Are 14 year old girls too young for runway?(0)
Yes, according to the Australian Fashion Week (AFW) organizers. After their initial reluctance that followed public outcry, they finally adopted a minimum age of 16 for the show and dropped 14-year old Polish model Monika Jagaciak.
Until now there was no age limit for models in Australia. Only last year, there was a protest when Gold Coast Fashion Week featured a 12 year old model, and the show adopted 16 as the minimum age. The London Fashion Week also adopted the same minimum age for their show last year. However, the AFW founder Simon Lock initially rejected the idea that the 14 year old Monika Jagaciak was too young and said:
“There’s been criticism of the industry in the past for promoting the Lolita syndrome, but that’s something we will not stand for. The designers love these models as coat hangers for their clothes. They don’t want to exploit their sexuality in any way whatsoever.”
