Beauty & Fashion

Edie Campbell writes open letter calling out the fashion industry for sexual abuse of models

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Edie Campbell calls out the fashion industry for abusive treatment of models
(Picture: Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images For Yves Saint Laurent)

In an open letter for WWD, model Edie Campbell has called out the fashion industry for the abusive treatment of models.

‘We have reached a turning point,’ writes Edie. ‘This could be the moment at which everyone within the fashion industry takes stock of where we are, and the culture we operate within and perpetuate.

‘This could be a moment to be honest about the behaviour we sanction, a pause, or a moment of self-reflection.’

Edie goes on to explain that while it’s great that Terry Richardson is finally seeing some consequences for his actions, she’s frustrated by how limited the media coverage has been to only the case of one photographer.

The models that have been sharing their stories aren’t just talking about Richardson – they’re highlighting patterns of sexual harassment, abuse, and the blind eye the fashion industry turns to both.

Edie Campbell calls out the fashion industry for abusive treatment of models
(Picture: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Harper’s Bazaar)

Noting that she has not been the victim of sexual assault, Edie writes that she wants to draw attention to the experiences of male models. She states that we’ve focused so heavily on women’s stories that we’ve overlooked the very real sexual abuse suffered by male models on the job.

‘The global conversation about sexual abuse has been (possibly rightly) focused on female victims,’ writes Edie.

‘The statistics add up. But when you zoom in on the fashion industry, I would assume that the numbers are much more evenly split between male and female victims.

‘Within fashion, the discussion then becomes less about toxic masculinity and patriarchy, and more about abuse of power.’

The issue is not as simple as ‘bad men’ and female models – it’s about the acceptance of and complicity in abuse within the fashion industry.

‘We operate within a culture that is too accepting of abuse, in all of its manifestations,’ writes Edie. ‘This can be the ritual humiliation of models, belittling of assistants, power plays and screaming fits. We have come to see this as simply a part of the job.

Edie Campbell calls out the fashion industry for abusive treatment of models
(Picture: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)

‘Although we may not all, as individuals, have actively contributed to this culture, every time we turn a blind eye, our silence perpetuates that culture. Our inaction makes us complicit.

‘As an artist-genius, you are allowed to behave in any way you see fit, and you inspire total fear and devotion from your followers.

‘If you are creative, and if your work is good, you will be forgiven anything. You are given carte blanche to express that creativity, whatever your means of expression may be. And if that creativity only flows after midnight, and if it only responds to semi-nude young men or women, then so be it.

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‘You see where I’m going here? There need to be boundaries. There must be limits to the creative process, given the potential human cost.

‘Fashion is great when it celebrates the people involved in the creative process, not when it destroys them. The work should not become more important than the people who are involved in it.’

Edie ends her letter by urging the fashion industry to have a serious rethink about how they treat models – from the respect they’re given, to the hours they work, to the way nudity is discussed.

‘This is a moment for us all to examine the behavior we have normalized,’ writes Edie. ‘Fashion is a closed world, and fiercely self-protective.

‘But it is time to reassess, and it is time to start regulating ourselves.’

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