This picture would be better if she were in a union. Better, but still weird and unsettling. For instance: Where in the shot is Snidely Whiplash?
Over at Jezebel, model Tatiana provides a fairly searing look into the working conditions and economic realities of her industry. Modeling, after all, is a superstar profession. For a slim minority, it's a road to incredible wealth and sumptuous luxury. But for the vast majority, those dreams are a terrible curse, the very material used by disinterested contractors looking for the prettiest flesh at the lowest price who know they can leverage a model's hopes for the future in order to exploit her in the present. Other industries, of course, have had that problem. Some have solved it. Tatiana writes:The obvious counterpoint to modeling is, of course, acting. The Screen Actors’ Guild does an admirable job of representing the interests of a workforce that is dispersed over a vast geography, and which enjoys short-term contract-based employment, when it gets employment at all. It’s ironic that one of the reasons commercial modeling — catalogs, television ads and their ilk — is so rewarding when compared with high-fashion modeling — magazine editorials, runway, etc — is because of SAG’s vigilance; commercial castings in Los Angeles are not infrequently stated union jobs. And even the ones that are non-union are pretty highly paid. I have friends who are only able to work full-time in Paris because they have commercials still airing in the U.S., and receive the appropriate checks quarterly.A union, Tatiana says, "could argue for retirement benefits, and, in the USA, health insurance coverage. A union could mandate that sufficient time be given for models under 16 to attend school, without setting back their careers. A union could also serve as a voice for models’ interests in the ongoing debate over what is perhaps our biggest immediate health issue — the slightly-underweight physique we are required to maintain. A union could protest and shame under- and non-paying clients, a union could mandate that appropriate food be available at every job, and a union could ensure that conditions on the job site always meet safety standards, so nobody has to pose covered in broken glass or eat dirt ever again." It's a stirring call, and an elegant object lesson in the difference between unionized industries and non-unionized industries (also worth noting is that Hollywood hasn't shuttered its doors and moved to Laos because of labor costs). Models of the world unite! You have nothing to lose but your intricately woven ropes of Beachwood satin meant to resemble chains and artistically represent the crushing constraints of modernity!Image used under a Creative Commons license from Mr. Wright.
