Dangers of Child Modeling
To many moms, there is an allure around their child becoming a model. The life of a child model comes with the possibility of glamour, fame, and success. Who doesn’t want to see their child paraded as a young style icon? The problem with child modeling is that not enough adults see the stress from the child’s perspective nor are their perspectives usually disclosed or shared.
At Queenie, we have been on the lookout to find young models for the brand. Hours were spent with designers, photographers, stylists, and of course — moms and their model children. As a newcomer in the industry, my novice eyes viewed child modeling as an extension for all the reasons fashion is receiving backlash — unrealistic body expectations, the pressure to fit beauty standards, and the unfortunate exploitation of innocent girls.
During the search for a child model, designers and modeling agencies have no mercy. Most designers are visionaries and only want a certain look for their brand. They see the standard of beauty as a calculated one and only choose to work with girls who fit a certain mold. Designers have no trouble telling potential candidates why they are not ideal — be it that they don’t look a certain age or that they don’t have the right body type for a certain age. According to a survey by Model Alliance, 54% of models start between the age of 13–16. Girls at this age are growing with no control of their body, their hormones, or their changes. Acceptance of body changes is already hard; being rejected because of it does is a whole other ball game and one that produces unforeseen harm to a child’s confidence and ego.
One of our models, 14-year-old “Sam”, was rejected by several designers saying that she looked too old and too tall for her age. She changed up her makeup, her outfits, the angles of her photography. And nothing helped the fact that the model agencies thought she looked too mature, which coincidentally as a freshman in High School, played to her advantage. Sam was constantly disappointed about her feedback forcing her mom to constantly meet with more designers and agencies to increase the chances of her daughter becoming a model because telling Sam to give up or to look like somebody else is simply not an option.
In 2012, CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) has issued tougher health standards as well as regulations on age for young women models. These regulations are meant to prevent the unhealthy behavior from models and unrealistic body standards from being promoted. In recent times, this has not stopped designers from attracting the right look and finding loopholes for their brands. Boys and their hormones during puberty predispose them to develop slower than girls causing them to be skinnier than most girls before maturing into their masculine features. Photographers and designers find it easier to hire adolescent boys to model as young girls than to find girls that fit their desired body measurements. It is hard to envision how this is even accepted as common practice in the modeling industry, more so than just showing what a true adolescent body looks like.
Submitting girls into child modeling at a young age can also expose them to unknown territories. Sexual harassment is usually the biggest concern that comes to mind. In our conversations with one-time child model “Annie”, she never fathomed what happened to her as harassment until she was much older. Taking advantage of her innocence, designers and photographers would make her feel special and hopeful as a form of manipulation. In the most innocent end, this meant Annie was subjected to diets and regimes that are unhealthy for a young girl and her growing body. Not uncommon to the industry, almost 30% of models have experienced inappropriate touching on the job, according to Model Alliance.
Unable to find the designers or their companies years later, Annie was never able to press charges and had no viable way to find retaliation. An offense as such is not a minor mistake, but one that constitutes up to 3 years in jail. The trauma left from child modeling has never failed to remind Annie to approach every person and situation with extreme caution.
When it comes to child modeling, we ask parents to put their excitement at bay and consider the consequences of this career path. The adolescent years are already a sensitive time — girl’s bodies are changing yet they are not accustomed to the way people respond to these changes leaving them more vulnerable more often. Don’t treat this like it’s anything special and weigh out the pros and cons — sometimes there is more than what meets the eye.
