What must a model be willing to do?

[Vega Magnus]

I've come across a lot of Terry Richardson photography recently, with his trademark gratuitous toplessness, full-frontal nudity and simulated sexual stuff, and it got me wondering about what exactly a model must be willing to do in a photoshoot. Do models have to be okay with doing stuff like that to have successful careers?

 

[Kayote]

Ive thought about this a lot as well. Surely there is a line each model draws which she is willing to hold on to regardless of the pressures of the photographers and agencies (which must be enormous itself).

 

[ultramarine]

Models arent slaves. And depending on their age there are LAWS that have to be abided.

A lot of brazilian models wont ever go topless and NEVER will do fur. Its up to them.

The thing is, I get it if some girl doesnt want to do something a la Richardson, but sometimes if a girl says no to topless altogether, it may make it harder to have her career peak. In the beginning, photographers are one of the most important people to catapult a girls career.

 

[MulletProof]

I think a major.. misconception of the role of a model is the focus on her willingness and the lengths she/he will "have" to reach instead of the understanding a model should have in order to be good and be in command of his/her own profession. You don't see people asking lawyers, would you be okay having a corrupt politician as your client? it's up to them to take that (conventionally speaking ) and really there will always be someone willing to do that job, but as long as you are understanding what you are doing and you're doing it because you have your reasons instead of pressure or fear, I think it's fine, in that lawyer example it can also be applied the phrase is currently abused on models and used with such a catastrophic tone, "if you don't do it, someone else will be willing to and will have that job, while you don't"..

Often that understanding comes with age, but I think values and quality education play a crucial role on how a model will manage herself in the professional world. I think it's important to have more models like Sasha Pivorarova for example, who seem to be continually doing research on the inspiration behind editorials, characters, integrating her education into her occupation, establishing a connection with those behind the lens.. regardless of who she's working with (Terry or Lindbergh), you don't ever see a picture that emits an embarrassing or just uncomfortable level of necessity (either for the money or ambition to climb higher) and I think that's also added to her success, the fact that she's always in control of what she's up to.

 

[softgrey]

linda evangelista never went topless...
and it never seemed to hurt her...

i'm just saying...

 

[JulieTao]

I think it's to each their own.
You don't HAVE to do anything you aren't comfortable with doing, although not doing something may get you into a sticky situation, either with your agency (they could pressure you) or your career.
Some models never are faced with that particular situation but many are and are still fine after they refuse it. (although it is quite risky and difficult to refuse it since you are passing up on an opportunity that may help you get to where you want to be in the industry)
You need to know yourself enough and decide for yourself what your limits are.
When starting out many models feel they need to take whatever job they can, and it usually isn't until you're at the top of your game that you get to voice opinions and turn down jobs/pick and choose without ruining your reputation.

 

[alonsoJonathan]

isabeli hasnt done many things that terry has ask her to do because she just thinks is "stuped" and yet he is still working with her. G0O ISABELI!!!

 

[widowsofculloden]

I don't necessarily think that nudity can help a model's career, but I do think that it can help when it comes to what a model books. If a model isn't willing to go topless and is of age and not a top girl then it will limit what jobs she will get. That's just the reality. Should a model have to be willing to do nudity? I think it should be a personal decision. I do NOT think that a model should have to be willing to do the type of modeling Terry shoots. And even though of course he can help a model's career, I don't think that not shooting with him would harm a model. It does seem like all of the top girls have worked with him before, though.
Aside from that, yes I do think a model should be willing to work with fur. I don't think wearing fur makes a model more successful than those who don't though, I just think that if a designer requests a girl to wear a look with fur that she should do it no fuss because the model is working FOR the designer, not the other way around. If she doesn't want to that's her prerogative of course.

The thing with the modeling industry is that there's a fine line between what is ok and what isn't regarding the job description of models, and that line is getting thinner. If one model doesn't want to do something that's her right but there will always be girls who will do it. That's the problem really, no one is there to stand up for them. So it's unfair that some girls are disadvantaged for not wanting to do something, but what is there to do about it?

