The Model Manifesto

An A-Z anti-exploitation manual for the fashion industry

Leanne Maskell, Sebastian Cubides

• Publisher: Practical Inspiration Publishing
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781788600668
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Fashion & Textile Industry
• Index: Business

The target audience is primarily those with an interest in the fashion modelling industry, especially those who believe it is a glamorous, well paid career. My ideal reader would be a teenager who has just been scouted by an agency and is not sure what to make of it, as are their parents. They have a limited knowledge of the industry and are unsure whether to follow this up. Another ideal reader is a young girl who desperately wants to be a model and is trying to enter the industry on the illusion that it is well paid and an easy job.

Additional reading

For further resources including agency recommendations and guides following this book, go to www.themodelmanifesto.com. You can also follow us on Instagram @themodelmanifesto to keep up-to-date.

Activism

• ‘Regulate the UK fashion modelling industry’. A petition to call the government to action and regulate the UK model industry.

www.change.org/p/government-the-model-manifesto-ending-exploitation-by-education

• The hashtag #myjobshouldnotincludeabuse. Cameron Russell shared stories of abuse within the modelling industry using this; see ‘Models are sharing their experiences with sexual assault via Instagram’, Refinery29, 13 October 2017. www.refinery29.com/en-us/2017/10/176509/cameron-russell-instagram-sexual-assault-stories

• ‘Create a law to protect models from getting dangerously skinny!’ Rosalie Nelson’s petition to the government to outlaw dangerously skinny models.

www.change.org/p/jackiedp-help-protect-models-from-getting-dangerously-skinny-rosalienelson-modelslaw-lfw

• Casting agent James Scully’s revelations of the abusive practices at a top casting; see ‘Supermodels back model mistreatment revelation’, Vogue, 1 March 2017. www.vogue.co.uk/article/james-scully-model-mistreatment-post

Laws and regulations

• LVMH and Kering, ‘The Charter on the Working Relations with Fashion Models and their Well-Being’. www.wecareformodels.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/The-Charter-on-fashion-models-LVMH-Kering-1p-EN.pdf

• Conde Naste Code of Conduct. www.condenastinternational.com/about-us/code-of-conduct/

• UK Government Regulations on fees that can be charged to models. www.gov.uk/entertainment-and-modelling-agencies/fees-for-fashion-and-photographic-models

• The Employment Agencies Act 1974.

www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1973/35

• The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003.

www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/3319/pdfs/uksi_20033319_en.pdf

Legal decisions

• Raske v Next Mgt., LLC. 2013 NY Slip Op 32103(U). A class action lawsuit of models suing top model agents in the USA. www.leagle.com/decision/innyco20130916214

• Decision of the Competition and Markets Authority, Case CE/9859-14. A decision against the Association of Model Agents (today the BFMA) with regards to price fixing.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/58d8eb1840f0b606e7000030/modelling-sector-infringement-decision.pdf

Websites

• The Model Manifesto. www.themodelmanifesto.com/

• The British Fashion Model Agents Association. www.bfma.fashion/

• Equity. www.equity.org.uk/

• The Model Alliance. http://modelalliance.org/

News

• Charles Manning, ‘11 horrifying ways agencies exploit their models’, Cosmopolitan, 11 February 2016. www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/fashion/news/a53455/new-model-lawsuit-agency-exploitation/

• Blake Ellis and Melanie Hicken, ‘Runway injustice: how the modeling industry exploits young and vulnerable workers’, CNN, 12 May 2016. https://money.cnn.com/2016/05/04/news/runway-injustice-modeling/index.html

• Jake Hall, ‘Why do fashion’s #MeToo moments keep getting swept under the rug?’, Refinery29, 13 November 2018. https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/me-too-abuse-fashion-philip-green-refinery29/index.html

1 A report by the Model Alliance cites that 56% of 241 surveyed models began working at age 16 or below; see Model Alliance, ‘2012 Industry Survey, Industry Analysis’. http://modelalliance.org/industry-analysis

2 The Employment Agencies Act 1974. www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1973/35. Model agencies operate under standard Employment Agency regulations and are monitored by the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate.

3 UK Government, ‘Your rights as an agency worker’. www.gov.uk/agency-workers-your-rights/modelling-agencies

4 The British Fashion Model Agents Association, formerly the Association of Model Agents, is a trade association of the UK modelling industry. It is officially affiliated with the British Fashion Council. www.bfma.fashion/

5 Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994. www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1994/40/contents

6 UK Government, ‘Employment agencies and businesses’. www.gov.uk/employment-agencies-and-businesses/licences-for-employment-agencies

7 UK Government, ‘Charge fees as an entertainment and modelling agency’. www.gov.uk/entertainment-and-modelling-agencies

8 The Employment Agencies Act 1974. www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1973/35

9 UK Government, ‘Charge fees as an entertainment and modelling agency’. www.gov.uk/entertainment-and-modelling-agencies/fees-for-fashion-and-photographic-models

10 Financial Services Register. https://register.fca.org.uk/

11 Sarah Marsh, ‘Fake model scouts tricking UK girls into sharing explicit photos’, Guardian, 6 October 2017. www.theguardian.com/society/2017/oct/06/fake-model-scouts-tricking-uk-girls-into-sharing-explicit-photos

12 Anna Tims, ‘Would-be models duped by “platforms” promising easy route to fashion world’, Guardian, 18 December 2017. www.theguardian.com/money/2017/dec/18/modelling-agencies-platforms-scam-studio-collective

13 UK Government, ‘Charg...