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Alyssa Sutherland by Frédéric Forest

published on 2 November 2018

“The truth is, I’ve struggled with my relationship with fashion. As a young model, I endured bullying agents, sexual harassment from photographers, coercion to appear in shoots I didn’t really want to do, excessive body shaming and financial abuse by an agency. I realize that the bullies I encountered aren’t representative of the industry as a whole, and that my experience is not universal. However, I also know that it is by no means unique. I’m hopeful that the industry is turning a corner and that the future of fashion is one of transparency, diversity, and most of all, respect. It is unfortunate, but it doesn’t feel honest to supply an image from my days of modeling for an exhibition celebrating female empowerment. Instead, this is me in an outfit chosen not for validation or armour, but comfort and practicality. I wore it for my first flying lesson, which was in my mind, a truly empowering experience.”

- Alyssa Sutherland

“The truth is, I’ve struggled with my relationship with fashion. As a young model, I endured bullying agents, sexual harassment from photographers, coercion to appear in shoots I didn’t really want to do, excessive body shaming and financial abuse by an agency. I realize that the bullies I encountered aren’t representative of the industry as a whole, and that my experience is not universal. However, I also know that it is by no means unique. I’m hopeful that the industry is turning a corner and that the future of fashion is one of transparency, diversity, and most of all, respect. It is unfortunate, but it doesn’t feel honest to supply an image from my days of modeling for an exhibition celebrating female empowerment. Instead, this is me in an outfit chosen not for validation or armour, but comfort and practicality. I wore it for my first flying lesson, which was in my mind, a truly empowering experience.”

Illustration: Frédéric Forest
Personal photograph
Model:
Alyssa Sutherland
Illustration by:

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