Types of exploitation of models by management companies

Models are forced by companies to rent houses at exorbitant prices, tricked into having cosmetic surgery to make money, or starved for 14 hours while working.

According to Cosmopolitan, in the US, 9 models have just filed a lawsuit against their former management companies. They accused the boss of exploiting their labor while violating a series of contract terms and demanded compensation from the defendant.

The lawyer for Click Model Management - one of the companies being sued - asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, saying that the plaintiffs were just trying to gain attention to polish their reputation. However, the Supreme Court of Manhattan, New York, USA requested a careful review of the lawsuit. The results were surprising to those who were interested.

Many models have their wages withheld despite working hard. Photo: Blogspot

Many management companies hide and embezzle model wages.

Normally, after joining a management company, the payment of the models' salaries is entrusted to the company's representative. Most of the figures are reported to the employees. However, in the lawsuit, the girls asserted that they had no knowledge of the earnings during their time working at the old company. They knew how much their boss gave them. This led them to believe that their managers were illegally embezzling their wages.

Vanessa Perron, one of the models who filed the lawsuit, said that she once had to fly from the US to Australia for a photo shoot for the country's Harper's Bazaar magazine. She was told by the agency that the entire cost of the ticket would be paid by the client after the job was done. When she received her salary from the agency, Vanessa discovered that she had been deducted an amount equal to the cost of the ticket. If the model's allegations are true, this means that the agency charged both Harper's Bazaar and Vanessa twice for a single flight.

Despite working for major brands like Ralph Lauren and Macy's and appearing in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, Melissa Baker's life has not improved much. Her photo shoot contract was worth $10,000, but she only received $5,000 per job. The management company paid her so little that Melissa's father, a mechanic in Ohio, had to spend money on daily necessities for his daughter. Occasionally, the company promised to pay her in clothes and accessories, but then they "disappeared".

If they are not supermodels, it is difficult for models to avoid pressure from organizers and management companies. Photo: Dailyrecord.

"Bosses" make money from inviting models to use their services

Sharing fees when introducing someone to use services is no longer too strange. However, many people are surprised to hear accusations that management companies "induce" models to go to some cosmetic clinics for beauty treatments. This action is considered a scam for the models using the service in order to profit from the money they spend on surgery.

Furthermore, according to model Marcelle Almonte, in the early 2000s, her management company forced her to rent a two-bedroom apartment for $1,850 a month. The model had to live with eight other girls, all paying the same amount and sleeping in bunk beds. Meanwhile, for an apartment in the same building, the starting rent was only $2,900. In other words, the management company "pocketed" $13,750 a month.

Vanessa Perron added that she was forced to pay an unreasonable amount of money to the Model Management company, which they called a fee to maintain the image on the website. In addition, she and the models had to pay all the shipping costs for their work, without any support. Modeling insiders estimate that if a package was sent to 10 models, each of whom had to pay the shipping fee, the management company would make 9 times the amount of money spent.

It is common for models to be provided with food and drinks for photo shoots at shows and photo shoots for major brands. Photo: Tumblr.

Models have almost no ability to fight back against exploitation by companies.

In the international market, except for supermodels, models are heavily dependent on their management companies because only they have the network and relationships to ensure work. Once signed a labor contract, models work exclusively for one company. In addition, they must regularly report their activities to their agents every day. Every aspect of their lives, from diet, hair, exercise to dating, are controlled by their managers.

The girls filed a lawsuit because after signing the contract, they were classified as "freelance models" but were still subject to the same supervision as the long-term models. Meanwhile, the benefits that came with the work contract were cut off and they were not guaranteed a life and career like their colleagues.

Vanessa Perron said she and many other models were starved by their agencies while working. "When we asked about food, they said, 'Oh, you're a model, models can't eat.'" While the photo shoot lasted 12 to 14 hours.

In most cases, the model’s demands for benefits are denied. Melissa Baker said that when she asked for an explanation about the fee she was supposed to receive for her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit ad, her agency “retaliated” against her by keeping her from taking on other projects. They told photographers who wanted to work with her that her schedule was full and she couldn’t take on any more work. When in fact, Melissa Baker hadn’t taken any jobs at the time.

Melissa claims that her life was affected by the tight control. In addition, the company once suggested that she dump her boyfriend - who was serving in the military in Afghanistan at the time - and replace him with a male celebrity or A-list sports star.

According to VNE