There’ll Be No More ‘Too Young To Model’ Debates On Vogue Editor’s Watch

Just this morning we were reading the latest “too young to model” fuss, which was, we have to admit, actually quite well-founded: Polish teenager Monika Jagaciak (aka “Jak”; pictured) was booked to walk and pose at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week, not to mention booked to shoot for Vogue Australia… until everyone found out she was 14.

Vogue editrix Kirstie Clements was particularly vocal on the topic and it now seems that when Vogue speaks, the rest of the industry listens:

Rosemount Australian Fashion Week organisers this morning responded to Vogue Australia editor Kirstie Clements’ call for a minimum age of 16 for models appearing in the event.

“In light of industry and community concern regarding the acceptable age for models to appear on the catwalk at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week (RAFW), today RAFW revised its industry policy,” an official statement said.

The about face follows Clements’ decision not to feature Polish teenager Monika Jagaciak, also known as Jak, in the magazine when she discovered the model was only 14.

“Jak was booked in for a shoot and a cover try. She’s absolutely gorgeous but we thought she was 16. When I discovered that she was 14 we cancelled it immediately,” Clements says.

It may seem like semantics to have 16-year-olds on the catwalk and not 14-year-olds, but when you look at pictures like the one News.com.au blogger Patty Huntington discusses here, suddenly Clements’ and RAFW’s about-face makes sense.

Personally, we’ve always taken issue with teenagers selling us women’s clothes, so this is an – albeit small – step in the right direction. As Clements says in the news.com.au story, “I have children who are 13 and 14 and I’m still tucking them into bed in their jim-jams.”

Back to your Polski ogorkis and your schoolbooks, Jak!