The #MeToo movement is just that — a movement. And it continues to build momentum still many months later, which only goes to show how needed this societal shift is. While there is still so much work to be done to stop the prevalence of sexual violence, understanding how deep its roots are is incredibly important.
The latest group of women to speak out is through The Model Alliance and Harper’s Bazaar. 10 models open up and share the abuse they’ve faced when working in the fashion industry. “It leaves me feeling absolutely invisible and inadequate,” one woman says. These stories are vital for people to wake up and realize how embedded sexual violence is in every industry.
“He told me to spit on my breasts, and to do other things that I really didn’t want to do. I started to do what he wanted. Then I was mortified and I started to cry. He kept taking photos even when I was crying,” Elliot Sailors shares in the video.
“The photographer’s assistant takes me several feet to the back of the studio and I’m changing into my next outfit when he decides that he’s just going to completely molest me within several feet of my mother,” one model recounts. Other women tell their stories of being sexually abused by their agency’s managers or photographers.
Watch the full video below to bear witness to these important voices. Thank you to these brave 10 women for opening up and speaking out against sexual violence.
