The Last Word

Tom Ford’s Cadeaux editorial with French Vogue (Dec ‘10/Jan’ 11).

I was reminded of Tom Ford’s controversial photos when I attended a modelling contest last week. Strutting down the catwalk that night were girls as young as 14, still blessed with enviable metabolic rates (non-existent tummies! Defined waists!). 

But I gotta admit, it’s disturbing when grown men around you start gushing about the prepubescent figures up onstage - jesus, some of them had barely bloomed! 

“She’s pretty, but she’s got too long a torso and stumpy legs,” I overheard a woman say of one of the girls. She wasn’t being catty, just matter-of-fact. But I’m always unnerved by how easily people objectify models and feel entitled to make unforgiving comments about them that they’d never say of non-models. It’s sad, but these girls will have to brace themselves for such remarks in the future. I couldn’t have dealt with it at 14 when I barely had enough self-confidence to fill a tea cup. Though I did have a waist, but hey that’s beside the point. It’s a tough world and I wish them the best.