hope this is the first step toward some empowerment. "If the conditions are so harsh, quit and get a regular job," as stated by one commenter, is less than helpful but is disrespectful. Life and work just aren't that easy.
If these women can voice the downsides of this over-hyped job, perhaps the word will get out and young women will spurn the corrupt system, thus pressuring the system to clean up its workplace conditions and pay higher salaries on time.
175
Really? So this problem with the fashion modeling industry was just discovered? Nothing could be further from the truth. I can remember reading articles back in the '70's about how difficult a profession it is. This is nothing new. Just rehashed arguments to generate click through advertising revenue.
Not sure if you are aware. But I've got some bad news. Every single industry in society suffers from the same and/or similar problems. A few rock stars make it look great but for the teaming masses it's just the daily grind. Banking. Government. Construction. Engineering. Education. The list goes on ad nauseam.
I did 10 years in retail. As in it seemed like a prison sentence. Came to the conclusion that the industry will not change, even by the efforts of many. It's market forces that dictate things. So I did what any smart person would do. Moved on to something I liked. It was difficult, scary, uncertain. But I prevailed over time. The same will happen with all of those unhappy fashion models if they so choose.
Not sure if you are aware. But I've got some bad news. Every single industry in society suffers from the same and/or similar problems. A few rock stars make it look great but for the teaming masses it's just the daily grind. Banking. Government. Construction. Engineering. Education. The list goes on ad nauseam.
I did 10 years in retail. As in it seemed like a prison sentence. Came to the conclusion that the industry will not change, even by the efforts of many. It's market forces that dictate things. So I did what any smart person would do. Moved on to something I liked. It was difficult, scary, uncertain. But I prevailed over time. The same will happen with all of those unhappy fashion models if they so choose.
27
" Life and work just aren't that easy..."
That's the whole point, though, isn't it? These women go in thinking modeling is going to be glamourous and easy, and that they'll be highly paid and admired for nothing but their looks. Then they get angry when the easy life turns out not to be so easy.
At least they learn their life lesson young, and get to move on with their lives.
That's the whole point, though, isn't it? These women go in thinking modeling is going to be glamourous and easy, and that they'll be highly paid and admired for nothing but their looks. Then they get angry when the easy life turns out not to be so easy.
At least they learn their life lesson young, and get to move on with their lives.
1
@JD That is why 16-year-olds should not be making career decisions like this. Where are their parents? I am not defending the downside of this industry, but it would be foolish to ignore this when deciding to model. It is not all glamour and you are time-stamped. Anyone who does this needs an education nonetheless because but for a few exceptions, this is a short lived career. Everyone ages.
1
Models don't want to be objectified?
Isn't being objectified the whole point of modeling?
Isn't being objectified the whole point of modeling?
125
Most models start at ages like 14-16, young girls with big dreams of being famous and just coming into their own sexuality. They want to be stars, they want to be desired. They are easy prey and don't even know they're being exploited. You're fine with this?
They're models and they're being objectified?? The injustice!!! What a crying shame it is that people whose profession is to draw attention to their physical attributes have to exist in a world where physical attributes are relevant or judged.
"For decades, modeling was a silent profession, where women were supposed to be seen and never heard." They're models, not spokespeople.
"For decades, modeling was a silent profession, where women were supposed to be seen and never heard." They're models, not spokespeople.
32
I think that these models are speaking to the unnecessary indignities that exist in that profession and the lack of power that they feel.
9
To enter a business where your job description is basically "Object" and then complain about being objectified seems bizarre to me. You are basically meat to these people so shouldn't be surprised.
49
Sorry, ladies, if you go into a business like this, do you honestly expect anything different? Like anything related to celebrities who make similar complaints- if you sign up for this, you are implicitly agreeing to give up many rights, freedoms, dignities. If you think it's worth the price, then keep going. Otherwise, find a different endeavor.
21
My daughter was scouted at an athletic event at the age of 15. She is a beautiful girl and fit the body type of Caucasian, skinny and bc of her brown hair and eyes the called her ethnically diverse (which means they could darken or lighten her skin for other than US markets). Her hips at the time were 34 3/4" and we were told that the ideal is 34". When she signed with the agency, they told her that since she didn't meet ideal she would have to do pro bono jobs until she dropped the last 3/4". I kept telling her, not to listen to them but she got the message loud and clear, "you are not good enough and never will be". This is how they manipulate and control. It's a huge racket and luckily I got her out before they got her to go international where the parents are no longer there to protect the girls and they get used abused and treated like a commodity.The agents lie and have all kinds of tricks to manipulate, but at the end of the day, it's about profit to the industry and abuse and control for the models. I have so many more stories of manipulation, control and lies that we confronted. I'm onboard with articles like this bc they bring to light a massive misrepresentation and abuse of women, which quite frankly, most women are done with... good for you NYT for bringing this into light.
215
Good for you that you smartened up before it was to late. Even if you don't need the money, having your daughter work in something like fast food (McDonald's etc,) would give her better core values than modeling ever could, as she progresses on her journey in life.
