Too young to model
Article from: Sunday Herald Sun
Robyn Riley
November 23, 2008 12:00am
ON the same day that Youth Minister Kate Ellis announces a voluntary code of conduct to help regulate the fashion business, Tori Trigg is a competition winner in Melbourne.
The brunette is leggy and gorgeous and her prize, apparently, will see her head off overseas with high hopes of international modelling success.
The thing is, Tori is 14. Far too young to be a model. She is a child and not nearly ready to be exposed to such an adult world. I am just hoping her family will insist she defers the trip until she is a more mature age.
So while I applaud the
Youth Minister and her push to promote healthy body types, I would like to see Ms Ellis take it further.
Let's introduce a blanket ban on children even entering such competitions. Children have no place parading adult clothes on a catwalk and it is not right to encourage them to aspire to do so. Ms Ellis has said models under 16 would be banned from fashion shows under the Federal Government's planned code of conduct for the industry.
Great, but the same age restrictions could also be imposed on competitions that do little more than encourage children to grow up too quickly.
Tori should be playing with her pals and experimenting with make-up. Instead she is being paid to play a grown-up.
At least Ms Ellis seems committed to changing things. On Thursday, she announced a voluntary code of conduct for the media, fashion, health and beauty industry that would require them, among other things, to label a photograph that has been manipulated.
Another good idea, but I am not sure how effective it will be.
Will young girls stop to read the fine print or continue to be mesmerised by impossibly thin girls sculptured to perfection at the hands of a graphic artist?
That appears to be what happened to golden girl
Stephanie Rice this week.
Such a physically perfect female, yet to appear on the cover of
Inside Sport magazine Stephanie seems to have had her waist nipped, arms sculptured and legs thinned by an artist.
She ended up looking more Barbie doll than a health-conscious Aussie sports star.