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Two five-ten blondes fighting against the stereotype to find love, success, and a way to pay the rent. *** We're passionate about our seriously stressful careers in the apex of the luxury fashion world. (No, it's not like the Devil Wears Prada- our Devils only wear custom and pay for their anonymity.) *** We're on the search for the elusive 'great' guy (who must be intimidated because we can't find him anywhere). Being 5'10" and blonde is a double-edged sword. Our stories are fucking ridiculous. *** Fortunately and unfortunately for us, we share the same story as millions of women who have been violated: we are determined to make a difference in the lives of women who have seen too much. *** WELCOME TO OUR WORLD.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Fashion's Dirty Secret


This is old news, but I've only just heard about it now. The man pictured above was found guilty of 16 counts of sexual assault, battery, and lewd acts. He was a fashion photographer who - you guessed it - routinely raped the young models who were to be his subjects.

What's shocking is that the media barely covered this. What's shocking is, when people found out, they were not surprised by the rape - but by the fact that the models came forward.

Fashion has been accused of many things - promoting unhealthy body image, racism, child labor. It's now being said that the industry did it's best to cover up this empowering story of young women standing up for what's right - career be damned - and winning a rape trial! Fifty-nine years is something to celebrate. This conviction could've been used as a platform to empower other models to come forward. Often the girls are afraid of the ramifications if they speak up - after all, fashion is a small world, and there's always a new 'face'.

When I was working in PR, I used to host model castings. Some of my friends asked if I would conduct the castings viciously (as is the stereotype) by calling out their flaws. I remarked that I was always positive with each young girl and that I often wanted to mother them a bit. While I was only 23 at the time, some of these girls were barely 14. When I think of what some young models have endured, especially in light of this article, it makes me so sad. I remember being 16 and being asked to model, which my mother (having been a model herself) expressely forbade. I was angry at the time - but now I am so thankful.

As discussed in The Guardian article, there are some models who are moving forward with efforts to unionize or at least provide support for young girls under this kind of institutional pressure. It's sad but true - the fashion world won't change unless the models band together. This conviction was a great first step. Media, take note!

*scorpio*

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