3
Someone I know was told, at 5'9" and 120 pounds that she was too fat and she should either lose some weight or gain a few pounds and try for being a plus size model. Fortunately, though young, she knew better.
1
What makes a fashion model beautiful is divided by an American socioeconomic political educational white supremacist history that confused and conflated color with "race".
Modeling, like sports and other forms of entertainment, is a socially insignificant business. A form of business that generally originally preferred those who were colored white. The idea that an allegedly beautiful young thin white girl is the victim of all kinds of abuse, manipulation and control is born of a privileged perch of white supremacist delusional denial hubris and narcissism.
Michelle Obama is darkly African fine thick and beautiful to me. As are the similarly colored African models of all shapes and sizes in this article. Melania Trump is plainly white and not anywhere near a beauty to my heart, mind, soul and sight. Nor are her peers in this piece.
Modeling, like sports and other forms of entertainment, is a socially insignificant business. A form of business that generally originally preferred those who were colored white. The idea that an allegedly beautiful young thin white girl is the victim of all kinds of abuse, manipulation and control is born of a privileged perch of white supremacist delusional denial hubris and narcissism.
Michelle Obama is darkly African fine thick and beautiful to me. As are the similarly colored African models of all shapes and sizes in this article. Melania Trump is plainly white and not anywhere near a beauty to my heart, mind, soul and sight. Nor are her peers in this piece.
1
These women have chosen to work in an industry that is based on looks. It is disingenuous for them to complain about that. This reminds me of actors working for years to be stars and then complaining that fame has robbed them of their privacy. If these young women do not like their work they should go back to school and educate themselves to do something else that is based on what they know, not how they look.
57
Body image, dieting, objectification, pulling clothing, waiting your turn to go out on the runway - that's called modeling. It's the job. The NYT seems to equate discomfort with injustice.
Will we see a piece about construction workers being required to work in hot, dusty, loud, and risky environments? That's the job they sign up for.
The piece seems to conflate true injustices, such as sexual harassment, with expected treatment which is part of the job - like body weight issues. The fashion industry's mandate is to make their product look good, and sell. Whether they choose to be a force for social justice is up to them.
Will we see a piece about construction workers being required to work in hot, dusty, loud, and risky environments? That's the job they sign up for.
The piece seems to conflate true injustices, such as sexual harassment, with expected treatment which is part of the job - like body weight issues. The fashion industry's mandate is to make their product look good, and sell. Whether they choose to be a force for social justice is up to them.
49
Disappointing these comments are missing the point.
Fashion is deeper than skin deep.
I for one want a little bad news escape....clothes shopping today (resale) and getting a haircut tomorrow
Everyone is part of the fashion world whether you know it or not.
Fashion is deeper than skin deep.
I for one want a little bad news escape....clothes shopping today (resale) and getting a haircut tomorrow
Everyone is part of the fashion world whether you know it or not.
3
@Kim H: You have no idea how wrong you are when you say "everyone is part of the fashion world whether you know it or not" - but have fun shopping & getting your hair cut, for your "bad news escape." You sound like you've swallowed the fashion industry's "bait" hook, line & sinker.
Did you know that you can ALSO "escape" bad news by reading a book, volunteering, going for a long walk or bike ride, taking a long bath, or working out at the gym? (Oops, going to the gym would require you to buy even more clothes and would mess up your hair.)
Did you know that you can ALSO "escape" bad news by reading a book, volunteering, going for a long walk or bike ride, taking a long bath, or working out at the gym? (Oops, going to the gym would require you to buy even more clothes and would mess up your hair.)
1
This is like a chef complaining that people judge him/her based on his food. If you're going to go into an industry that's all about looks, don't be surprised when people obsess over how you look.
37
Athletes and dancers are bodies for the public to consume until they can no longer perform to the standards the market has set. The same is true of models. Each are judged by what they can offer, and whether there is a consumer for that offering. This is the profession they've pursued, so they have little room to complain.
I do have empathy for teens in each profession, who may not be able to see the big picture. Inevitably, they become the adults in the game... until they age out or crash.
I do have empathy for teens in each profession, who may not be able to see the big picture. Inevitably, they become the adults in the game... until they age out or crash.
14
Not sure if you make your living off of your appearance that you should be surprised to be objectified or judged by your looks?
27
So...the job description is to be objectified for your looks, and to be a human clothes hanger for a particular look - the clothes are supposed to be the star, not the girl. And these women, beautiful all, are complaining that they are judged on their looks, and on how the clothes look on them. Hmmm...
I'm a believer in fighting racism, and some of the stories about that trouble me a lot. But - roughly 3 in 10 jobs in the industry are non-white. It's hard for me to buy off on this being a significant problem as a whole.
I'm a believer in fighting racism, and some of the stories about that trouble me a lot. But - roughly 3 in 10 jobs in the industry are non-white. It's hard for me to buy off on this being a significant problem as a whole.
