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Liposuction, eating disorders and sexual coercion: High fashion’s ugly secrets
http://www.salon.com/2014/02/13/liposuction_eating_disorders_and_sexual_coercion_high_fashions_ugly_secrets/
Thursday, Feb 13, 2014 07:30 AM CST
Sara Ziff was once the face of Tommy Hilfiger and Banana Republic. Now she tells Salon the hidden truth of modeling
Josh Eidelson
Sara Ziff (Credit: Jeff Tse)
Were working in an industry that is perceived as frivolous, and so our concerns are not taken seriously, says model Sara Ziff, whos been the face of Tommy Hilfiger and Banana Republic and walked the runway for Calvin Klein and Chanel. A model since age 14, Ziff exposed ugly industry stories in her 2009 documentary Picture Me, then founded the non-union workers group Model Alliance two years ago this month. In a fashion week interview with Salon, Ziff described largely unseen sexual coercion, wage theft and eating disorders; discussed her efforts (in a personal capacity) to foster solidarity between U.S. fashion models and Bangladesh garment workers; and considered what clout her group can bring to bear on the trillion-dollar industry. A condensed version of our conversation follows.
How different is the fashion industry from what most people imagine in the U.S.?
The modeling industry seems very glamorous, and part of a models job is to make the work invisible. Its to make, you know, being beautiful and glamorous seem effortless.
And so its not surprising that most people would have trouble seeing modeling as a job, and that the issues like difficulty in some cases getting paid for your work, long working hours, sexual harassment on the job those are things that are hidden from view. And so I think often people are unsympathetic to models concerns because the very nature of the job is to exude sort of effortless beauty and glamour.
FULL story at link.
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Liposuction, eating disorders and sexual coercion: High fashion’s ugly secrets (Original Post)
Omaha Steve
Feb 2014
OP
Sarah Ibarruri
(21,043 posts)1. Thank you for posting this! nt
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)2. The exploitation is criminal. K&R
snip*Theyre valued for that sort of androgynous, tall, skinny look. And so theyre often, you know, working in an adult environment, with adult pressures that they dont have the maturity to handle. And theyre also pressured to maintain that physique, which in most cases is almost impossible because, of course, you know as you get older your body changes. And so theres a huge amount of pressure on girls to essentially prevent their bodies from developing
nikto
(3,284 posts)3. You mean...
Being 5'10"/98 lbs isn't normal?
Who knew?
riqster
(13,986 posts)4. Good on her! K & R