Is using children as models, exploitation?

Dior have announced that the new face of their brand for womenswear is Sofia Mechetner which has left many campaigners horrified. This is not because she isn’t “pretty” enough or doesn’t have the “right” body shape. She’s everything the brand is looking for. The problem is that she is just fourteen years old.

Sofia’s story is described by some as a Cinderella story. She was living in Israel on a housing estate when she was signed by a modelling agent. They booked her for a shoot in Paris, but when she arrived she was told that she was too young. Sofia and her chaperone then went to the Dior store to pass time where they saw the brand’s creative director, Raf Simons, and asked for a picture. Simons was so captivated by Sofia that he called her back a few weeks later to sign an exclusive contract to Dior.

But the fact remains, Sofia is extremely young. She is supposed to be what women aspire to look like, but how is that possible when her hips haven’t even grown yet? In addition to this, the pressure of being a model can be devastating for people of that age. Even Kate Moss has admitted that starting modelling at the age of fourteen has its consequences. She had a nervous breakdown and was prescribed Valium because of the pressure to adopt sexual poses when she had barely gone through puberty. There is also the inevitable rejection that comes with the job. Sofia is loved by the brand because of her thin features. If she gains an ounce of weight, which does happen when going through puberty, she will have extreme pressure put on her to lose it. This is especially true seeing as she has signed a two-year contract with Dior.

In 2007, the British Fashion Council set up guidelines which recommended that models on the catwalk should be at least sixteen years old. Obviously, Dior has decided to ignore these recommendations as Sofia has already been down the catwalk, wearing a see-through dress. Ultimately, the question is whether the young model is being exploited, or whether the £170,000 she will receive will be worth it.