17
I almost didn't read this article because I thought "Oh please. How hard can that be. Try waiting on table instead."
I was wrong. Thank you for writing it. I had no idea how the profession exploits these young women (ex: being charged for the over-priced limo they want you to be seen in).
My advice- LADIES, ORGANIZE AND FORM A UNION.
I was wrong. Thank you for writing it. I had no idea how the profession exploits these young women (ex: being charged for the over-priced limo they want you to be seen in).
My advice- LADIES, ORGANIZE AND FORM A UNION.
39
I'm not sure why young women (with their parents permission) go into this industry. Rarely are they in need of money to support their family. As a teen I was offered the opportunity to model in a photo shoot. I was so flattered that these people considered me beautiful enough to be a model. After hair and makeup I was presented with the clothes I was to wear -- scantily clad and objectifying. I walked off the set and never pursued modelling again. Why are young women doing this to themselves while propping up an industry that fundamentally hates women?
12
Why would you assume they "rarely are in need of money to support their family"?
2
Because most models start in the business when they are teenagers (very few of which have children). There are certainly cases of teens needing to help their adult parents but it's really the exception, not the rule is the US.
1
Just about any of us have stories like this to tell, especially if you're trying to break into a competitive profession. You will be questioned about your talent, your age, your judgement, your work, your gender, your background, your education, your intelligence--directly and subtly. I liked getting this inside view of modeling and it's good for models to talk and share their experiences, especially with each other. Knowledge is power. But at what point does normal hardship become "oppression?"
86
How about at the point where a 16 year old girl on her first job is told to pose topless? Or perhaps when a photographer reaches out and pinches a nipple? Do you think that those are "normal hardships"?
Africans were forcibly brought to America as enslaved oppressed property. Modeling is a professional choice. Thomas Jefferson had regular procreative sex with his African enslaved female property. Power is power.
1
At what point does normal hardship become institutionalized sexism? That might be a better question. I worked in the industry for 11 years on and off starting at 14. It is the fact that we idealize this profession while stigmatizing women who are prostituted. I never was forced to have sex with photographers or clients but I was gang raped on my way to job that Eileen Ford (aka mother hen) sent me out on demanding I take a subway so I wouldn't be late. After the rape the agency refused to even pay the hospital emergency bill. Which I sent them. Years later Ms. Ford had the audacity to say, "I went to Columbia university and never got raped." It is time to reconsider the usefulness of selling female sexuality in order to sell, what is often useless consumer items. Not for sale.
3
I've read other, similar, articles like this one where women speak out about what's goes on behind the model industry and every single time, I think "Why in the world is anyone in this industry?" It's always the same things: models need to be skinnier, don't eat food, they're starving themselves and they're unhealthy, there are sexual expectations, people view them as objects, etc. Worst of all, it's not as if these are enlightened observations--who doesn't know this about the modeling world? The question then becomes, if you think these are horrible expectations and working conditions, why are you still choosing to be a model? It sends the wrong message. Worst, because we have women/girls in society who so crave attention and affirmation that they are pretty, they are willing to put up with this nonsense. Don't do it. Young girls everywhere are bombarded with unrealistic expectations of their bodies and what they should be like, don't be part of that problem.
24
I dated several women that had ideal physiques to model. They didn't starve themselves, rarely even worked out. They were just naturally built that way. Maybe if you have to starve yourself and if you find hair, makeup and work oppressive, you should head back to school.
2
"Only 27.9 percent of the models who walked the spring 2017 runways were nonwhite..."
"Only"? According to the latest census, 72.4% of the US population is "white alone." Which means that the fashion industry is actually *spot on* when it comes to minority representation.
"Only"? According to the latest census, 72.4% of the US population is "white alone." Which means that the fashion industry is actually *spot on* when it comes to minority representation.
89
Last Sunday as I skimmed the NYT I noticed so many photos for articles had non-whites. I am trying to rectify this with so many claims that non-whites are under-represented.
Wow! Thank you, thank you thank you.
In the multi-catastrophic first year of Trump I finally found something that I do not have to worry about happening to me.
In the multi-catastrophic first year of Trump I finally found something that I do not have to worry about happening to me.
27
So - I guess that you are saying that if you choose a profession that is based solely on how you look and without any real transferable skills to other professions then people are going to manage you within that profession based solely on how you look and you will have difficulty earning a living within and external to that profession.
Part deux I presume will be: Artists are woefully underpaid based on the time they spend creating their "art" and are not typically chosen to run software companies.
Part deux I presume will be: Artists are woefully underpaid based on the time they spend creating their "art" and are not typically chosen to run software companies.
29
Did you read the article or watch the video? This isn't about "managing you within that profession," this is about the overabundance of physical and mental abuse within the industry. Just because women choose to be a model, doesn't mean they are "asking for it" (mistreatment/abuse) as many may claim. Can't we expect adults to act as kind, mature adults across all industries?
9
It happens to male models too. Lots of fashion agents, photographers, and designers are (powerful) gay men. A gay male designer may not be able to physically overpower a male model, but he can blacklist him in the industry for refusing his advances.
