The Toxic Modelling Industry

 

- Liza Bashkova

The modelling industry is notoriously cutthroat. It's long been plagued by allegations of mistreatment of underage girls, lack of diversity, sexual harassment, promoting an unhealthy lifestyle and just about any other horrifying cliché that has ever been ascribed to fashion.

Models allege that labour abuses like these run rampant in the modelling industry -- leaving many workers feeling more like indentured servants than the glamorous high fashion icons young girls around the world dream of becoming.

Body positivity and inclusivity has a long (long, long, long) way to go in the modelling world.

"So many women are having to compromise their physical and often mental health for the advancement of their careers. The boundaries of what a model should be are too black and white, leaving little or no room for error or individuality. Of course, there are wonderful role models like Ashley Graham and Iskra, championing body positivity but the industry's reluctance to stray into the 'middle ground' of sizing is alarming and limiting." —Emily Butcher.

While the fashion world's most famous faces rake in millions, many aspiring and working models earn unlivable pay and end up indebted to their agencies -- as a perfect storm of 20% commissions and expenses drastically reduce earnings.

The industry's labour issues often stem from the fact that even though models say agencies control much of their lives (down to their eating habits and the pay they receive), they typically aren't considered employees.

Clients don't typically claim them as employees either. Instead, models are left as contract workers in an industry with little oversight -- making it very difficult for them to challenge everything from wage theft to sexual harassment.

"There is this culture that comes from the agency that you are disposable, and you are so lucky to be here," said former model Meredith Hattam. "It's a toxic power dynamic and it starts from the top."

I’ll never forget how stunned I was to hear a well-known fashion designer describe in a panel discussion, that part of the reason why the industry prefers runway models to be so thin, is because the material used to clothe them in couture is so expensive and it costs less to dress a thinner person.

Also affecting standards of beauty in the modelling industry are factors such as public opinion, the aesthetic that has been designed for a shoot or a runway show, or even the market to whom the brand is selling. Standards of beauty change depending on the product being sold and the audience engaged. It’s important to note, too, that body ideals in modelling change based on ethnicity; it is not fair or right, but it’s the case.

In many European countries, they are recognizing the problem with eating disorders in the modelling industry as a labour issue, enforcing standards for body mass index (BMI), for access to food, water, and breaks backstage at shows, and other measures to ensure that the people, the models, are treated like human beings and not workhorses. When the industry cares about the health of the people that work in it, they will be able to convey a better image of a healthy body and lifestyle to the consumer.

It’s important to recognize that changing the ultra-thin ideal is important for the health and well-being of the models themselves, not just the women and men whose body image is harmed as a result.

- Yukta Gandhi