All round
Fashion models are ‘raped, groomed and sold by agents’
Several former models have spoken out about their experiences of sexual assault and rape within the fashion industry, in a new documentary titled Scouting For Girls: Fashion’s Darkest Secret.
Carre Sutton, previously known as Carre Otis, has accused Gerald Marie, the former European head of Elite modelling agency, of repeatedly raping her when she was just 17 years old in 1986.
Sutton alleges that Marie raped her “sometimes several times a week” over several weeks, when Marie’s then-wife Linda Evangelista was out of town.
Sutton and at least 11 other women have filed testimonies claiming they were sexually assaulted by Marie.
Sutton has said that she is “happy to go face to face” with Marie in court, although France’s statute of limitations means that allegations of sexual abuse must be reported within 20 years, or 30 years in the case of minors.
Trending:
- Meghan Markle Steals the Spotlight Again: A Royal Engagement Gone Awry
- “Harry and Meghan’s Tense Moment: A Marriage Under Scrutiny”
- Tension Unveiled: Frances Marquez’s Discontent with Meghan Markle in Colombia
- Elton John’s Scathing Remarks Leave Meghan Markle in Tears at Music Awards
- Meghan Markle’s On-Set Outburst: A Diva in Disguise?
Sutton believes that other women have also been abused by Marie in the past two decades, and she is urging them to come forward.
Sutton has also filed a lawsuit against Marie in New York, and she is willing to take the case to trial.
Jill Dodd, another model featured in the documentary, has alleged that Marie raped her in Paris in 1980 when she was 20 years old.
Dodd went on to have a relationship with Adnan Khashoggi, the late Saudi arms dealer who was once said to be the richest man in the world.
Dodd alleges that Khashoggi paid Marie’s modelling agency, Paris Planning, up to $50,000 to be introduced to her.
Dodd has said that models were “being taken advantage of, and groomed and sold by our agents”.
Marianne Shine has accused French agent Jean-Luc Brunel, who had associations with Jeffrey Epstein, of raping her while she was a model in Paris in the 1980s.
Shine says that she was also sexually assaulted by the late French modelling agent Claude Haddad.
Shine believes that there is a common theme among the men responsible for the kind of abuse she and other models suffered.
She says that “some of the men are very small, or there’s something small about them inside, that they feel their only power is by being abusive or intimidating or threatening in some way”.
Shawna Lee, a fourth woman featured in the documentary, alleges that she was raped by Gerald Marie in Paris in 1992 when she was just 15 years old.
Lee says that Marie berated her when he learned that she had confided in a fellow model.
Lee alleges that Marie suggested her career would be on the line and told her: “What else are you going to do? Go back home and flip burgers?”
Sutton and the other models featured in the documentary have said that people within the industry were “totally complicit” to the abuse of models, particularly in Paris.
Sutton says that she was sent to casting jobs at the homes of photographers who were “known perpetrators”, where she was told to strip to show them her body.
Dodd says that famous models are “much less vulnerable” to potential abuse than unknown models who had no money and nobody knew who they were.
Sutton believes that the modelling industry is still completely unregulated, and that it works with minors mostly and young adults.
She has said that “that it’s the only industry that’s unregulated is outrageous”.
Sutton believes that speaking out is important because she does not want her daughters to have to experience what she did.
Dodd has said that she beat herself up over what happened to her for years, asking herself “how could I be so stupid? How could I let this happen?” Dodd says that in reality she had no chance against these powerful men who were 20 years older than her, plotting against her.
Shine says that the men responsible for the abuse were “master groomers and master manipulators” who held all the power within the industry.
Despite the allegations against Marie, there is no suggestion that Evangelista knew of the abuse.
In a statement released in 2020, she praised the “courage and strength” of Marie’s accusers, saying that she believed that they were telling the truth based on her own experiences.
Marie has vehemently denied all sexual abuse allegations against him.
A lawyer for Marie has said that he “firmly objects” to the “false allegations made against him”, and that he “refuses to participate in the fallacious and dishonest media controversy that has been fomented more than 30 years later”.
Jean-Luc Brunel, another senior figure in the modelling world accused of sexual abuse in the documentary, was found dead in prison in February 2021 having killed himself.
Brunel had been detained in December 2020 as part of an inquiry into allegations of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment.
Before his death, Brunel denied committing any wrongdoing during his work in the industry and said that he never abused any women.
The modelling industry has long been criticized for its lack of regulation and protection of models, particularly young and vulnerable ones.
In 2018, model Cameron Russell launched the #MeTooFashion campaign, which called for the industry to address sexual harassment and assault within its ranks.
In the wake of the campaign, several major fashion brands and magazines pledged to make changes to their policies and practices to protect models.
However, many have criticized the industry for not doing enough, and for failing to hold powerful men accountable for their actions.
The documentary Scouting For Girls: Fashion’s Darkest Secret highlights the need for continued reform within the industry to protect models from abuse and exploitation.
Sutton says that she is “in this to see industry change”, and that she is also advocating for statute of limitation reform.
The documentary also sheds light on the voices of models who have long been silenced by powerful agents and industry leaders.
Dodd says that “most models don’t have a voice”, and that famous models are often the exception rather than the rule.
Sutton, Dodd, Shine, and Lee’s stories demonstrate the need for models to be heard and protected, and for the industry to be held accountable for its actions.
Sutton says that speaking out has been a difficult and challenging process, but that she is doing it for justice, equality, and to protect workers’ rights.
She also wants to heal from what happened to her and other survivors who were “totally innocent”.
Sutton says that the industry must change, and that she is willing to fight for that change.
Dodd, Shine, and Lee are also calling for change and accountability within the industry.
The fashion industry has been described as having a “darkest secret”, in which powerful men abuse their positions of authority to prey on young and vulnerable models.
The documentary Scouting For Girls: Fashion’s Darkest Secret exposes this secret, and calls for a reckoning within the industry.
Sutton says that she wants to protect her daughters from experiencing what she did, and that she hopes that speaking out will help other models who have experienced abuse to come forward and seek justice.
