Just last week, news broke that one of the industry's infamously stacked modeling agencies, Ford, had gone back on its word to comply by the CFDA's guidelines. After a bit of research (and rebuttal), it seemed Ford never signed on the dotted line, instead releasing a statement that they work on a "case-by-case basis" with each model, consulting her parents to mutually decide if she's ready for the runway. Though Marc Jacobs has just signed onto the CFDA's board, he sent at least two underage models - Ondria Hardin and Thairine Garcia, both 15 - down his fall 2012 runway without a tinge of regret. He told the Times:
I do the show the way I think it should be and not the way somebody tells me it should be ... If [the models'] parents are willing to let them do a show, I don’t see any reason that it should be me who tells them that they can’t ... There are children actors and children models for catalogs and stuff, so I guess if a parent thinks it’s O.K. and a kid wants to do it, it’s fine.
Though it seems the girls weren't in any inherent danger (I worked as an umpire for U10 girl's softball games in the dead of the summer when I was 14 and 15 - talk about danger), I understand why the CFDA wants to keep underaged girls from running frantically from show to show. But if a girl is a few months shy of 16 and this is her dream, will an extra 90 or so days of maturing really help? Besides, it can't be any worse than what's going in the world of Toddlers & Tiaras, amirite?
What's your take on the underage model bit? Should designers have to abide by the CFDA's guidelines or are mandates unnecessary? Is this a non-issue?
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