The Fashion Industry's Sexual Exploitation of Young Models

[HeatherAnne]

Several of your requested a thread to focus on the general topic of the fashion industry's complicity in the sexual exploitation of young models and the implicit approval of the work of photographers, bloggers and other industry players.

We do not want to focus on individual photographers or bloggers, as we do not want to advertise for them, thus pictures will not be allowed in this thread.

 

[tangerine]

Why does the industry go along with the presentation of very young models in sexual poses and situations? Are people that desperate to discover new talent (at puberty)?

And why would agencies send young models to be photographed by photographers who are known for highly sexualized presentations of adolescents?

 

[Cold]

Are we allowed to mention names here or cite specific people/agencies etc.? The last thing I want to do is advertise their work but I just want to use them as examples for this particular issue.

 

[tangerine]

Are we allowed to mention names here or cite specific people/agencies etc.? The last thing I want to do is advertise their work but I just want to use them as examples for this particular issue.

It's OK to cite examples as long as you don't post pics. We don't want the thread to turn into a referendum on any individuals or specific agencies, but it's OK to give examples to connect the discussion to real people and events.

 

[Cold]

Got it, thanks for clarifying, Tangerine!

I don't think people are familiar with Yorick Nube because he's virtually unknown. He doesn't do anything else besides photographing girls for agencies. He doesn't have a professional website just a blog that showcases his tests that almost feel like sessions with super young girls - usually 14, I can definitely confirm this. Certain agencies in Europe continue to provide him with these young girls, girls that they've just scouted like a week or so go straight to him for tests - if not in a knotted shirt, then topless and only in their knickers not to mention they always look wet, what the hell. But it's really the way he presents them that just feels and looks so wrong, creepy and degrading.

Both my older siblings work in casting and production in NY, my sister had a conversation with a booker before whose model she was accompanying during a casting, the girl's tests were mainly by Yorick, apparently it was okay with the mother agency because the girl had a parent around when she was photographed and that seems to be the same case/excuse with the rest of the girls. But I mean c'mon I just don't get how any parent could stomach seeing their daughter presented so sexually and just for a test.

I'd like to commend several top agencies in London and Paris who follow strict rules regarding tests specifically for their new faces. Photographers like Nicole Maria Winkler and Fanny Latour-Lambert's approach focuses more on the mood but they also don't go beyond what is expected to be showcased.

 

[pellucid]

^ I am glad someone is finally speaking up about this. I find it really disturbing to see young girls portrayed in such a sexual manner.
Justifying it by saying that they're accompanied by a parent seems absurd. It's still disgusting in my opinion. What difference would it make to the photographer if the models wore age appropriate clothing (or any clothes at all for that matter?) Isn't their overall look and appearance the most important thing in test shots?

 

[Flyest]

So glad for this thread as well. Big thank you to you Cold! I totally agree with everything you wrote here. Some of those models certainly have stories to tell........

 

[Psylocke]

Thank you for starting the thread, HeatherAnne. And thank you, Cold, for initiating this discussion!

I complete agree, this is an issue that can no longer be ignored. I am not going to lie, I find certain photographers' way of portraying models and celebrities in a sexual way acceptable because I believe those photographers are well-known enough for people to know what awaits them when they work with them. They may also gain massive exposure from working with those famous photographers, especially if it's for a major publication and the sexual portrayal may add to the theme of a story. But even then I think the models should never be younger than 18.
But like in Yorick Nubé's case I find it simply disgusting what is going on. The photos sometimes do look innocent, but the way he captions the blogposts makes it just insanely creepy. The fact that he also seems to contribute to Lolita blogs adds to the grossness of it all. Like Cold said, those models are brand new and know nothing about the modeling business and have little to no experience - how could they possibly tell if what is asked of them is normal or not? And of course they won't want to act "difficult" and "unprofessional" by refusing to do what the photographer expects them to do on their first test shoot. And they certainly are not aware of how the photographer is going to title those pictures, how he might end up choosing the most awkward of all shots for his blog, etc. I'm sickened by the fact that agencies even work with people who clearly don't work in this job for the right reason. I really fail to understand why (renowned!) modeling agencies would do that

 

[Zeitgeist]

One more voice against Yorick Nube. Nface agency used to work a lot with him, I don't know which other agencies. I can't say anything about the way he is in personal, but his pictures really have that feel about "sexual exploitation" of minors about them.