 

[tayloryepp]

Of course there's going to be models who have to get naked and/or sleep with photographers. It seems to me it's mostly about who you know.

My experiences being 17 and modeling have been varied. Some photographers don't mind shooting me in a strapless bra. However, some won't even let me have a tank or spaghetti strap top on.

I think it depends on the type of person you are too. I know if I was given the opportunity to work with Terry I would take it, even if it was risque, only because it may further my career knowing I worked with someone with his credits. I'm not sure what that says about myself, but that's honestly what I would do. Would I sleep with him? No. Isn't he like 70?

Just my two cents though

 

[Vega Magnus]

Of course there's going to be models who have to get naked and/or sleep with photographers.

That's more than a little unsettling. Does that sort of thing happen often?
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[dreamss]

Most of today's successful models went nude. ** However, i think it's 1 thing showing your breast, but it's a whole other thing showing everything. I hate it when ppl say modeling is practically p*rn*gr*phy. Though it's not, i think this nudity thing is getting out of hands.

**do not post fan talk in this section, please see pinned rules for this forum**

 

[rosiecheeks]

That's more than a little unsettling. Does that sort of thing happen often?
Posted via Mobile Device

I think it happens more often than most people think. Though this business has lots of up sides, the client is in control due to the mass amount of girls willing to model and a lot of girls are pretty enough to take up any top girls spot (looks wise). And this control-thing can get out of hand.

 

[iluvjeisa]

linda evangelista never went topless...
and it never seemed to hurt her...

i'm just saying...

Then again, perhaps going topless is ok compared to being married to Gerald Marie?

But Linda's obviously smart, it's much more likely to get ahead if you marry someone important rather than throw off your clothes along with everyone else.

 

[Lela London]

I don't know, I have to think that mainstream-wise, nudity does nothing to propel a career as your main focus is to sell clothes.

It was obviously cut down on the jobs available, but I don't think it hurts your career to stay clothed.

 

[bunburyist]

I don't think there's a 'must', some level that all models have to be willing to go to to be accepted in the industry. Fashion models surely aren't hired for their nudity (although they can make good subjects for it) and that's why fine art models exist (of course, fashion photographers typically aren't fine art photographers).


as for Terry Richardson, there's a little bit of controversy behind him and his methods, although obviously a lot of it is based on hearsay evidence which can be unreliable.
However he works though, I think by and large he's just a **** photographer to be honest. Utterly uninteresting, clearly driven by aestheticism of subject matter rather than composition, than of the photograph itself and, editorially, fairly devoid of interesting ideas. He's predictably popular but I find his work tedious and banal.

 

[loladonna]

The top models from 20 years ago didn't have to show everything and could still have a successful career. I don't know why today's models are expected to go full-frontal nude at the very start of their careers. It feels like some sort of rite of passage now. As soon as a model is declared the "It" girl her clothes come off.

 

[model_mom]

The topic is pretty well covered in this thread....
http://forums.thefashionspot.com/f96/nudity-24462.html

 

[The_Ida]

That's more than a little unsettling. Does that sort of thing happen often?
Posted via Mobile Device

Are you kidding?

Oh I remember Cat McNeil and Greg Kadel and all the Numero covers she was getting all of the sudden

 

[Kayote]

I think it happens more often than most people think. Though this business has lots of up sides, the client is in control due to the mass amount of girls willing to model and a lot of girls are pretty enough to take up any top girls spot (looks wise). And this control-thing can get out of hand.

Thats what I think as well. I think nowadays there is so much choice, so many girls from different countries with their own unique look that models hardly have much of a choice. As far as the choice goes, its either you do it by our rules or you dont get in our books.

Just have a short browse of 'Fashionising' to see just how much nudity there is.

 

[rosiecheeks]

But is nudity bad per se? Isn't banning nudity a bad thing in itself? I agree it's a complicated matter, but banning nudity isn't an option in my opinion.