4
@missmkb: "Can't we expect adults to act as kind, mature adults across all industries?" My initial response was to laugh out loud when I read that sentence. My more measured reply is: NO, because in real life there are plenty of stinkers and weasels who treat the people around them (and the people who work for them) very badly every single day.
2
Here is a wonderful example of strong, articulate beautiful-on-the-inside women who are using the voice -individually and collectively to call out issues within their industry and give others a peek under the tent. It's not unusual for any of us to make compromises in our workplace - when it's our integrity and values that are asked to be abandoned however, this is where the line needs to be drawn. Its an unfortunate reality that making a decision NOT to compromise in those situations has financial costs. Self worth, as these models so well point out, is priceless.
1
The article is absurd. Nobody is forcing these women to go into a business that is based, by definition, on the superficial elements of appearance, the objectifying of persons into images, fantasies, symbols, etc., and the exploitation of the body image aspirations of potential customers.
It's like wanting to be a swimmer, and then complaining that you have to spend time in the water.
If ordinary-looking women's images could sell stuff -regardless of their weight, height, faces, etc. - the modeling business would have figured it out a long time ago, and saved lots of money by not hiring extraordinary-looking women with extraordinary motivation and ambition who demanded high incomes.
It's like wanting to be a swimmer, and then complaining that you have to spend time in the water.
If ordinary-looking women's images could sell stuff -regardless of their weight, height, faces, etc. - the modeling business would have figured it out a long time ago, and saved lots of money by not hiring extraordinary-looking women with extraordinary motivation and ambition who demanded high incomes.
75
Did you read the article? Many of these young women were *approached* by scouts and at a very young age. Do you think they all knew up front about the abuses outlined here? That their nipples would be grabbed or that they'd be put into a dark stairwell for hours? It's one thing to expect a young adult of 18-20 to know that they will be ogled and their body discussed, another to say that they should have expected to be physically abused. No, that is not acceptable or expected.
VH,
I do not disagree with what you are saying at all, but in fashion, beauty is power. The women in this article are not beautiful by fashion standards. They are the lower levels of the modeling world. My guess is that the Brooke Shields, Christy Turlingtons, Stephanie Seymours, and Elizabeth Hurleys get treated with a lot more respect, because they are, more or less, irreplaceable beauties. It is in every models best interest to objectively gauge his or her level of beauty. I wouldn't go into modeling unless I KNEW I was so uncommonly beautiful that I was irreplaceable. I really do doubt that an agent or photographer would grope a model that he thought was a lifetime meal-ticket, such as Christy Turlington or Giselle. Lower level models, I am sure, will be treated like livestock. If an agent treats you badly, it's a sign that he think there are a hundred girls who can take your place. I'm just advising on self-protection.
I do not disagree with what you are saying at all, but in fashion, beauty is power. The women in this article are not beautiful by fashion standards. They are the lower levels of the modeling world. My guess is that the Brooke Shields, Christy Turlingtons, Stephanie Seymours, and Elizabeth Hurleys get treated with a lot more respect, because they are, more or less, irreplaceable beauties. It is in every models best interest to objectively gauge his or her level of beauty. I wouldn't go into modeling unless I KNEW I was so uncommonly beautiful that I was irreplaceable. I really do doubt that an agent or photographer would grope a model that he thought was a lifetime meal-ticket, such as Christy Turlington or Giselle. Lower level models, I am sure, will be treated like livestock. If an agent treats you badly, it's a sign that he think there are a hundred girls who can take your place. I'm just advising on self-protection.
A labor union would have simple solutions for most of the problems mentioned in this article. That is, except for the objectification. How can taking pictures of someone's body not be objectification? In what context could it be otherwise ?
43
Humans are imperfect, imagine that. Most treat models as objects with clothes on them ... objects that move of course. And discuss how they look. Seems to come with the job.
Generally you have to adjust to the world, it seldom if ever adjusts to you. Otherwise you are constantly upset, angry or stressed out about something.
Maybe change careers. Oh, but nearly everyone who works for a CEO or corporation or the 1% is treated as some type of commodity. Objectification in some form seems to be everywhere and nearly everyone is subjected to some form of it.
Do what you can of course to try and have a good life, but in my experience you will do most of the adjusting...or go crazy over behaviors you have little to no power to change.
Generally you have to adjust to the world, it seldom if ever adjusts to you. Otherwise you are constantly upset, angry or stressed out about something.
Maybe change careers. Oh, but nearly everyone who works for a CEO or corporation or the 1% is treated as some type of commodity. Objectification in some form seems to be everywhere and nearly everyone is subjected to some form of it.
Do what you can of course to try and have a good life, but in my experience you will do most of the adjusting...or go crazy over behaviors you have little to no power to change.
10
The article notes that about 30% of models are non-white and 2% are plus-size. This "what it is really like" article profiles 8 nonwhite models of 12, with half regular or plus-sized? A bit more development might have taken this article in a deeper and more interesting direction.