 

[Zeitgeist]

I had a second look at his blog. It's even worse than I remembered...

 

[model_mom]

http://forums.thefashionspot.com/f96/models-age-how-young-too-young-20586.html

 

[Cold]

One more voice against Yorick Nube. Nface agency used to work a lot with him, I don't know which other agencies. I can't say anything about the way he is in personal, but his pictures really have that feel about "sexual exploitation" of minors about them.

He mainly works with Dutch agencies. It's unbelievable how they're not freaked out with the way he photographs their models. That is some seriously misplaced trust.

And like I give a damn if he's a ray of sunshine, he can take pictures puppies and flowers for all I care but the way he fools people into thinking that he makes girls look more alluring by spraying water on them and making them look like some David Hamilton fantasy girl. That's just messed up.

 

[Sailor]

Like Cold said, those models are brand new and know nothing about the modeling business and have little to no experience - how could they possibly tell if what is asked of them is normal or not? And of course they won't want to act "difficult" and "unprofessional" by refusing to do what the photographer expects them to do on their first test shoot. And they certainly are not aware of how the photographer is going to title those pictures, how he might end up choosing the most awkward of all shots for his blog, etc.

I just went through his tumblr blog and the only "dressed" model shots on his blog belong to Daphne Groeneveld. He knew very well that he couldn't have the same attitude toward an industry veteran like Daphne as a girl who is having her first test shots taken. As you said, these girls who have just started probably don't even know what is the norm of test shoots and therefore accept what they are being told. Daphne on the other hand would have known much better.

 

[Moofins]

Out of curiosity, I looked through his blog and I feel like I was put on a FBI watch list for browsing through. The girls are noticeably new to modeling and the photos are extremely provocative - but, I also found a lot of them to be jarringly young. It's hard to believe that his tastes haven't raised some red flags, seeing the captions alone made me want to take multiple showers, preferably of acid.

On the one hand, it's not surprising that photographers take advantage of the naivete of young women/new models, but on the other hand, that abuse of power is never okay. Question: would you all who know more about or work within the fashion industry of agencies/casting say it's mostly smaller agencies that tend to veer on the edge of sketchy practices when it comes to young women, or is it everywhere? I had a job shadow at a local agency and they were extremely vocal about their models (a lot of which were young) never undressing/stripping, under any circumstances, during a photoshoot. I'm just curious as to how prevalent it is.

 

[model_mom]

It's been a long time since I have spent time on this site. My daughter was only 15 when she started modeling. Big agencies, small agencies......it doesn't matter, letting the fashion world have free reign with their young models has always been a given. I came back to this site because a month ago, I noticed that new model laws for young models had been proposed for the state of New York. No longer will agencies be allowed to market their young models with an anything goes attitude. If you get a chance read up on how things are fixing to change. Check out" Proposed Model Laws" in the Rumor has it" or Etc of the Modeling World" forums.

 

[*Bianca*]

I just went through his tumblr blog and the only "dressed" model shots on his blog belong to Daphne Groeneveld. He knew very well that he couldn't have the same attitude toward an industry veteran like Daphne as a girl who is having her first test shots taken. As you said, these girls who have just started probably don't even know what is the norm of test shoots and therefore accept what they are being told. Daphne on the other hand would have known much better.

Those pictures of Daphne Groenevled were actually some of her first test shots. Her mother agency was different than all the other girls, so perhaps they had something to do with it.

