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 In the youth-obsessed fashion industry where models start
working during their early pubescent years, one Brazilian judge
decides to crack down on the industry and enforces a law that
does not allow minors to hold jobs unless they go to school.
By Ernest Barteldes
Gisele Bündchen, the famous Brazilian bombshell who is currently one of the world's
highest-paid models, never finished high school in order to dedicate herself into what has
become an extremely successful modeling career. She regularly appears on covers of
magazines such as Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, Rolling Stone and others, and her
face is one of the best known in the whole world. She was spotted by talent scouts when
she was 14 years old.
Were she still under 18, she would have faced serious trouble in her native Brazil had
she attempted to appear during the latest edition of the annual BarraShopping Fashion
festival—one of the most important in that country, which recently folded their
eighth edition last July 18th in Rio de Janeiro.
According to a recent Brazilian law, anyone under 18 is not eligible of holding a job
unless the individual shows evidence that he or she is also registered in school. That law
is generally enforced on kids who sell peanuts, work in supermarkets or some other kind of
low-skilled labor—something very common in Brazil's impoverished big cities—but
one judge in Rio de Janeiro has decided to make the law work for everyone else. His name
is Siro Darlan, and he is in charge of enforcing the laws minors are subjected to , such
as labor, illegal pornography, infantile prostitution, mandatory education and other
matters.
In an unprecedented move, Judge Darlan ordered that all models scheduled to appear
during that event would have to show evidence of being of age and to submit proof
of being duly in accordance with the new law, which resembles the strict regulations
imposed by the New York Department of Labor, which requires permits in order to allow
children under sixteen to hold jobs out of the summer. In the U.S., violators can face a
huge fine. In Brazil, however, a violation can send offenders to jail.
Mr. Darlan is a very controversial magistrate who generally has no tolerance when it
comes to enforcing the law. Earlier this year, he ordered the arrest of a musician with
Queens of The Stone Age, who appeared completely naked on stage during the latest edition
of the Rock in Rio festival, which was swarmed with teenagers who are not supposed to be
exposed to such—ahem—graphic content. Before that, he stopped child
actors from appearing on a soap opera unless they complied with the current work-study law
requirements.
There is no home schooling in Brazil, so children and teenagers are required to
actually attend school, celebrity or not. Despite of the criticism, Judge Darlan defended
himself by stating that he was simply enforcing the law. "I think it is absurd that
parents have those girls work while neglecting their studies," he said to Isto É magazine.
"I think this is the same case of those kids who sell peanuts on the streets. Only
children who go to school are eligible to work."
Not many people agreed with his measure. Conceição de Brito, the mother of New
York-based 16-year-old Elite model Raica Oliveira, reacted negatively to the judge's
decision, which directly affected the young model's plans to participate in the event (she
went to Italy for a photo shoot instead). "Mr. Darlan should be concerned with
infantile prostitution and drugs on the streets". Jacqueline Biase, a fashion stylist
with Salinas Beachwear, shares the same point of view: "It is utterly absurd to pick
on models who don't go to school in a country where public education is terrible and where
there are so many children on the streets", she stated to O Globo last week.
Hélio Passos, the director of Elite Models in Brazil, thinks that the judge should be
more aware of how the fashion industry works: "We are not prostitution agencies. A
modeling career is a very brief one, and models need to take advantage of the chance while
they can."
During the first night of the event, justice officers sent by Judge Darlan stormed into
the dressing rooms to inspect the compliance with the newly imposed order. "They just
came in unannounced while we were changing and then started picking on the underage models
who were wearing see-through outfits", 16-year-old model Mariana Marcki told daily O
Estado de S. Paulo.
During one of the raids, one officer stepped on the foot of Fabiana Semprebom, 16, who
was almost unable to participate due to the pain she endured during the raid. She later
pressed charges, which were quickly dismissed by Darlan. Even the girls who were of age
had to show identification in order to be able to go on the runway. One of them, 19-year
old Ana Beatriz Barros, had to send her boyfriend back to their hotel so he could fetch
her passport.
"It is common to submit paperwork before fashion shows in order to have minors
participate in events such as these", said Pedro Camargo, an attorney with the show's
organizers. "This year, however, it seems like Judge Darlan decided to turn his
attention to the fashion industry."
"I believe that the judge is merely doing his job," said 17-year-old Daniela
Sarahyba, one of the few minor models cleared to appear on the festival. "but he
shouldn't have acted in the last minute", referring to the fact that many of the
authorizations were turned down only hours before the festival, forcing many designers to
make eleventh-hour changes in their casts—and in the clothes, which had previously
been fitted on the models.
The models and fashion stylists decided to protest against the red tape in a very
unique way: During most of the shows, models walked the runway flashing their IDs or
passports. "It was a way to show the public what was going on behind the
scenes", said M. Officer's stylist, Carlos Miele, the mind behind the protest.
As they walked down the runway and flashed their cards, the public applauded them, and
their pictures were on the pages of newspapers around the world, including many here, for
reasons that had nothing to do with fashion. Despite the enormous numbers of detractors,
Judge Darlan finds support within the industry in Brazil and in the U.S.
"I am totally supportive of the judge's decision", said Shirley Mallman, the
24-year old Brazilian beauty who recently appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
"School should come first. I only began modeling when I was 18", she told a
Brazilian newsmagazine.
Another model who decided to focus on education was Anna Karenina, another model from
Brazil. "I only began pursuing a modeling career after I got my B.A." She is
often disgusted when she sees so many teenagers neglecting their studies. "Although
it might be glamorous for a lucky few, a career in modeling is a very short one, so one
needs a backup plan." The stunning 22-year-old holds a degree in English and
Portuguese from a university from her native land and works part-time as a language
teacher.
"I agree that education comes first", says Misty Bliss, a model booker with
Lyons Group Model Management in New York City. "Our company has a policy towards
minors—we refuse to work with kids who don't go to school." A former child
artist herself, she had to juggle a musical career with her studies, which her parents did
not let her let go off. Today she has a degree in physics. "A modeling career only
goes so far," Ms. Bliss told me over the phone, "so one day you are going to
have to support yourself. What are you going to do when you are, say, 40 without an
education?"
Ricardo Salazar, a booker with B1G Models has the same opinion. "Most models,
actors and the like live lives that lead them to part-time and freelance jobs, and there
isn't much they can do without an education. After all, not all of them are success
stories like Giselle and Cindy Crawford. Someday, many will have to go back to the real
world and get regular jobs. What are they going to do without at least a high school
diploma?"
The fact remains that the fashion industry always seeks very young girls when it comes
to a modeling career. Judge Darlan's rulings might at least change the agencies' attitude,
as former top model Luíza Brunet stated to a São Paulo newspaper last week: "Judge
Darlan's measures might just force modeling agencies to become concerned with models'
educations."
Ernest Barteldes is an ESL, GED and Portuguese teacher. In addition to
that, he is a freelance writer who has been contributing to Brazzil since December
2000. His work has also been published by The Greenwich Village Gazette, The
Staten Island Advance, The Staten Island Register, The SI Muse, The
Villager, GLSSite and other publications. He lives in Staten Island, NY. He can
be reached at ebarteldes@yahoo.com
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