Think of the fashion industry and you think of glamour, sophistication, beauty and artistic expression. However, once you scratch below the glossy exterior, there is a far more sinister underworld. In addition to unrealistic body ideals, there is something far less documented in the media. It seems to me that abuse in the fashion industry is twofold. At the production level of retail, are the human rights violations faced by factory workers all over the less economically developed world. In selling these products, a second instance of abuse occurs: the sexual abuse of vulnerable models. In our age of concern for safeguarding our children, there is much emphasis on the effect that the fashion industry’s portrayal of perfection has on us – those less fortunate in the genetic lottery! However, it is easy to forget that the first set of victims in the fashion world is its own workers, used for a brief window of time and then discarded with age. But how are they treated within that window?
With models being so worshipped in popular culture, why are we so unaware of their systematic abuse? There is an underlying sense in the media that models are ‘lucky’ to have their job; the association of modelling with frivolity and a ‘bimbo’ image means that those in the profession are rarely taken seriously and are dismissed when they attempt to discuss all manner of serious matters. Cara Delevigne is adored for her goofy faces, but rarely do you hear her opinion on the political climate.
Terry Richardson has photographed everyone from Barack Obama to Beyonce. His work has been showcased in Vogue, GQ and Vanity Fair. He has represented brands such as Yves Saint Laurent, Tom Ford and Marc Jacobs. However, he has been accused time and time again of forcing young models into inappropriate sexual behavior. He has even been accused of exposing himself fully on photo shoots and forcing himself onto the girls. He apparently targets those at a stage of their career where they would still be frightened to jeopardize it by speaking out. Models such as Daisy Lowe and Charlotte Free have come out in support of him as a professional and Marc Jacobs has made the, perhaps lackluster, claim that he is ‘not ill-spirited’. Still though, models including Rie Rasmussen, Jamie Peck and Charlotte Walters have felt traumatised enough to speak out – sparking a tidal wave of anonymous claims by models which unfortunately may have less of an influence in the industry now.
On Richardson’s pornographic undertones, Rassmussen is quoted saying ‘He takes girls who are young, manipulates them to take their clothes off and takes pictures of them they will be ashamed of. They are too afraid to say no because their agency booked them on the job and are too young to stand up for themselves’. Sara Ziff, also a model, is another in the small clan to speak out. She made the point that the few high profile cases of sexual abuse we hear of are, in fact, less anomalous and more commonplace than we would assume, calling it ‘an open secret’. Ziff said that often modelling agencies would rather turn a blind eye to pressure for nudity placed on minors than lose the loyalty of huge fashion for the sake of individuals who will be used sporadically. The CEO of American Apparel, Dov Charney, is a similar example.
I find it immensely shocking that, with many models starting aged 14, there is still no policy of informed consent for nude or partially nude shoots. It turns out that models are legally considered as ‘independent contractors’ meaning that there is no system of workplace laws to protect them. As the industry is majorly consisted of young girls, nearly all under 18 and unable to speak local languages, there’s no wonder why they are less likely to resist those in positions of power.
In reaction to the confirmed stories of abuse, many magazines barely responded. This is a common occurrence; the film and fashion industry seem to turn a blind eye to sexual abuse, which is vaguely veiled as eccentric or experimental art. Wallace’s response article in The Cut, titled ‘Is Terry Richardson an artist or a predator?’, highlighted the travesty that the two things can be seen as mutually exclusive. In the aftermath of the accusations, the media often referred to images where women had been forced into nudity as merely ‘provocative’. In a culture where it is fashionable to get your kit off, it is somewhat ironic that the fashion industry uses nakedness to sell clothes. This irony becomes a tragedy in the, all too common, cases where these sexualised images are the result of abuse.
(Image taken from stylist.com)