The fashion industry is still haunted with sexual assaults. It has been recorded that every 68 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. Women aged 18-24 years, who constitute a large portion of modeling workforce are at a risk of sexual assault 3-4 times higher than the rest.
Even with newly-enhanced awareness, the toxic environment of the fashion industry continues to exist. Women in the garment industry have encountered sexual harassment across different countries. Models are especially exposed because they are employed as independent contractors and get very little legal protection. Victims hardly report harassment or assault. One complaint can tag a model as someone who is not easy to work with and ruin her career.
This article will delve into the health and safety hazards that afflict the fashion industry. We will dissect why exploitation of workers persists in fast fashion even after people are notified about it, and what kind of work must be done to reinforce models that prevent abuse.
The hidden dangers models face on the job
The glamorous image that the modeling industry portrays is a deadly truth to professional models. Fashion industry statistics reveal that more than half of the workers use illegal drugs. A lot of them are simply seeking a way to deal with excessive pressure and unrealistic expectations.
Models working without health protection measures are under safety concerns. They end up in unsafe places – glaciers, fields with crevices, and chemical-exposed places.
The use of drugs becomes acceptable where models are encouraged to use stimulants. These assist them in keeping them strong through the long working 12 + hours or controlling their weights. Others are advised bizarrely to consume cotton balls since they have no calories, are organic and leave you full.
Mental health suffers very badly, models are predicted to have anorexia, depression or both. Sexual exploitation has also been prevalent with 28 percent being pressured to get sexual favors by industry players.
This is even worse when models attempt to seek help. They have their voices silenced most of the time. Models reporting harassment to their agents were brushed aside. It is a career suicide to speak and be blacklisted in a business where victims are silenced.
Why the fashion industry enables abuse
The modeling business operates under a platform that promotes interaction to maximize profits at the expense of humans. Such agencies have special labor exemptions that give them unprecedented control. Talent agencies in Hollywood are charged no more than 10% commission by regular agencies, yet the modeling companies can charge any fee with little supervision.
The fact that the agencies have the power of attorney over their models only increases the concern. They receive money directly and deduct it without giving proper accounting information. This leads to predatory debt cycles where successful models fall into debts to the agencies.
This system is aimed at the vulnerable. Agencies hunt down fresh faces in eating disorders clinics and refugee camps. The exploitative nature has become a norm at their respective levels with contractors involved in the fashion industry violating minimum wage laws. Inappropriate touching of female models occurs in work, and it has been shown in 29.7% of the models.
Those models that speak out against such practices are immediately retaliated. Numerous individuals are blacklisted when reporting harassment. There is a culture of silence where the abuses go unaddressed. There is no protection of labor, healthcare, and legal choices of models without being employees.
These problems are aggravated by the dynamic nature of the fashion cycle. This leads to further exploitation of workers and breach of human rights as the production of goods and services is always in demand and at a low cost.
What’s being done to protect models
There is increasing opposition to the exploitation of the modeling business. Former model, Sara Ziff, created the Model Alliance which turned out to be one of the sources of change. Their RESPECT Program introduced a code of conduct that is a legally binding program addressing sexual harassment, wage theft, and hazardous working conditions.
The state governments are also acting. The state of California enacted the Senate Bill 1343 (SB 1343) and Assembly Bill 2338 (AB 2338) which mandates agencies to educate their employees on sexual harassment prevention. Under New York’s Child Model Law, underage models are now treated as child performers, with protections that include education standards and limits on working hours. In addition, New York law recognizes that child abuse is often reported years later, allowing survivors to bring civil claims until age 55.
France made a move by establishing BMI standards which prohibit the use of incredibly slim models. Critics believe such laws do not address fundamental problems at all and only result in the superficiality of compliance. Instagram and similar social media platforms are now unintended partners. These platforms are now being used by the models to address issues of abuse in the industry without relying on the traditional gatekeepers.
Authentic transformation requires structural adjustments. Employees rather than an independent contractor should be provided as models to receive labor protections. Agencies have to demonstrate transparent accounting standards and cease to employ predatory fee systems that reduce models to financial addiction.
Consumers may be the greatest driver of change. Citizens are increasingly aware of the human cost of fast fashion, and this realization is prompting brands to adopt more ethical practices, driven by public pressure and market rewards for genuine change.
Conclusion
The fashion industry is aware of the exploitation of models, yet it operates within a flawed system in which profits are prioritized over people’s welfare. To add to that, it exposes models to shocking effects of sexual harassment, poor work conditions and mental abuse. These models do not have the easygoing security that other industries grant their workers.
The abuse is perpetuated by the fact that modeling agencies are too powerful. They take advantage of the loopholes in labor laws, operate on predatory financial plans and silence victims with the help of intimidation. Naturally, models who can even come out and speak against it go on blacklists that are career-ending. This would provide a conducive atmosphere in which abuse is not questioned.
Despite it, such organizations as the Model Alliance and their RESPECT Program bring hope to change. The state laws are promising as well, but we still have a long way to go but we can capitalize on this development. The use of social media as an unexpected tool to amplify the voices of models has emerged. It allows them to be heard by the people themselves without necessarily going through the gatekeepers.
A complete overhaul of the system is all that is required in order to change things. Models are not supposed to be contractors but employees. The shady accounting involved in the industry which traps models in debts should be replaced with clear financial statements. The most significant power would be that of consumers – their decisions to purchase goods or not can either sustain or oppose the exploitation that supports fast fashion. Fashion can celebrate beauty without destroying lives. This change will happen only through constant pressure and rejection of today’s vulnerable system.