36
everyone should be made aware of the new Freelance Isnt Free Act that is in effect in NY State where much modeling occurs in NYC. Many of these issues regarding delayed pay, or no pay at all, ambiguities in job description and the like, can be address if freelance hires report the violations of their clients to the NYS Dept Of Labor. Even if you are a freelance model or a freelance writer. Freelance also applies if you have an agent and you dont have an established contract already with the agent that defines the terms they are required to adhere to as far as payment terms, etc
https://www1.nyc.gov/site/dca/about/freelance-isnt-free-act.page
https://www1.nyc.gov/site/dca/about/freelance-isnt-free-act.page
14
Yes, one doesn't have to be a fashion model. Yes, they chose to work in an industry where appearance matters. Yes, these industry-specific grievances are not the most important social issue facing the U.S. right now. All true. Yet, the struggles these women face are representative of so many social justice issues we need to contend with: racism, exploitation by employers (especially when they use independent contractors, which is more common in today's "gig economy."), misogyny, anti-labor policies, the ever-widening income gap, the enormous impact that the fashion industry has in creating body image issues, etc. I read this article with interest because of what it evoked. I'm sure others did too.
42
Models and athletes serve one purpose: They are hired by an employer to achieve excellence for the employer's brand. They sell their faces, bodies, and talents to the highest bidder. They are in control of their destinies, and they can opt out if they don't like it.
Kind of like the Sell Swords in Game of Thrones. Sorry, I'm still in Westeros and can't seem to leave.
Kind of like the Sell Swords in Game of Thrones. Sorry, I'm still in Westeros and can't seem to leave.
14
True. In modeling, objectification is precisely the point. The job is to project the image of a brand and show off the merchandise to best advantage. And they are free to quit if this feels too impersonal.
That said, fair pay and protection from sexual, racial, and other forms of harassment and abuse should be a given.
That said, fair pay and protection from sexual, racial, and other forms of harassment and abuse should be a given.
20
Yes. "...should be a given..." in ALL industries.
so you think sexual harassment and exploitation is ok because it's modeling?
This industry has the opportunity to transform self acceptance and so much more by changing.
This industry could be amazing, but it's stuck. And women could enforce that change just by stopping to purchase make-up and certain clothes and fashion magazines and so on.
But, we women 98 percent look in the mirror and see a face that needs make- up and a large percentage sees a body too fat or full of imperfections.
We women are ingrained and brain washed by tv, movies, social media even our families and friends... especially in industrial high fashioned cites where beauty is created by applying make-up and wearing certain clothes and being super thin and being white!
I applaud these women for speaking out. This industry is part of the bigger problem that women in industrialised cities are taught by society that you need to put something over your face to be acceptable. You need to deprive your body of good nutrition to be acceptable.
I encourage women who model to find different work. Work that empowers you and makes you feel good.
I wish that women...all women would realize that they can transform the industry by choosing more carefully where they spend their dollars!
This industry could be amazing, but it's stuck. And women could enforce that change just by stopping to purchase make-up and certain clothes and fashion magazines and so on.
But, we women 98 percent look in the mirror and see a face that needs make- up and a large percentage sees a body too fat or full of imperfections.
We women are ingrained and brain washed by tv, movies, social media even our families and friends... especially in industrial high fashioned cites where beauty is created by applying make-up and wearing certain clothes and being super thin and being white!
I applaud these women for speaking out. This industry is part of the bigger problem that women in industrialised cities are taught by society that you need to put something over your face to be acceptable. You need to deprive your body of good nutrition to be acceptable.
I encourage women who model to find different work. Work that empowers you and makes you feel good.
I wish that women...all women would realize that they can transform the industry by choosing more carefully where they spend their dollars!
11
@rhemingway: I can assure you that I am far, far from being "brainwashed" by what the fashion/makeup industries are selling (which is perfection & eternal youth). When I examine an ad (and mostly I just flip past them, b/c they're not interesting), I note the huge amount of photoshopping that has gone into producing an image of someone so un-real that she only exists in a computer's hard drive after all the retouching has been done.
I don't buy makeup at all, and I don't buy clothes based on ads. Some of you are saying "but that can't be!" - yet I have my "uniform" of what works for me (and FEELS comfortable to wear) based on L.L. Bean, etc., and I find no reason to vary from that. If I have to go to a wedding or fancy party, I have two nice dresses that are appropriate, and that's it. Fashion is a game for fools - "buy this now, it's trendy," then six months later, "oh, no, you need DIFFERENT clothes because the trend has changed." I'm not buying it, either literally or figuratively.
And, BTW, please note that people like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg rely on a single "look" that works for just about every situation; no time wasted on "fashion"!
I don't buy makeup at all, and I don't buy clothes based on ads. Some of you are saying "but that can't be!" - yet I have my "uniform" of what works for me (and FEELS comfortable to wear) based on L.L. Bean, etc., and I find no reason to vary from that. If I have to go to a wedding or fancy party, I have two nice dresses that are appropriate, and that's it. Fashion is a game for fools - "buy this now, it's trendy," then six months later, "oh, no, you need DIFFERENT clothes because the trend has changed." I'm not buying it, either literally or figuratively.
