What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Girl Model is a documentary that chronicles the slightly seedy underbelly of the international fashion model industry. Beautiful Siberian girls are shown desperately trying to impress a modeling scout to score a contract to Japan. There's no objectionable language (and half of the film is subtitled), but there are definitely sexual overtones to why and how the 12- and 13-year-old models are selected and how older models who don't succeed turn to high-end prostitution to earn money. A couple of scenes show the young models sobbing and homesick while on the phone with their parents, and the modeling execs all come off as slightly sleazy and exploitative. But for any older tween or teen girl interested in modeling, it's an eye-opening view at how the business can be far uglier than the beautiful pictures imply.
- Families can talk about Girl Model's message about the modeling industry. What don't you see when you look at a beautiful girl's photo in a magazine?
- Discuss body image issues with your kids. What does it say about modeling when some of the bikini-clad girls are called "too fat" or the scout says certain countries want to see only super skinny, super young girls?