From 'The Full Monty' to David Gandy's M&S adverts, it seems as
though men are becoming the face of objectification however, unlike females, sexual harassment in
the male modelling industry goes undiscussed even though the issue has been
happening for years.
Nowadays you cannot go anywhere without seeing an advert of
a buffed up topless male model trying to capture the hearts of passersby so
they can purchase the product. There have been countless cases in adverts where
men are being showcased purely for the focus of their bodies and how it is
sculptured.
When did fashion become about the lesser clothes a person
has on? Maybe the standards in the male modelling industry are too high.
Scott Eastwood in Davidoff Cool Water campaign is a prime
example of a man being used to sell a product. Paco Robanne's latest female
fragrance 'Olympea' which features a female model intruding on two male models
getting changed, simply smiles directly into the camera signifying her
enjoyment and pleasure of seeing them naked. Men are becoming the forefront of
objectification and it seems like this issue is happening a lot more
frequently.
Even though the objectification of men is becoming a hot
topic, there aren't any in-depth discussions about men being harassed. We at PAUSE
had an insightful discussion with model Aaron Miller about sexual harassment
towards male models.
"Have I ever been sexually harassed at while at a photo
shoot? The answer is no however, I appeared at a photo shoot at a university
and a man asked me to basically get naked. While I stood there naked covering
my bits with my hands, he was telling me the reason this is, is that as a model
in the London Fashion week, I need to be comfortable with walking around naked,
being able to let men see me and being
photographed naked. Afterwards I somehow found out that this guy doesn't exist
and now there are pictures of me naked in a basement somewhere. He was using my
vulnerability as a model and the passion in my eyes to do to anything I need to
do to make the dream work. He took advantage in a very manipulated way."
One thing is clear, it seems as though sexual harassment
happens in the smallest of ways. The model went on by saying “I was on the
plane coming back from Milan this year and I was sitting next to someone who is
a massive face and influence in the fashion industry. He looked at me and said
I will give you fifty grand right now if you suck my dick on the plane and then
I will drop you home by the Uber. I said, brother I am your forbidden fruit,
that's never going to happen and I think he respected the fact that I said no
straight away because he started to expose the industry to me. He started to
expose some of the biggest London catwalk models that I see on the
runway."
What got to us at PAUSE was the last bit. “These designers
used to tell me it's about the power of your mind, it's all about knowing and
never stopping. I found out that a few male models that I see during fashion
week and at castings are sleeping with some of the world’s biggest designers to
secure jobs at their latest fashion shows. Male models are literally selling
their souls for the quick fame and lying down with designers for money that is
sexual harassment to the fullest.
Well it seems as though one thing is truly clear - male models
do not want to talk about sexual harassment even if it is being done or has
happened to them or to one of their peers. If it gets back to the client and
the culprit is identified, the models career could be destroyed depending on
the culprits’ status in the industry. That is scary enough.
Admittedly, it appears this issue is going to be an ongoing
thing due to success being the prime objective in a model's mind, however is to
worth your dignity and self respect being tarnished for a quick buck?
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