Model Issues Rise to the Forefront
Interns weren’t the only ones sticking up for their rights in 2012. In February of this year, the The Model Alliance, a non-profit organization founded by Sara Ziff, officially launched with the goal of “helping models in the American fashion industry organize for safe, fair, and healthy standards in their workplace.” Shortly after the Model Alliance launched, another organization turned it’s attention towards creating healthier working conditions and regulations for models: The CFDA released new guidelines which stipulated that, among other things, models would have to be ID’d, and those under the age of 16 should not walk the runway. While some major designers and agencies violated such guidelines, the modeling industry found a powerful ally in Vogue: In May, the 19 international editors of the glossy signed an agreement to never feature models that looked unhealthy or were under the age of 16.