Model's Age - How Young Is Too Young?

[tocceve]

^You said it : physically not mentally and we could even debate that fact. Anyway I think this is not the place to discuss this but I agree with pasha although I am just happy there is the model Tanya Dziahileva.

 

[jiaqi]

there is nothing wrong with that img shot in v. some people want to set this silly age line for consensual sex (or, in the case of that photoshoot, consensual nudity) because they tell us younger than this age consent is meaningless because the girl or boy has little knowledge of what she or he consents to.

but this argument doesn't hold water: we order kids to do a lot of stuff they don't understand - in fact, the whole fashion business is predicated on powerful, creative minds manipulating and shaping beautiful but subservient bodies. we find nothing wrong with this because we know that before the kid mentally, intellectually and morally matures, imposing our wills on her or him doesn't have to impair her or his future moral and intellectual autonomy and may actually help improve it. a girl can grow up being a model with the stronger wills of photographers, designers, editors imposed on her body, but one day she may, too, grow into a designer or something. in an extreme case, to the extent that pedophiles don't hurt their juvenile partners' future sexual autonomy, it is far better than for parents to impose their christian beliefs on their kids which will ruin forever the chance of the development of an wholesome and independent mind. so either we accept sexuality in children or, for the sake of intellectual integrity and consistency, prosecute christianity before prosecuting pedophilia

 

[Filipe]

^You said it : physically not mentally and we could even debate that fact. Anyway I think this is not the place to discuss this but I agree with pasha although I am just happy there is the model Tanya Dziahileva.

Yes ... physically, but mentally women develop much sooner than men & in general girls at 14 are quite developed already, anyway, she must have got her parents support & agent. I honestly don't understand the point of this discussion. you know what? ask her about this & maybe she will answer !! or maybe she will post something about it here !

Move on !

 

[Bamhutt]

I think I've posted this vid before, but Tanya talks about starting at 14 and says it was a "good school" and not dangerous. I think she is very grateful for the opportunity as her home was not very wealthy. But I do think they could have held her back until 16.
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=55434703

 

[retailqueen]

14 is too young to be doing modelling. Tanya is cute and all but I do not support children being in such an environment .

But let's say it's ok for her to do some work on holidays on weekend but NOT the sensual/sultry Versace walk! I'm sorry but that is out of line. There is nothing sexual about a 14 yr old and it's highly perverted.
This isn't Tanya's fault but this should not be happening in fashion.

 

[jiaqi]

i think one thing two sides in this controversy can agree is that tanya herself may have little sway in how she is shaped and presented on her jobs - sensual and reserved. so let's end the discussion now

 

[Filipe]

14 is too young to be doing modelling. Tanya is cute and all but I do not support children being in such an environment .

But let's say it's ok for her to do some work on holidays on weekend but NOT the sensual/sultry Versace walk! I'm sorry but that is out of line. There is nothing sexual about a 14 yr old and it's highly perverted.
This isn't Tanya's fault but this should not be happening in fashion.

Yes righhht ... but how many models started at 14 ... ?

I think I've posted this vid before, but Tanya talks about starting at 14 and says it was a "good school" and not dangerous. I think she is very grateful for the opportunity as her home was not very wealthy. But I do think they could have held her back until 16.
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=55434703

There you go, Tanya said what she thinks about it, so we are clear now I guess.

 

[retailqueen]

1 billion models could have started at 8 but it still doesn't make it right?
what is this argument? having a lot of models start out young somewhat legitimasizes it?

 

[Filipe]

^No, of course, I didn't say that's right, I said there's many starting at that age. We all know that isn't right the fact they start so young, but the industry works like that, so there's nothing we can do.

Better move on!

 

[Elise1986]

imo Tanya took a great opportunity and became a very very good model. she got that chance at the age of 14 and took it ... i mean this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for most of the models. it's up to them to decide whether to take it or not
i guess there are also many regulations for such young models

 

[tocceve]

Yes ... physically, but mentally women develop much sooner than men & in general girls at 14 are quite developed already, anyway, she must have got her parents support & agent. I honestly don't understand the point of this discussion. you know what? ask her about this & maybe she will answer !! or maybe she will post something about it here !

Move on !

You, sadly, seem to really not understand.

And Tanya saying it was a good school doesn't mean anything, I was talking in general that 14 is more than too young I would say 17-20 would be more appropriate. I'm sure even Tanya who skyrocked in high fashion work even made negative experiences, we can't change the way how Tanya's career developped but saying "that's how the business works" is just showing how many people really don't care about the models.

