![]() Through the RESPECT Program, the Model Alliance is working to have models and others in the industry outline their own labor protections. WSR is an approach that centers workers and worker organizations in the creation and enforcement of programs designed to improve working conditions. In 2018, the Model Alliance launched the RESPECT Program, which aims for accountability using Worker-Driven Social Responsibility or WSR. The bill would have provided explicit legal protections for models, including a requirement that upon booking, clients provide models in writing “the procedure for filing a complaint.”Īlthough the bill was not passed, models at organizations like the Model Alliance have been continuing the fight to create more regulations. State Assembly Bill A8752, the “Models’ Harassment Protection Act.” The act sought to amend the law in New York “in relation to establishing unlawful discriminatory practices relating to models.” Most current anti-discrimination laws do not explicitly protect many models because they’re often classified as independent contractors. To address the issue, the Model Alliance, a non-profit that works to provide labor protections for fashion workers, brought it to the attention of New York Assemblywoman Nily Rozic in 2017, who introduced N.Y. She also mentioned a fellow Asian model warned her about this photographer after seeing him comment on her photos: “She warned me that he did the same to her, they ended up shooting and he was really creepy.” In an industry where workers already experience rampant sexual harassment, Asian models may be especially vulnerable. "He was hanging the fact that he might hire for a job over my head to get me to hang out with him.” Later, Hirth says she was warned about him because he tried to book her for a job, and was told that “he preys on Asian women specifically and it’s not okay.” So she refused the job. “He harassed me in my DMs for a long time," she says. Tiffany Hirth, a New York City based model says she had a photographer prey on her, and later found out he “had a thing for Asian women.” This stereotype often leads to hypersexualization and fetishization of Asian women, which can turn violent. ![]() Another common stereotype is “ the sexy Asian/innocent mail-order bride,” originating from American heterosexual male presence in East Asia during wars. Many argue that this stereotype is especially problematic because it insinuates submission, that the Asian community won’t “fight back.” It also assumes privilege, that the community is successful because they work very hard and are universally highly educated and skilled, creating the impression that their problems aren’t real or that they have nothing to complain about. In addition to explicit racism and violence, Asian models are also subjected to generalized stereotypes like “ the worker bee,” someone who has a “head down, get to work” mentality. I’ve never experienced something as intense.” “I’m mourning the women in the shooting, dealing with Asian hate crimes towards our elders, and at the same time people are commenting very heavily targeted race and fat-phobic comments on my Instagram. “People have been commenting racial slurs in the comments, calling me ‘ch*nk,’ or saying, ‘dirty asians go back to your country.'" After a year of seeing Asian hate crimes against people who “look like they could be my grandmother,” Nu says, the week of March 16, when the women in Atlanta were killed, was particularly difficult. “I thought this announcement would help to bring more positivity, but it showed me how much more of a problem this country has with anti-Asian racism,” Nu says. Yumi Nu is the first Asian plus-size Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model, who experienced racism after announcing the achievement. Cultural appropriation, sexual harassment, tokenism, racism and yellow-face are just a few of the ways Asian models have said they’ve experienced anti-Asian hate, violence and oppression at work. ![]() ![]() Asian models have claimed to experience a host of anti-Asian actions at work, but the fashion industry has yet to sufficiently address the issue. While many models experience adversity at work (for example, pressure to be a certain size, sexual harassment, financial exploitation, and no regulation around labour protections), Asian models face unique challenges. That's true too for Asian people in the modeling industry. But this isn't an issue with one source - while the pandemic saw increased reports of anti-Asian racism, it's a form of violence Asian Americans from all walks of life have experienced for many years, on the streets, in social settings, and in the workplace. Over the last year, there’s been an outpouring of stories about anti-Asian racism and violence in the United States, particularly in the wake of COVID-19. ![]()
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