Ten models have bravely opened up about the sexual harassment and assaults they have suffered while on various jobs.
The group of ten models recounted being asked to take their clothes off during photo shoots as well as being physically abused by industry professionals in a clip shot by Harper’s Bazaar in partnership with the Model Alliance, an organization that campaigns to protect models’ rights in the workplace.
One of the women, Elliott Sailors, a model based in New York City, detailed how a photographer once asked her to do several demeaning things she didn’t want to do, and kept taking pictures of her even after she broke down.
Sharing: Tonya Pittman is one of 10 models who have bravely opened up about the sexual harassment and abuse they have faced while on the job
Shocking: Kalae Hassel explained how she was abused even with her mother at a short distance, leaving her ‘paralyzed in fear and astonishment’
Abuse: Elliott Sailors, also based in New York City, detailed how a photographer once asked her to do several demeaning things and kept taking pictures of her after she broke down
‘I wanted to feel sexy and I wanted to feel intriguing and I wanted to do the things that would make me look that way, but I didn’t want to do them then,’ Sailors said.
‘He told me to spit on my breasts and to do other things that I really didn’t want to do. I started to do what he wanted, and then I was mortified and I started to cry. He kept taking photos even when I was crying.’
Tonya Pittman, another New York City model, recounted being physically assaulted by an industry insider.
‘One of the models had introduced me and the whole group to a manager of a very well-known lingerie company and he brought us back to the store,’ she said.
‘Next thing you know, he’s trying to get me to try lingerie on for him, he’s taking my shirt off, throwing me up against the wall and pinning me every time I try to fight back. I got away. I got away.’
Testimonies: The group of ten models recounted being asked to take their clothes off during photo shoots as well as being physically abused by industry professionals
Suffering: Among the group, Audra Callo detailed the isolated feelings she wrestled with after facing abuse, explaining she felt an ‘immense amount of shame’
Acting: Sara Ziff in 2012 created the Model Alliance, an organization that advocates for models’ rights in the workplace and is currently pushing for a bill offering them more protection
Kalae Hassel explained how she was abused even with her mother at a short distance.
‘The photographer’s assistant takes me several feet to the back of the studio, and I’m changing into my next outfit when he decides he’s just going to completely molest me within several feet of my mother,’ she said.
‘I felt so paralyzed in fear and just astonishment that someone would have such an easy feeling of ownership over my body.’
One of the models, Lauren Switzer, also shared her story, recounting: ‘The client comes in and she just says very softly, “Strip.” I mean, it was so demeaning and so dehumanizing. I felt like I was in a dream or something.’
Yaris Cedano, a Dominican model in New York City, couldn’t go into details while on camera and told Harper’s Bazaar: ‘It’s too hard to say.’
Difficult: Yaris Cedano, a Dominican model in New York City, couldn’t go into details while on camera and told Harper’s Bazaar: ‘It’s too hard to say’
Opening up: One of the models, Lauren Switzer, also shared her story, recounting: ‘The client comes in and she just says very softly, “Strip”‘
Among the group, Audra Callo detailed the isolated feelings she wrestled with after facing abuse.
‘I felt this immense amount of shame,’ she said. ‘I didn’t want my agency to know about this. I didn’t even want to tell my boyfriend at the time. I didn’t want to disappoint anyone.’
Sara Ziff, who created the Model Alliance in 2012, is working with the New York State Assemblywoman Nily Rozic to push for a new bill that would protect models against all forms of harassment at work.
She also appeared in the video and emphasized how hard it can be for models to advocate for themselves when they experience harassment and assault at the hands of those in power.
‘It’s funny because some people might say, “Why didn’t you just say no?”‘ Ziff Ziff said. ‘But when you’re put on the spot in that moment and you’re with someone who is in a position of power and influence, that’s much easier said than done.’
Hassel pointed out that some might feel a sense of ownership on model’s bodies because of their job, and promptly shot down the idea, telling the camera: ‘Even if you think that because we’re in this industry, and I’m, like, a commodity, that doesn’t mean that you get to use and abuse.’