Model's Age - How Young Is Too Young?

[cold_sun]

^and isn't she by far one of the most interesting new faces ? she obviously feels comfortable on the runway and knows what shes doing which - in my opinion - makes such a difference!

 

[widowsofculloden]

If they're going to set an age limit they should stick to it. It's like how there is an age restriction at the Olympics or other major sporting events. Saying "Oh she is just 1 month under.." is silly because where do you draw the line? And then you have a situation where some agencies are putting forward underage girls and other agencies are not. It's very simple, if a girl is underage don't send her to see fashion week castings. And if you're a designer who is affected by this make sure you're checking the ID's.

 

[Psylocke]

OK, so while I have no problem at all with Valerija walking all these shows at 15 (I love her!), I do find it weird she seems to get the skimpiest outfit at every show she does. The swimsuit look at Marc by Marc Jacobs, the see-through top at Ports (you could clearly see her nipples), the bodysuit at Dolce & Gabbana and now that impossibly tiny monokini at DSquared. Especially now that everyone knows she's underage, why do designers still think it's a good idea to put her into their sexiest outfits?

 

[Jasmine04]

Coco Richa and Carre Otis were on Anderson Cooper's new show a few weeks ago discussing the issue of models starting too young. Video at the link.
http://oh-so-coco.tumblr.com/post/11324995889/anderson

 

[jiaqi]

lol - ms. rocha doesn't have a say on this matter, first because she has never done nudity and courting her opinion on this matter is like inviting militant vegetarians to propose ethical standards in processing meat, and second because ms. rocha has had so many opinions to share with the world that are so impertinent to the essence of the actual matters she wanted to discuss that i am tempted to cite her as an example of exactly why a young model's "moral autonomy" over her body is always a moot point

 

[Jasmine04]

Dakota Banned

by Lisa Niven
A Marc Jacobs perfume advert featuring Dakota Fanning has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority(ASA), who ruled that the campaign "could be seen to sexualise a child".


The campaign for Oh Lola! - shot by longtime Marc Jacobs collaborator Juergen Teller - saw 17-year-old Fanning sitting alone with an oversized perfume bottle between her thighs. The ASA deemed it inappropriate due to the "sexually provocative" position of the bottle and the advert's appearance in publications aimed at those over 25 years of age.


"We understood the model was 17 years old but we considered she looked under the age of 16," explained the ASA. "We considered that the length of her dress, her leg and position of the perfume bottle drew attention to her sexuality. Because of that, along with her appearance, we considered the ad could be seen to sexualise a child. We therefore concluded that the ad was irresponsible and was likely to cause serious offence."

Coty UK, which distributes the perfume, said that it "did not believe the styling in the ad suggested the model was underage or that the ad was inappropriately sexualised because it did not show any private body parts or sexual activity". Coty also insisted it had not received any complaints about the advert, and believed the giant perfume bottle was "provoking but not indecent".

vogue.co.uk

 

[jiaqi]

wow, there is something called Advertising Standards Authority in britain? is there even such a thing in cuba or korea?

 

[Marc10]

Moderator's Note:
Discussion moved here from Thairine Garcia's thread. Thairine is 14 years old and currently walking shows at NYFW.

But I thought Vogue had banned underage models from all the magazine?

 

[Legolas]

But I thought Vogue had banned underage models from all the magazine?

Well, this fashion week, Thairine is working without any problems. I think all the underage drama on the runways and magazines was just a passing issue, since it lasted less than a season; or maybe it's just her particular case. Thairine's been working since age 13 on photoshoots and presentations, I bet their agents consider she's gained enough experience and maturity in order to walk NYFW without any problems, and of course casting directors can realize about it.
Anyway, Ondria's still 15 and she is walking again as well, so I guess it was just a one season thing.

 

[kab348]

IF she is 14 then I have swampland in Florida for everyone. I mean look at her. She is walking because more than likely she is of age.

 

[Legolas]

IF she is 14 then I have swampland in Florida for everyone. I mean look at her. She is walking because more than likely she is of age.

No, I know it's very hard to believe by only looking at her, but I can tell you from a very reliable source that she's only 14 years old at the moment. She'll turn 15 this December. Being such a young girl, and looking like a young adult; that's what makes her so interesting (aesthetically speaking), and that's where most part of her appeal comes from. She belongs to this new era of girls who look younger or older than her age (Marie, Ava, Kati, Sojourner, etc) but all of them stand for the look of the beautiful maturity.

 

[Psylocke]

No, I know it's very hard to believe by only looking at her, but I can tell you from a very reliable source that she's only 14 years old at the moment. She'll turn 15 this December. Being such a young girl, and looking like a young adult; that's what makes her so interesting (aesthetically speaking), and that's where most part of her appeal comes from. She belongs to this new era of girls who look younger or older than her age (Marie, Ava, Kati, Sojourner, etc) but all of them stand for the look of the beautiful maturity.