The captions are what really freak me out (as if the pictures weren't enough "Pink Supple", "So Young", "Juicy", "Baby Luv", "Sweet Sixteen", "So Delicious", "Cherry", "Soft Lust" and so on...

 

[Mr-Dale]

Funny to see how Yorick Nube's work has been brought up first. I've worked with several underaged girls who have been photographed by him and asked a couple of them about those specific pictures and they all shrugged and said it was fine and a fun shoot.

I think that in this particular case it really is a cultural thing. Here in the Netherlands, seeing nudity all around us is like drinking milk: you grow up with it. Sex and nudity is intrinsically connected to our nation's visual culture and therefore we accept it as normal. Which might be the reason why these girls and agencies accept it as something normal as well. Or at least, that is what they project.

This doesn't take away that I personally find the thought of it cringingly inappropriate. Especially when I see it in international productions aimed at a large audience. But still, I have come to accept it as a part of fashion and modelling too. When flicking through these girls' books and I see these pictures, I feel no shock whatsoever.

From a patriotic point of view, I truly praise Inez & Vinoodh for never photographing anyone under the age of 18 and by that always avoiding this situation (seeing as they love their nudity).

I'm really curious to hear how this acceptance of nudity in a national visual culture works in other countries and how it affects the practice of and reactions to young nudity or sexuality in fashion.

 

[Psylocke]

I think that in this particular case it really is a cultural thing. Here in the Netherlands, seeing nudity all around us is like drinking milk: you grow up with it. Sex and nudity is intrinsically connected to our nation's visual culture and therefore we accept it as normal. Which might be the reason why these girls and agencies accept it as something normal as well. Or at least, that is what they project.

This doesn't take away that I personally find the thought of it cringingly inappropriate. Especially when I see it in international productions aimed at a large audience. But still, I have come to accept it as a part of fashion and modelling too. When flicking through these girls' books and I see these pictures, I feel no shock whatsoever.

That's interesting to know that it's accepted as normal in the Netherlands. But that really doesn't keep me from thinking that it shouldn't ever become normal and not-shocking to see 14 years olds posing (semi-)nude with the image captions suggesting there is something totally erotic and seductive about children. I can't think of anything worse than the fashion world continuing to push this image and making this a standard. That's sick and gross.

I think it's been such a positive development in the modeling world that 'older' and more mature girls à la Aymeline Valade, Kati Nescher and Saskia de Brauw suddenly made it big and that models under 16 aren't allowed to walk runway shows anymore. The fact that agencies keep having creeps like that Nubé guy take test shots of their newest girls is such a step back. And I would lose respect for any client who casts a girl based on those kind of pictures in the model's portfolio.

 

[CateBlaire]

Yorick in Dutch News

Yorick Nube was in the Dutch national news. Experts concluded that his pictures can be labelled as child p*rn*gr*phy. Multiple models spoke to journalists after one model contacted the newspaper as a whistleblower and an investigation started. The article was in the newspaper apparently 2 weeks ago. It's been on the Dutch national tv and radio as well. Models are fed up with the cover up of sexual intimidation and unwanted forced nude pictures!
Apparently agencies say they never heard complaints, yet they stopped working with him because of his explicit pictures. On another forum I read that all bookers found him strange, but not dangerous and still send the girls over. Most models went nude without making this agreement before, and felt forced to do so to be able to act on the spot for the best pictures. Yorick put a statement on his website stating that the whistleblower made everything up and that the journalists were only looking for sensation. He states that the girls lie, that he never heard complaints.. Same as agencies. This is f-ing wrong

 

[modela]

You got to love the agencies acting like their hands are tied when they send their models to these testshoot photographers....pfft

Do these testshoot photographers work for free ? and thats why they are willing to overlook their behaviour because i doubt turning them down is going to cost models their jobs or they truly dont care and as long as they get what they need its fine to them.