Models are no doubt the powerhouse of the fashion industry. They are the microscopes who often magnifies a designer’s drawings to the public, but unfortunately, these people continued to be treated like scumbags. A recent survey conducted by Models.com gave us an insight into the darkest BTS lifestyle of a model. Though it may not be all, but the majority of models face sexual harassment, racism, other forms of discrimination, and self-esteem issues are rampant, as revealed by the survey. Read below an excerpt from the survey:
“A lot of work and expense comes directly from the models and their pockets. I would say my experience as a model has been hard work with little payoff. Being confirmed for three months, then dropped the day before without compensation, is annoying, stressful, and a bit unprofessional — we have to eat and live, too! A huge improvement in the industry would be if casting directors and clients recognized that [models] are humans, too. Proper communication is key; being honest from the start is very crucial to everyone being happy.” — Anonymous
Getty
“I came into this job very at peace, very thoughtful and in touch with what I felt and wanted. I took a chance with the opportunity, being it came into my life in a very natural and meshing way. Right away, when I signed with my agency I made it clear that I want to stay myself and if I succeed, I am meant to. If I don’t, I move towards the path that would create a true sense of meaning for me. Since I did that right off the bat, I think my agency does treat me well and they know that I am a queen who is genuine and can do whatever I put my mind to. They strive for the best jobs for me with the best clients and the most money, of course, since this is a job at the end of the day. From my agency I would say I am respected and represented to the level that I feel inside although sometimes I would like to have a more personal connection with some of them. From the clients, not always so much. I think a lot of them are amazing, but some just have a huge ego and they treat me like I am replaceable, the least important in the fashion chain.” — Jay Wright
“During London Fashion Week 2016, I felt dizzy and sick at a 90-minute static presentation. I went off the stage and told the casting director that I [couldn’t] keep going, because otherwise I might faint, while another model was throwing up three feet away from me. She told me I have to go onstage otherwise I [wouldn’t get] paid. I wasn’t paid anyway.” — Sidney Gaston
“Sometimes, because I have a walk that exudes attitude, or because I represent the diversity the industry needs, that in itself gets me declined jobs and should frankly be the opposite. Naomi [Campbell] mentioned in 2012 that the industry is only moving backwards. Change needs to happen, and models should be treated fairly, as human beings.” — Anonymous
“The agency said that they loved me but wanted me to lose a little weight, and they gave me a month to do it and then resend digitals. And so I lost a lot of weight in a short time and just got obsessed with it after that. I became anorexic and was extremely underweight, passing out in rehearsals. After the month, they never got back to me and my mother agent. Since then, my weight has fluctuated so much because of how poorly I treated my body.” — Anonymous
“I started modeling when I was 13 years-old. Since the beginning, I was always told that I have too-big hips and thighs and that I should lose weight. I was never fat. I just have a larger pelvis and different bone structure from the other typical models. Since, I’ve always hated my body. I’ve never had anorexia or bulimia but I was starving myself from time to time. I guess I’ve developed body dysmorphia. I’ve realized this is a common problem which models have; I was chatting with other models who seemed to be even skinnier than me and they thought about themselves [as] how fat they were. I even had problems in my romantic relationship because I was insecure about my body shape and I didn’t love myself. Now at 18, I’m considering to quit [modeling]. Modeling psychically destroyed me, I’ve also experienced hair loss and heart arrhythmia caused by stress. I’ve decided that I’ve had enough. I’ve wasted so much time thinking about my weight that I’ve lost the person who I was before.” — Petra Zatkova
Models.com
“I don’t feel the model experience is always fair, sometimes models are not treated like real people, but just like bodies, like meat, like a shape, like mannequins and at the same time they’re expected to be always positive, happy, cool and full of energy. Sometimes we’re tired, pissed off and sick, because we are humans, too. I feel like all the respect you receive depends on the quality of the jobs you book, but I guess that’s quite common in the world of work. What is not that common in the real world is that your career totally depends on your agency and casting directors, you can do your best to be ready for big opportunities, but you need to be lucky. I know some beautiful girls with wonderful bodies and good personalities who are not doing top jobs because their agencies don’t believe in them for some reason.” — Margherita Tondelli
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