And, BTW, please note that people like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg rely on a single "look" that works for just about every situation; no time wasted on "fashion"!
2
I always viewed the profession, the advertising, etc as contributors to the objectification of women. And guilty of introducing sexual messages no matter what you are selling. The women and men who model for a living are overwhelmingly contributing to this. Sex to sell everything, which sends some pretty bad messages to people, and causes lots of people to be dissatisfied with themselves and to think they have to be provocatively dressed to be noticed. As far as I'm concerned, you can sell me a toothpaste by just telling me about the toothpaste. And you can sell me clothes by putting them on a mannequin, and perhaps telling me they were not made in a sweatshop. Once upon a time, I'd say tell me that it's got a Union Label. I'm sure all of these women are capable of getting a different kind of job, if they want. Try anesthesiology - I understand there is a shortage of anesthesiologists.
24
I'm amazed at the insensitivity of the comments here. If this was a story about workers on an assembly line, would people still think it was OK to work for long hours without bathroom breaks, or to be told not to eat that day, or to not be paid for extended periods, or to not be told your schedule until the night before? Many of these labor abuses do occur in other jobs profiled by the Times. But somehow commenters don't seem to blame the workers.
Layer on top of that the fact that the modeling industry primarily employs young women in their teens and early 20s, who may be away from home for extended periods, vulnerable to abuse and not fully aware of their rights.
They deserve to be protected from abusive labor practices just as much as anyone else.
Layer on top of that the fact that the modeling industry primarily employs young women in their teens and early 20s, who may be away from home for extended periods, vulnerable to abuse and not fully aware of their rights.
They deserve to be protected from abusive labor practices just as much as anyone else.
231
You might see a little more sympathy--if not downright empathy--among the "insensitive" comments if these models were making assembly line wages. You must admit, other professions entail comparable "abuses" but are not quite so amply financially rewarding.
15
Stop tweeting and organize. They need a union.
5
Meg, I think it's more a "workers lives matter," which most here are entirely in agreement with, and then you have the "But EVERYONE's lives matter!" stance of the models...a group of relatively privileged people complaining about being treated the way every other working person has been treated for generations. Suddenly, because it's happening to a beautiful person, who's used to being treated as special due to her beauty, that person becomes aware of bad workplace treatment. Millions work in bad conditions. They all deserve better.
7
I found these accounts to be fascinating, as I am not familiar with the world of modeling. And as an actor of color who has also been a minority at jobs, in casting, and in the number of auditions compared to my caucasian peers, I do sympathize. At the same time, it seems that this field, and mine as well, entails some objectification and in several cases, to the extreme. That fact certainly doesn't make it right, and it does need to be addressed. I hope these ladies find a way to navigate these obstacles (via the law and articles such as this) to a career and life that works for them.
3
I would also add that models are not protected by a union, as many actors are. I know that when I do print jobs, there is definitely less regulation as to breaks, hours worked, as well as the timing to receive payment. Perhaps it's time for models to be unionized.
7
How many years until robots replace live human models?
6
It's already happening
1
That will be a good thing, in my opinion.
Maybe not robots yet but Photoshop is currently used extensively. Soon models will be 100% CGI. . .no need for actual people. Andy Serkis (Golem) will grace nearly every cover or Vogue and Cosmo.
2
One doesn't have to BE a model. There are plenty of other jobs out there. If it is so "bad" go find another job with a stable income where you don't have to deal with these treatment. I always despise hearing models complain as if there are no other options out there and its so hard. Try being a first year investment banker - or what about a janitor? No job is easy - that's why it is called "work".
107
sorry typo - "these treatments"
1
My parents used to tell us "work is hard and boring...that is why they call it WORK. If it was fun, it would be called FUN".
Ok. So it's an industry in which appearance plays the most important role. Yet they are complaining about comments about how appearance plays an important role. Find another profession if they don't like it.
241
A decade ago, if you had asked me to define the word "model," I would have described the work done by fashion models. After becoming an educator and hearing the word regularly used in the context of "modelling behavior" or "modelling education outcomes," i.e. being a role model, I am compelled to compare the fashion industry to education. The goal in the fashion industry is to sell products, and objectification is the norm. By its very definition, fashion modelling presents a mute image to the world, and even if it is done well, and in an inclusive way, it still presents the people on stage as nonspeaking vehicles for garments or makeup. Add in the desire to sell products, and those nonspeaking vehicles often trend toward the unattainable in order to create a need for the product. The narrative is, "you need to look like this and you need our products to do so." In education, the goal is to empower and lift people up. It improves us all, and, when done well, the modelling in that setting encourages people to speak up, to learn, to believe in themselves and to persevere. Abusive work environments are a problem in any setting, but issues related to body image and perceptions of beauty are woven into the fabric of the fashion industry. If you want to find uplifting narratives and empowering examples of modelling, look to the classroom, not the runway.
