I get the intellectual argument girls/young women are making – the Victorian advice we got when were were young was to cover up and not be ‘provocative.’ If we ignored that advice and were subject to physical/verbal attack, then it was our own fault. The point my daughter makes that this is all blaming the victim and that covering up never protected any girl/woman has weight to me. Therefore, she argues, she can wear what the heck she wants, because not doing so is caving in advance to “rape culture.” But the Victorian in me still disapproves, though I keep my thoughts to myself these days ![]()
Having done lots of research over the last two days on the issue of provocative modeling and teens and talked to people on both sides of the camera, I am happy to have found out that, in the last 5 years there has been a “sea change” in what is legally permissible in the depiction of models under 18. Rules have been tightened and one large modeling agency that ignored the more restrictive rules has been sued and gone bankrupt, so agencies are now extremely careful in how they depict their underage models.
Second, I have found out that school really does come first and that the agency will only expect her time when she can give it. If that impacts how much work she gets, then that is on her, and will be her choice. Also, if she doesn’t have work for a period of 4 consecutive months, either side can void the contract. So if she hates it, all she has to do is refuse work for 4 months, and she is out of the contract.
So the only main issue we are left with is body image/anxiety. It’s a big one. But we will proceed with caution, with constant check ins and see how things go.
Thanks all for a great discussion/input. It was really really helpful ![]()