I'm sorry but I just don't get this. Why exactly do we need 14 year olds on the runway that look older when we can just have girls that actually are 16 and older? I absolutely get Thairine's potential but there is no excuse for people booking her in spite of all of the industry's attempts to stop underage girls from being exploited in this industry. Her appeal and her beauty are timeless, they could have easily waited another two years until debuting her, she would have been just as successful, I'm sure. Making her having to deal with all the stress of Fashion Week when there are enough models that are old and mature enough to do it instead just seems ridiculous to me. She is working so much, does she even have time for school and friends anymore? I really hope all this will eventually pay off for her. If would be a shame if she's just another blip whose career is over before she's 16.

 

[anlabe32]

^I agree, the way they're handling her just ruined her childhood.

That plus the fact I see nothing special in her, but that's just my opinion.

 

[visualoptimism]

wow i didn't realise she was only 14 still, seriously?! i thought she was at least 15 and turning 16 sometime this year. it seems that she has worked enough to handle the pressures of fashion week but hopefully she has her family with her to support her.

 

[Marc10]

I'm sorry but I just don't get this. Why exactly do we need 14 year olds on the runway that look older when we can just have girls that actually are 16 and older? I absolutely get Thairine's potential but there is no excuse for people booking her in spite of all of the industry's attempts to stop underage girls from being exploited in this industry. Her appeal and her beauty are timeless, they could have easily waited another two years until debuting her, she would have been just as successful, I'm sure. Making her having to deal with all the stress of Fashion Week when there are enough models that are old and mature enough to do it instead just seems ridiculous to me. She is working so much, does she even have time for school and friends anymore? I really hope all this will eventually pay off for her. If would be a shame if she's just another blip whose career is over before she's 16.

Because we don't have 16 year olds like her? While I do agree that 14 is very young, seems like Thairine is a very mature young lady and she's handling this profession really well. Just look at her body of work, you would never say that this is a 14 year old girl, she works like a pro and looking at her success so far, seems like she's doing something right. Her case is no different than the thousands of young actors in Hollywood. If you're trully enjoying what you're doing, if you keep your mind in the right place and if you have your family and agency taking care of you, then I don't see any problem whatsoever.

 

[daggertrepe]

I think she shouldn't even be on the runways right now. I mean, where are the morals of her agents?

 

[Psylocke]

Because we don't have 16 year olds like her? While I do agree that 14 is very young, seems like Thairine is a very mature young lady and she's handling this profession really well. Just look at her body of work, you would never say that this is a 14 year old girl, she works like a pro and looking at her success so far, seems like she's doing something right. Her case is no different than the thousands of young actors in Hollywood. If you're trully enjoying what you're doing, if you keep your mind in the right place and if you have your family and agency taking care of you, then I don't see any problem whatsoever.

I don't think it matters how mature she is. She obviously is handling this very well and is doing a great job. Being booked for editorials in Harper's Bazaar Brazil for 11 consecutive issues seems to suggest this, too. But it doesn't change anything about the fact that this is an industry that is not very healthy for such young girls to be part of and that there is a reason people stood up to get these new regulations about not booking girls under 16 for runway shows. I can imagine modeling is fun for her at the moment but does she realize how fickle this business is and that all her efforts might eventually not pay off? Just look at what happened to Hailey Clauson and Valerija Sestic who both debuted before they were 16. And where are they now? Everyone turned their backs on Valerija for lying about her age and Hailey's career is the epitome of mismanagement anyway. It's not like young models are in control of their career in any way, they depend entirely on their agencies making smart decisions for them. And I don't see their primary interest in hyping Thairine like this at this point is anything other than making money off her so I don't see how dedicating herself to a modeling career at 13 is for her best interest. And I find it really disappointing that designers do book her in spite of all the initiatives and agreements not to have girls under 16 in their shows.

 

[Legolas]

Because we don't have 16 year olds like her? While I do agree that 14 is very young, seems like Thairine is a very mature young lady and she's handling this profession really well. Just look at her body of work, you would never say that this is a 14 year old girl, she works like a pro and looking at her success so far, seems like she's doing something right. Her case is no different than the thousands of young actors in Hollywood. If you're trully enjoying what you're doing, if you keep your mind in the right place and if you have your family and agency taking care of you, then I don't see any problem whatsoever.

You just stole the words from my mouth.
And I think it's very important to let you guys know that I know from Thairine herself that she feels actually very happy right now, she's living her dream. Her family supports her all the way no matter what (they even travel with her sometimes). She shares happy moments face to face with her friends and family very often, so she doesn't feel like her childhood is being taken away. She always expresses how much she loves what she's doing. Also, she takes particular lessons, so she's not putting her education apart. As you can see, more than a robot who's being exploited, I would say she's a very disciplined and mature young lady who makes an extra effort in her life to achieve her dreams.

 

[Vega Magnus]

I have an idea. Instead of using very young models who look older, use models who actually ARE older! It is totally okay to use twenty-something models. They don't have to be early adolescents.

 

[Kallu]

So far I know Thairine's family send her to an agency in Brazil to be model when she was 12-13 years old. So my theory is that they are desesperate for quick money and see Thairine as an goldmine. The girl is gorgeous, they know that and they don't care if she is too young or whatever.
Besides have you seen her boyfriend??? He looks like 27 years old and she is only 14!!
I would not be surprised if they send her to meet to Zahm/Richardson and she is in topless in the next Purple Issue.