We've gotta hand it to Coco Rocha: She may be known for her dancing, but she's also got one heck of a voice. Rocha, New York State Senator Jeff Klein, and State Senate Labor Committee Chairwoman Diane Savino have joined forces to see that child models receive the same rights as child performers.
"Having once been a teenage model, living and working in New York, I know all too well the difficulties that face underage models," Rocha explained to Vogue. The Model Alliance and Senators Klein and Savino are hoping to institute workplace standards that make the environment safer for minors. These include mandating employers to provide models with pediatric healthcare, information on industry safety for both the models and their parents, as well as a "responsible person" to accompany any model under 16 on shoots. They have also proposed a trust be established by the child's guardian into which an employer must transfer at least 15% of the child's earnings.
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The conversation has already made some waves in the UK where Vogue has prohibited models under 16 from posing as adults. They've instituted a 10-hour workday cap and are working to ensure prompt pay, proper meal times, and mandatory breaks. Now, we're not saying that Vogue is the be-all-end-all when it comes to fashion legislation, but we can't (and aren't going to) argue with the Supreme Court of fashion itself. (Vogue)
Image: via Vogue.
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