A Voice for Models, in Time for New York's Fashion Week

A Voice for Models, in Time for New York's Fashion Week

Sara Ziff started modeling at age 14. By 21, she was walking the runways for top designers. Her image was plastered all over Manhattan on ads for popular clothing lines, as shown in her 2009 documentary, Picture Me.

“The way I look in those, I don’t really think of myself as looking like that," she said."It’s so weird¹.”

Glamour²

But there's an ugly side to modeling, and it inspired Ziff to found a trade organization. She got the idea in a political organizing class at Columbia University.

“Despite the glamorous³ fa?ade of the industry, the reality for a working model can be anything but that,” she said.

At a party ahead of New York's Spring Fashion Week, Ziff launched Model Alliance with a short film featuring its members.

Angela Highsmith: “We’re working to create a more respectful and professional work environment backstage at New York Fashion Week.” 

Sara Ziff: “We’ve drafted a model’s bill of rights.” 

Jessica Clark: “We’re also creating a way for models to confidentially⁴ report abusive behavior.”

Employment

Ziff says models are generally considered independent contractors⁵, not employees, so many regulations don’t apply, or are ignored, like child labor⁶ laws that protect workers who are underaged. 

“Some people might roll their eyes and say why would models need to organize? They might think the fashion industry is sort of a frivolous⁷ business," said Ziff. "But the fact is, modeling is a job like any other and we deserve rights and protections like any other worker.”

Many models start in their early teens, moving far from family and, sometimes, even their country of origin. 

Ziff says they work long hours, sometimes accepting clothing as pay. They may earn so little money that they live in debt to their agencies. Sexual abuse is also a problem, the Alliance says, and it addresses that with a proposed grievance⁸ process.

“The lucrative⁹ careers of high-profile supermodels like Giselle and Kate Moss¹⁰, I think misrepresent the reality for most working models who are often very young, from Eastern Europe, Brazil," she added. "Often, English is not their first language, and they are very vulnerable.”

Support

The Marilyn Agency, which represents Ziff, supports the Alliance effort. And designer Diane von Furstenberg, president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, says models should be at least 16 years old and their privacy, while dressing¹¹ and undressing at shows, should be respected.

Von Furstenberg says many top modeling agencies have pledged not to use models under the age of 16.

But VOA requests for detailed¹² comment from agencies, about other allegations, were not answered. 

While Ziff says the Model Alliance is not a union, she hopes models will one day be able to use their collective power for better pay and working conditions.

1 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

2 glamour   

n.魔力，魅力；vt.迷住

参考例句：

• Foreign travel has lost its glamour for her.到国外旅行对她已失去吸引力了。
• The moonlight cast a glamour over the scene.月光给景色增添了魅力。

3 glamorous   

adj.富有魅力的；美丽动人的；令人向往的

参考例句：

• The south coast is less glamorous but full of clean and attractive hotels.南海岸魅力稍逊，但却有很多干净漂亮的宾馆。
• It is hard work and not a glamorous job as portrayed by the media.这是份苦差，并非像媒体描绘的那般令人向往。

4 confidentially   

ad.秘密地，悄悄地

参考例句：

• She was leaning confidentially across the table. 她神神秘秘地从桌子上靠过来。
• Kao Sung-nien and Wang Ch'u-hou talked confidentially in low tones. 高松年汪处厚两人低声密谈。

5 contractors   

n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

7 frivolous   

adj.轻薄的；轻率的

参考例句：

• This is a frivolous way of attacking the problem.这是一种轻率敷衍的处理问题的方式。
• He spent a lot of his money on frivolous things.他在一些无聊的事上花了好多钱。

8 grievance   

n.怨愤，气恼，委屈

参考例句：

• He will not easily forget his grievance.他不会轻易忘掉他的委屈。
• He had been nursing a grievance against his boss for months.几个月来他对老板一直心怀不满。

9 lucrative   

adj.赚钱的，可获利的

参考例句：

• He decided to turn his hobby into a lucrative sideline.他决定把自己的爱好变成赚钱的副业。
• It was not a lucrative profession.那是一个没有多少油水的职业。

10 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

11 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

12 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。