Girl Model, Rachel Blais and the Fashion World

The documentary Girl Model denounces the fashion industry. And former model Rachel Blais is at war with the industry itself.

She is especially upset about the way young girls are exploited. Coming from Siberia, the United States and even from Québec, 13-year-old girls are faced with interminable photo shoots, diets, and training regimens from hell.

Is this what you’d want for your daughter?

By Raymond Viger 

Many have denounced the abuses that exist in the fashion world. Let us not forget the young anorexia sufferer Léa Clermont-Dion, who succeeded in pressuring Québec’s minister for the status of women Christine St-Pierre into adopting the Charte québécoise pour une image corporelle saine et diversifiée (the Québec Charter for a Healthy and Diverse Body Image).

Now we have former model Rachel Blais on the attack against the fashion industry.

Having been a part of this cruel industry, Blais is well placed to talk to us about it. She denounces the talent agents who get 10% of a model’s earnings for life. The same talent agents who convince 13-year-olds to give up everything to embark upon a modeling career. These talent agents are not motivated by the good health and the prosperous future of the models, but rather by the 10% commission.  

Rachel Blais goes very far in her accusations against the fashion industry and its models. To eat, 13-year-old models can become escorts, often without even knowing it. Some go into prostitution. And modeling agencies, large and small, close their eyes to the abuse and violence visited upon these young girls.

Modeling Conventions

Rachel Blais warns us about modeling conventions. Modeling conventions are large events where aspiring models attend with the hope of being discovered, and agencies, scouts, and casting directors are looking to discover. They tend to take place in major cities for a weekend.

For a high price, recruiters will make you walk the catwalk at these phoney conventions, waving the prospect of big contracts in front of your nose to entice you. Some may charge you several thousand dollars to participate at a convention. But the real value of these contracts is no more than $500!

These are the same recruiters who instruct their models on how to lie at customs, so you can get through without a problem.

Make a 13-Year-Old Suffer

Is it acceptable to push a 13-year-old girl to follow strict diets, do hellish training, endless tours, long days of work that few people would support…?

At age 13 the human body is still developing. It doesn’t have to be constantly confronted with scales and measuring tape.

Is it acceptable to isolate 13-year-olds far from their family and friends so that they can become escorts?

Where are our laws on pedophilia? Where are our laws on child labor, and on businesses that abuse and exploit child labor? Who will take responsibility and make sure these laws are respected for the well-being of our youth?

And these children come from all over the world, from Siberia, the United States, and Québec.

To denounce these abuses, model Rachel Blais participated in the filming of the documentary Girl Model, produced and directed by David Redmon and Ashley Sabin.

First seen on Raymond Viger’s blog April 7^th, 2012