High Heels & The Weight ‘Deal’ With Abbey Lee Kershaw

Abbey Lee Kershaw first came to prominence in the modelling world when she won the Girlfriend Model Search aged 15.  Now 22, Abbey has gone on to be an international success having worked in campaigns for Pirelli, Gucci and a host of international designers.  Quite heady stuff for someone so young.

Abbey Lee was interviewed on Today Tonight this week about her career thus far and I thought she had some interesting things to say about the modelling industry.  The clip is below.

Abbey comes across to me as a very sweet and humble young woman, and despite being very positive about her career, it’s clear the modelling industry has not always been kind to her.  She has not only fainted on a catwalk while wearing a corset, but also had to have knee surgery after tearing a ligament while walking in ‘mile high’ stiletto’s.  Due to her experience of tumbling in the high heels, Abbey turned down a job where she would have had to wear more outrageous shoes.  Abbey stated she hoped heel heights would soon come down and that “health and safety regulations have got to come into place at some point.”  It’s clearly pretty risky to be tottering around on heels like that so fair enough.

I find it interesting however that Abbey does not appear to think the same health and safety concerns should apply to models regarding their weight and the constant pressure to be thin.  When asked about this pressure, Abbey stated “that’s like asking a body builder how they feel about the pressures to be incredibly muscly.  An elite performer is always put under some sort of extreme pressure that the rest of society can argue or might not quite understand.”  While that may be Abbey’s perspective, I think this pressure to be thin (which she clearly does not deny), is most definitely of concern and worthy of a great deal more health and safety attention. 

I blogged about the importance of model health last year and why I thought it was imperative that these very young women were taken better care of by the industry that they work for.  Even highly successful models such as Sara Ziff agree with this.  This interview with Sara where she talks about her documentary on the modelling world, ‘Picture Me,’ (trailer below), is quite an eye opener, especially regarding the highly sexual nature of the industry and how it preys on young girls.  Further to this, as recently as today, a panel of fashion, modelling and design professionals agree their is clearly a significant problem, with casting director James Scully stating -

Despite what the young and impressionable Abbey Lee may believe, this, to me, is entirely unacceptable.  Changes within the modelling industry that put the health and welfare of models first, above ludicrously small sample sizes, or trends, or what magazine editors want in any given season – is long overdue.  Sara Ziff believes a model union “could provide some protection”  and it is my fervant hope that the Australian government will take on board the recommendations made to it by the National Body Image Advisory Committee that models be clearly of a healthy weight, greater size diversity be displayed on catwalks and no girls under 16 be employed to work at adult fashion shows.  While these recommendations form part of a code that is voluntary, one hopes that any modelling agency that considers itself to be reputable and looking after its “girls” would sign on to meet these standards.  Healthy models and age appropriate hiring.  It can’t be that hard can it?