Title: Girl Model
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Year: 2011
Cast:
- Ashley Arbaugh
- Nadya Vall
- Madlen Nazarova
- Rachel Blais
- Tigran Khachatrian
SYNOPSIS
A documentary on the modeling industry's 'supply chain' between Siberia, Japan, and the U.S., told through the experiences of the scouts, agencies, and a 13-year-old model.
REVIEW
Girl Model is an interesting documentary about the modeling industry. It follows a model scout as she looks for really young models for the Japanese market, and a naive young model trying to navigate the complicated modeling world in a new place and without knowing the language.
The model scout Ashley Arbaugh is a former model, and I found it surprising that she has been in the modeling industry for 15 years considering that she hated modeling.
Ashley had a lot of criticisms about the industry she works in, and although I'm not expecting her to solve all the issues that she brings up, I was sort of hoping that she'll do what she can to help the young models that she signs up. I mean, she could have given them much needed advice such as learning the English language, or at the very least maybe she could have given them a list of useful English phrases.
Aspiring model Nadya Vall is 13 years old, but she has to lie and tell prospective clients that she's older (at 15 years old). She's from a small town on the outskirt of the Siberian capital, and she's from a poor family.
Nadya doesn't know the English language and she doesn't know anything about the modeling business, which puts her at a distinct disadvantage especially because she may be dealing with adults who can and will take advantage of her naiveté.
Young model Madlen Nazarova is Nadya's roommate in Tokyo and they go to casting calls together. Unlike Nadya, Madlen can finance her daily expenses using the credit card her parents have given her. Madlen also knows the English language so she can better communicate with people, although her speaking skills are somewhat below average.
However, like Nadya, Madlen doesn't know what she's gotten into. She asks the people around her so she can get the information that she wants, but she doesn't get any answers probably because of communication issues but maybe because they want her to remain ignorant.
Experienced model Rachel Blais goes with Nadya and Madlen to some casting calls, and she's more aware of the situation and she's more capable of dealing with the issues she encounters.
Rachel Blais: I'd say that the main issue for me is that there is a lot of 13-, 14-, 15-year-old girls; I mean, there is, too, in Europe... And they're saying, "Oh, no, no, in Europe, in America, they don't use any girl under 16 anymore", but the girls, I see them, in casting I'll talk to them.
Rachel Blais: But who is to blame? We can't blame the girls because they were just being sent, we can't blame the families because maybe there aren't any. Can we blame the agencies that take them on because the clients would take them? Can we blame the clients that will pretend or won't know actually how old those girls are? There's no one to blame, but the whole thing is still wrong. They all play behind, really.
Rachel Blais: And if they use 13-, 14-, 15-year-old girls, that means they do not want any girl that are shaped as a woman, really.
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Girl Model
