Everyday we see commercials, ads, videos, pictures, magazines, and many more things about the fashion industry. However, how many models are actually experiencing sexual assault off camera? Harper’s Bazaar gives us the inside scoop as to what the models have to say on things they’ve personally experienced. The article’s first sentence is “In the Fashion, you could be in a room with six abusers at once” in order to give us an idea of how many people are most likely involved in these acts or support other people doing so.
As the models share their stories about what has happened to them while being on set many are them are crying by the embarrassment and fear they felt while being assaulted. Most of them tried to remove themselves or tell the abuser to stop however doing this caused many of them to be grabbed or forced into staying, which is honestly so scary!!! The fear of not wanting to disappoint anyone, made all of these models keep it to themselves. It makes me wonder, why wasn’t there a single worker in the agency that any of the girls felt comfortable talking to? Does that say something about the kind of people being hired in an industry that can be very intimate at times for some women? What girl doesn’t want to feel sexy in her own skin while trusting those working around her? Modeling is meant to be fun and just embracing your beauty, however these girls felt used and forced to take pictures because the camera kept rolling even after they had been assaulted. This article could be the first of many that can make a very powerful impact of sexual assault throughout the industry. With Harper’s Bazaar being such an iconic company, they could potentially encourage other industries to do the same. Thankfully, the women who shared their stories are under the #MeTooMovement which I thought was great considering we’re able to watch this movement keep expanding.
What broke my heart the most while reading this article was the fact that they were asked to remove their tops, which of course they did because they thought it was part of their job. Then they were asked to remove their pants, which most complied as well. However, none of the models ever questioned this because as anyone would think as well, they were told by an adult authority figure to do something that the felt required to do. With most models being new to the modeling industry, they most likely felt pressured or as if they had no other choice or they’d be fired. Unfortunately, because the assault occurred after being they were told to remove their clothes it was almost like they were trapped and it’s a set up. Which left most of them feeling ashamed, not wanting to tell their agencies or their parents according to the video in the article. I’m really glad to see models are supporting other models when it comes to sexual assault in the Fashion Industry. Hopefully, this movement will continue to help change our generation for the better.
https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a12817440/models-sexual-assault-stories-fashion-industry/