Appearance and Being Thin

Just before its last election France passed an edict requiring models to have a medical certificate that they are not underweight.  Another edict specifies that retouched photos in ads (not in editorial contents) must be specified as such. The laws were hailed of course but with caution. Model advocates wonder if it may end up being one more layer of authority models have to deal with or whether it will indeed help and make a difference. Models have been exploited and work in an environment where the balance of Continue reading “Appearance and Being Thin”

Where Labor Rights and Sexual Harassment Meet

The idea that the lives of models are not all glamour that there is an ugly underside is not new. We’re familiar with the push to have models that are so thin as to invite anorexia. Countries like France and Israel have passed laws against this. In the US no such action has been taken. But as far as I understand the problem is more involved than that, it includes wage theft and sexual harassment. The sexual harassment is not confined to minor infractions but according to former models is constant and even calls for sleeping with agency directors and men the agency Continue reading “Where Labor Rights and Sexual Harassment Meet”