More than 200 top fashion models, including Christy Turlington, Helena Christensen, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Beverly Johnson, have written an open letter to New York Governor Kathy Hochul calling for models’ right to be protected from sexual harassment, discrimination, and discrimination. He urged them to sign the code as soon as possible. love.
The Fashion Workers Act was passed by the New York Assembly and Senate in June, but needs Hochul’s signature to become law by the Dec. 24 deadline.
“As models, we know first-hand how urgently basic labor protections are needed to create a safe and fair working environment in the fashion industry,” the letter reads.
“Each of us has a story that shows how New York is undermining one of the most culturally vibrant and economically important industries in the world.”
The Fashion Workers Act is overseen by the Model Alliance, an organization that protects the labor rights of models working in the United States, and will go into effect in 2022.
“As New York State’s first female Democratic governor, I sincerely hope that she will stand by her staff, which includes many women and many immigrants,” Executive Director Sarah Ziff said.
The bill aims to prevent “power imbalances” between models and agencies. Models are often young women in their first jobs, but are usually unaware of the money they are making and the impact of various commissions and other fees.
This vulnerability may be exacerbated if the model is not American, as the agency may sponsor the visa and also be responsible for finding accommodation.
Ziff said modeling agencies and organizations’ concerns about the law’s impact on their businesses is in itself a problem. “If we have to show our models their contracts and be transparent about their finances and they’re worried that they can’t run the business, then frankly their business model is It means it’s bankrupt,” she says. “If your business is predicated on exploiting young girls, you might need to think about your business.”
The bill’s AI provisions reflect concerns similar to those of Hollywood workers who went on strike for five months last year. “We have a common concern: that our livelihoods are based on our image and likeness,” Ziff said. “What we are asking for is something very basic: clear written consent is required to use AI to create, modify, or manipulate digital replicas of models. ”
The Sag Aftra union of actors and writers ultimately agreed to an agreement with the studio to secure consent and compensation for the use of AI replicas, but the models are not unionized.
“Models are often considered independent contractors, and U.S. federal law states that independent contractors cannot form unions,” Ziff said. “A lot of the work I’ve done over 10 years has been thinking about how we can get rights and protections outside of the traditional union model. That’s why we really need the Fashion Workers Act. .”