51
What a thoughtful and insightful response. Deserves to be read and reread.
4
If the conditions are so harsh, quit and get a regular job. If women refuse to accept bad working conditions, the industry will have to give in and improve itself.
76
Not when there's an endless - seriously endless - supply of top model wannabes waiting in line for the next shoot.
2
Few models get wealthy from modeling -- oh some earn quite bit but it is only in their late teens and early 20s. They have high expenses to keep looking good, and often parents -- agents -- boyfriends -- end up taking their money.
To start modeling at 15 often means dropping out of high school -- or attending infrequently -- or at most, to get a GED. Almost no models go to college. It's too demanding and you can't combine it with constant shoots or travel!
So after maybe 5-6 years as a glamorous model (*these young ladies here are not really models -- not well paid high fashion models), you are now maybe 24 and out of a job. You have aged out. There are thousands of 15-19 year old girls, prettier and skinnier than you that have displaced you.
And what are you NOW prepared to do for a living? You may lack a high school degree. You have no usable skills or education. You can't trade on your looks anymore.
It's a bad deal, frankly.
To start modeling at 15 often means dropping out of high school -- or attending infrequently -- or at most, to get a GED. Almost no models go to college. It's too demanding and you can't combine it with constant shoots or travel!
So after maybe 5-6 years as a glamorous model (*these young ladies here are not really models -- not well paid high fashion models), you are now maybe 24 and out of a job. You have aged out. There are thousands of 15-19 year old girls, prettier and skinnier than you that have displaced you.
And what are you NOW prepared to do for a living? You may lack a high school degree. You have no usable skills or education. You can't trade on your looks anymore.
It's a bad deal, frankly.
1
It kinda sucks to be objectified, but that's what you are as a model. I am an actor and occasionally do background work. Doing BG work, you're essentially there to fill in the background. You get placed, you get moved around, you can get objectified. I have been placed in a scene by a production assistant, and then get told by an assistant director that I don't look right for the scene and get removed. No apologies.
Surely, the people in the industry need to be more sensitive. You shouldn't be touched inappropriately. They need to know that there is a human being there. But as a model, you're in an industry that is about serving a designer's or company's purposes - to promote their vision. Period. A model is essentially a living mannequin, giving life to their clothing.
If you're going into that industry, you have to know that objectification is going to be a part of it, because they're concentrating on the look of it. They're not there to capture the story of the model. The industry may look glamorous from the outside, but the sausage making ain't as pretty.
Surely, the people in the industry need to be more sensitive. You shouldn't be touched inappropriately. They need to know that there is a human being there. But as a model, you're in an industry that is about serving a designer's or company's purposes - to promote their vision. Period. A model is essentially a living mannequin, giving life to their clothing.
If you're going into that industry, you have to know that objectification is going to be a part of it, because they're concentrating on the look of it. They're not there to capture the story of the model. The industry may look glamorous from the outside, but the sausage making ain't as pretty.
153
Afraid it a little hard to take these NY Times stories too seriously.....particularly when the moment I open the story and begin to scroll down there's a huge advertisement for Banana Republic containing....you guessed it...several models....At first I thought it might be part of the story.....Anyway...in any field of this nature where almost anybody can enter, but where only the chosen few make it....there is a top rung and bottom rung....be it baseball, dancing or acting....at the bottom the pay stinks and the working conditions are much tougher than the top.....If you choose a career based on looks, why is it surprising to have your body's positives and negatives discussed....You don't think a minor league baseball player...who gets paid less than those models, will have his body discussed in comparison with others? His strength, speed, weight and so forth....
165
The ad made me laugh because A. it is featured HERE and B. it shows REAL models.
That's what real models look like. Those girls are very thin, blonde, white and likely under 20 years of age. They have delicate, WASP features. Their hair is very silky and straight. If they are average models, they are about 5'10" or 5'11" but weigh about 115 lbs or less. They are very, very thin -- clinically underweight. Anorexia and bulimia are epidemic amongst models. So is drug abuse.
Most models "age out" around 23-24, because despite their efforts at starvation, their bodies start to mature physically -- and nobody wants models with hips, thighs or breasts. The body of an ordinary adult woman is anathema to fashion & modeling!
That's what real models look like. Those girls are very thin, blonde, white and likely under 20 years of age. They have delicate, WASP features. Their hair is very silky and straight. If they are average models, they are about 5'10" or 5'11" but weigh about 115 lbs or less. They are very, very thin -- clinically underweight. Anorexia and bulimia are epidemic amongst models. So is drug abuse.
Most models "age out" around 23-24, because despite their efforts at starvation, their bodies start to mature physically -- and nobody wants models with hips, thighs or breasts. The body of an ordinary adult woman is anathema to fashion & modeling!
1
Is it really such a shock to find objectified working conditions in the fashion industry? Here is where the Linton's "Adorably out of touch!" would work perfectly.