***EDIT***

 

[Filipe]

You, sadly, seem to really not understand.

And Tanya saying it was a good school doesn't mean anything, I was talking in general that 14 is more than too young I would say 17-20 would be more appropriate. I'm sure even Tanya who skyrocked in high fashion work even made negative experiences, we can't change the way how Tanya's career developped but saying "that's how the business works" is just showing how many people really don't care about the models.

No it's not - "that's how the business works" (And actually I didn't put that by those words, anyway) I stated a fact, I do care because I said it was wrong how it works, so I why are you saying I don't care about models, seriously?

***EDIT***

 

[retailqueen]

For every *Tanya* that seems to be doing fine and succeed, there are probably 10's of now 18 year olds in debt, no education, maybe abused (mentally, emotionally perhaps physically) and their childhood taken from them.It's the luck of the draw thing and Tanya was really lucky.

 

[jiaqi]

There you go, Tanya said what she thinks about it, so we are clear now I guess.

just like tanya would have no room to say no to anything agents, designers, photographers or editors might force her to do, it is not that much meaningful for her to say yes. she has little power to say anything on those matters, but that is also why we need to continue the discussion elsewhere but also why casting even an eight-year old in some sexy shows or photography is perfectly all right

 

[b9409]

I guess I am one of the odd men out. I am a boy and when I was 13, I pretty much knew what was what in life. That doesn't make it OK though to be in such an industry at that age.

You guys just like seeing her pretty face on the runway and mags and that's about it. The life of a model is not very easy. And 14 is just a kid: nothing else. If it were in real life, most parents would not even let their daughters to wear makeup or die their hair at that age. No matter how womanly a girl looks, nothing makes it OK to put a 14-16 year old girl in a Versace gown. Long hours, sleepless nights, single meals a day, traveling constantly without any parents, not knowing how to speak English or French... people around her may treat her like a gem, but that doesn't mean that a kid that young should be walking without a bra or panties in front off grown ups at the backstage of some seedy show, contstantly changing clothes and try to remain eternally skinny and frail.

She is not the daughter of some affluent billionaire who is secure and protected and walking some show out of curiosity and dire wish. She is some girl probably living in a model's apt. in NY when she should be worrying about just being a teen.

Not everything is about boobs, legs and an ***, and how 'developed' some kid looks.

 

[LegsXI]

imo Tanya took a great opportunity and became a very very good model. she got that chance at the age of 14 and took it ... i mean this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for most of the models. it's up to them to decide whether to take it or not
i guess there are also many regulations for such young models

I agree with you, obviously tanya would take the opportunity, hell I would if I was 14 and offered it. but imo the people over her shouldn't have put her out there until she was 16, just my opinion, not saying tanya did anything wrong either

 

[anibalenci]

she wasnt on the Versace runway with her boobs out
I see nothing wrong with her doing those shows Im her age..
thats like getting upset for Dakota Fanning playing a teen prostitute
in a movie..Tanya is given a look and she must perform it models are just like
actors in my eyes..you can obviously see thats not who she is in BS shots i thinks its a little late to be discussing this shes old enoguh now

I dont think nothing wrong to work at 14, You say something about Dakota Fanning, Im agree, but even her, and other childs, only can work few hours in one day, because there are LAWS about "child work". I dont know if the fashion industry apply this rules with this girls. I think not, because fashion industry is a concept, is not a brand or an employer.

And about the acting work, those childs works only acting. In the fashion industry, these girls must have a minimum weight all the time. And in an age of growth, is harmful for them health.

and there is a trap in this work. these girls work more than 10 hours a day, but every designer uses like maximum 2 hours, then they are not breaking any law. The problem is when these girls go to 5 designers per day!

 

[preppygoesrock]

i think 12 is too young and 14 is already okay... at fourteen we start to love fashion and its really the way it is!

 

[preppygoesrock]

i also think that any age is good in modelling and theres no too young in reality... is 12 too young for acting? its the same really but the models should be in a proper environment... tanya was in good hands but there are others out there who would do bad to some of those girls....

 

[ElaineC]

For every *Tanya* that seems to be doing fine and succeed, there are probably 10's of now 18 year olds in debt, no education, maybe abused (mentally, emotionally perhaps physically) and their childhood taken from them.It's the luck of the draw thing and Tanya was really lucky.

Very well said!