Hmmm. Some South African modelling agencies are refusing to recruit girls younger than the age of 16.

This was stated when the new face of luxury French label Christian Dior – Sofia Mechetner, 14, caused a stir in the modelling world – which, as with its fashion, seemed to go through a none-skinny, age-appropriate stage, only to revert back to doing what it wants. “Plucked from obscurity” Mechetner is an Isreali model who plans on using the money to help her family as well as carry on her schooling in Isreal.

Linda Bruchhausen, Boss Models’ director in Cape Town and Durban, told TimesLive that:

Clients seldom book a model under 18. We hold back a model as much as possible for most work until they are 16. A 14-year-old should be in school and having a normal teenage life – a few jobs here and there won’t do any damage, but modelling full-time is a different story. Going to work with adults every day, being in the spotlight and being celebrated on social media can be very unhealthy for a model under 16.

With the rise of the Internet, Social Media and a ridiculous amount of Apps that encourage even easier random chats with strangers than the obscure chatrooms of the 2000’s, the question we need to ask is, how do we protect our young in general and is removing them from the modelling world going to make it any easier?

But JJ Schoeman, local fashion designer to South African’s who have misinterpreted what celebrity status is, thinks completely differently:

Fashion is moving down to the kids. We are now seeing two-year-olds sporting the latest Louis Vuitton, and the top brands in the world. I don’t think it’s unacceptable for young girls to be modelling. Some of the kids are fully grown at the age of 12. The age thing is not as important. Their look and how they wear the clothes is.

I’m so torn. How can you hold someone back from something that will earn them some sort of livelihood, but on the other, how do you protect their age and innocence? Maybe the fashion industry should change its game play and feed their models, ’cause we all know them skinny girls are only bitches ’cause they hungry. Kidding.

[source: timeslive]