Modeling is like guns in that the outcome of the industry is deeply destructive yet embraced by society. We can do much better.
Modeling is like guns in that the outcome of the industry is deeply destructive yet embraced by society. We can do much better.
46
no sympathy from me. every job has it's difficulties, including bad bosses etc. if you don't like how you're being treated, fight back, switch agencies, or get another career...how do these complaints compare to people who have to commute hours by public transportation to clean toilets for a living?
253
Non-payment and abuse are not okay in any profession. I did some modeling as a teen (I'm now in my 40s). I was told, as a fourteen year old, that I had too many wrinkles and should lose weight. I was 5'9" and weighed 120; I was naturally very skinny. In hindsight, the woman saying that to me was a former model in her 50s and was probably dealing with her own issues. But still...
11
@Full name: you and several others have "no sympathy" since "if they don't like it, they can just get another job".
What you are missing is that those *adult* young women are reflecting now on what it was to be a starry-eyed teenage model who is much too young and insecure to fight back or even know that she does not have to accept what she doesn't like.
This is a great article for all teenage girls (and their parents) who are considering modeling jobs. I am very thankful that I read something similar fifteen years ago when my then-14-year-old tall blond daughter was getting numerous hints that she should enroll in modeling classes.
What you are missing is that those *adult* young women are reflecting now on what it was to be a starry-eyed teenage model who is much too young and insecure to fight back or even know that she does not have to accept what she doesn't like.
This is a great article for all teenage girls (and their parents) who are considering modeling jobs. I am very thankful that I read something similar fifteen years ago when my then-14-year-old tall blond daughter was getting numerous hints that she should enroll in modeling classes.
3
There should be sympathy from you, though. Just because there ARE bad bosses doesn't mean that their bad behavior shouldn't be held in check. Think of the policeman, a person in alleged position of power, who bullied and falsely arrested the University of Utah nurse. Are you simply going to say "Well, that's what she gets for being a nurse?"
But there are two things going on here concurrently - The notion of being objectified, and lack of respect and humanity shown toward the models in certain cases (and perhaps prevalently industry-wide). Being objectified comes with the territory. A swimsuit model, for example? You think they and the audience are not looking to see how her boobs look in the swimsuit? The model is naive to not think that the photographer and client are not concentrating on that aspect. Again, the model is a living mannequin showing off that swimsuit. But there is NO place and NO excuse for a lack of respect of the model as a human being. That goes with ANY industry.
But there are two things going on here concurrently - The notion of being objectified, and lack of respect and humanity shown toward the models in certain cases (and perhaps prevalently industry-wide). Being objectified comes with the territory. A swimsuit model, for example? You think they and the audience are not looking to see how her boobs look in the swimsuit? The model is naive to not think that the photographer and client are not concentrating on that aspect. Again, the model is a living mannequin showing off that swimsuit. But there is NO place and NO excuse for a lack of respect of the model as a human being. That goes with ANY industry.
2
All of these women were interesting people. Cool story. But am I being old-fashioned to think that models should expect comments about their looks? Each woman has been blessed with a beautiful appearance, in large part thanks to their DNA, including their racial ancestry. All comments about such things will appear clumsy, and all are subjective assessments. I think models should be comfortable when the rest of us express our clumsy, subjective feelings. Or, they should write in their contracts that no one may talk to them.
70
Kudos to the NYT for showing all body types, multiple races and hairs, and for discussing issues that pertain to women of all kind, models and not models. We are all beautiful in one way or another.
14
When it picks photos of aerospace engineers, cardiologists and high-powered appellate attorneys, the Times always opts for so-called diversity. So, a black female cardiologist with 10 years of experience is selected over a white man cardiologist with 40 years to speak what cardiologists speak. The female Hispanic aerospace engineer is made to appear representative of the profession.
When it comes to the fashion world and high priced models, however, it ignores males. Perhaps it ought to stop showcasing women's styles as "fashion", and men's styles as "men's fashion", as if women's fashion represents the norm and male fashion is a specifically carved out exception.
Perhaps that's because high level male models make far less than their female counterparts. Perhaps the Times ought to make that one of its causes.
When it comes to the fashion world and high priced models, however, it ignores males. Perhaps it ought to stop showcasing women's styles as "fashion", and men's styles as "men's fashion", as if women's fashion represents the norm and male fashion is a specifically carved out exception.
Perhaps that's because high level male models make far less than their female counterparts. Perhaps the Times ought to make that one of its causes.
37
I'm curious, are these 'facts' based on reality, or just your own facts?
14
Because maybe women spend more on their clothing than men, so the industry targets that market segment? I agree though that it would have been interesting to get a male model's point of view.
1
That is because women do not have to speak to allure. While the male requires more values to attract. Possibly why male actors -- moving & talking, earn more than females. Once the female does more than is required for maximum attraction, it could detract. There was a female tennis player that had a good game and enough glamour -- along with an emasculated voice; excluding her from the Tennis Princess Kingdom of marketing. Because?