We here at Fashionista are continually impressed by the efforts the Model Alliance is making to improve working conditions within the industry, so we’re teaming up with them to bring you the latest from their movement. We’ll be hearing from them about everything from broadening child labor laws to changing the sample size. Today, Coco Rocha tells us about her personal struggles in the industry and what makes a good model. Plus, we have an exclusive video of Rocha at a recent Model Alliance event giving young models advice on the importance of having the right agent and avoiding creepy photogs.
I came into this business knowing nothing about fashion. I was a young girl from Vancouver, Canada who wore boot cut jeans and an oversized sweatshirt every day to school. Becoming a model was never an aspiration of mine, but at 14 I was scouted at an Irish dance competition and after some initial resistance found myself modeling in Asia and working on my portfolio.
After that I moved to New York where I found the agents I still work with to this day and started down a path that would lead to working with some of the world’s greatest photographers and designers. I was pulled from relative obscurity and given an amazing international life, but it was not without its ups and downs.
There were times when I was very lonely and felt an enormous pressure from adults around me to give up values and beliefs I held dear. Through trial and error I learned my rights and I learned to stand up for myself. I realized the benefit of an ironclad contract. In my contract today I state that due to my religious beliefs I won’t shoot nude or sheer clothing, or with cigarettes, weapons or religious icons. Even after nearly 10 years I still I find occasions when clients will push the issue, making it uncomfortable for everyone. It gets better though.
As I’ve moved from being a girl to a woman, and now a married woman, I feel more and more confident in my own skin every day. It’s something that comes with age and experience, which is why I wish most models would start a little later than the usual 14 or 15-years-old when they are so vulnerable and easily influenced.
THE MODEL ALLIANCE
Tonight it was my privilege to host the first ever meeting of the newly-formed Model Alliance - a nonprofit organization committed to establishing a voice for models within the American fashion industry. Up until now, models have sadly lacked a formal voice within this industry. Though modeling may seem to be a cushy and easy job on the outside, for many young models the law (including workplace standards) fails to apply. Girls in their early teens are often pressured to work long hours for little to no pay. On occasion, these models, thousands of miles from home, are even pushed by adults to compromise their morals and beliefs.
The Model Alliance believes that models deserve the same fair treatment as in any other workforce. Their mission is to support the enforcement of existing child labor laws, give models redress for issues of sexual harassment and encourage a safe and healthy work environment. These are not extreme demands, they are basic human rights.
Both Vogue and the CFDA have worked hard over the years to improve the working conditions of models, despite the fact that it’s not their primary mandate. There has been quantifiable change for the better and there is no doubt in my mind that the Model Alliance will prove to be the extra push needed to expedite the changes we all hope to see.
Tonight was an amazing stepping stone in the right direction. As Jenna Sauers said, “If we’ve had a single goal, it has been to create the organization that we wished had existed when we were young models.” As I looked out into the audience, I was so proud to see models of my generation like Doutzen Kroes and Crystal Renn in attendance, and I’m sure they would agree with Jenna that we have all needed the Model Alliance for a long time.
Two years ago this month I very publicly discussed my concerns regarding the industry in an open letter and concluded by saying: “There are natural human standards in how we treat one another and how we treat children. There are those who continue to trample on these standards, but there are also champions of a better way.” Today we have another powerful champion in the form of The Model Alliance and I thank the amazing Sara Ziff for allowing me to join the board of advisors. It’s Sara’s unique vision and passion that has resulted in this idea becoming a reality. For far too long modeling has been like the Wild West - an unregulated and dangerous place for many. I’m so proud of the Model Alliance and all the models who showed up tonight. It takes a lot of guts to stand up for yourself.
For more information - www.modelalliance.org
Attention fellow models worldwide! Soon we’ll have a very special and important video announcement to make. Stay tuned…
