It’s been quite some time since we had any reason to cover Alexa Chung beyond as a second stringer in the odd fashion post. In fact, over two years have passed since Kaiser talked about how Alexa was “frustrated” over eating disorder accusations. Other than that, I see her quite a bit on the pages of the Mail where she’s often spotted out on the town with the likes of fellow models Daisy Lowe and Agyness Deyn (or at least, she was buds with Agy a few years ago before Agyness decided to move stateside, marry a Scientologist, and become an “actress”). Yet Alexa has been part of the fashion world for over half of her 30 years — she’s been modelling since age 16, and Alexa claims that she dealt with a lot of creepy pervs who made her disrobe in order to “try out” for various gigs. Doesn’t sound too farfetched, right?
Alexa Chung is one of Britain’s favourite models and telly presenters, but the stunning fashion star has revealed that she had to battle low self-esteem to get where she is today.
And, more shockingly, she had to endure years of “creepy men” taking advantage of her dreams, asking her to do things she did not want to do in a bid to clamber up the career ladder.
Speaking to The Times, Alexa paints quite a dark picture of her early modelling career, admitting she didn’t ask her parents for advice on it as she felt much of what she did was “very wrong”:
“I actually kept modelling very separate. I never really asked my mum or my dad’s advice during that time and it actually felt like I didn’t want to tell them too much about the reality of what was going on – when I was taking the train to London and being asked to do certain things.”
“I already knew it was wrong. So, you know, if there was a casting where some creepy man there had gone on to his flat in Ilford, and, you know, ‘Take your clothes off…’ and if I’d have done it, I won’t tell my mum because I know that’s wrong.”
“You had lots of castings where they were like, “This is for swimwear”, and in hindsight, I look back and think, “Did you really need an 18-year-old girl to strip in your front room?”
“I get flashbacks now. Loads of flashbacks. I’ll be reminded of something because I’ve sort of blocked it out and I don’t really think of those days… God, did I have low self-esteem then.”
[From Cosmopolitan]
Sadly, Alexa’s story is completely believable to me. These days, one only need to stumble over to Terry Richardson’s gross blog (and I’m sorry, but I refuse to link it since we’re not using any of his images) for verification that creepy dudes are still making young girls do gross things for the promise of stardom. It’s really reprehensible that these guys think it’s okay to do this to young girls, and it’s even sadder that these girls feel like they have to do it. Because unfortunately, the fashion world completely supports guys like Terry and gives them plenty of leeway to pull such stunts and demand even more than nudity. I know that Alexa isn’t even talking about Terry here, but that’s just what I thought of when I read her story. There’s so many creepy casting agents and photographers out there, and Uncle Terry is just the king of them all.
Photos courtesy of WENN
There are so many girls out there who want to be models and it saddens my heart… getting into things like eating disorders, drugs, fuelling the desires of creepy casting directors… These young women could be doing so much more with their lives but modelling has become so glamorised that it is a really admirable job these days…
And no, I am not saying that models are dumb or should be ashamed of their jobs or anything like that… but there are SO many young girls who look up to it like the absolute best job when they could be using their talents to become political leaders or doctors or scientists or what not.
I think quite a lot young girls see in modelling mainly a chance to get away from home and be independent.
Especially young girls from poor areas of Eastern Europe, Russia see modelling as the only opportunity to make something out of their life and support their family back home.
Agree but first is she a legit “model” what major campaigns has she been featured in;
Second, we all know models in the 80s and 90s were real women with real curves and boobs; One has only to go on sites like the fashion spot and bellazon to view thousands of images of womenly models from those eras;
It’s only been the last 15 yrs. or so that underfed Eastern Europeans have proliferated – along with putting cheeseball celebs on every cover, the pale wan trend has ruined the industry (Alond with AW at vogue).
Not every girl with a hard luck story is slender and leggy. some girls really do survive in talents other than their sexuality. I get why it’s tempting for girls who can to rely on their looks but it’s never their only option.
i think lots of girls want to be models because our society still values women primarily for their appearance, and if you’re a model, then you have ‘proof’ that you are attractive
completely believable. i’m not a fan but feel sorry for her and anyone that feels coerced into questionable situations to make their “dreams” happen.
thank you thank you thank you ladies of celebitchy for refusing to run uncle scary’s “pictures” or links.
TERRY FREE ZONE!
apparently the ‘casting couch’ thing is still very much alive in hollywood today as well…
Never knew what she was somewhat famous for. She doesn’t look like a model. 🙁
When I first saw her she was presenting Popworld on t4. I used to quite like her and enjoyed her interviewing technique.
I think she’s a contributing editor of UK Vogue now.
I read this in the Daily Fail yesterday and the comments on the story were really saddening….
Gross.
On a sidenote, I would like to see more of Alexa on the site. I know she’s not very famous in the US, but she does have her own following. I think she’s pretty interesting and at least used to come off as smart and witty, but I don’t know what she’s up to nowadays.
I have always liked her and thought she was fun as a talk show host.
I am glad she opened up about this.
I feel sorry for her, even though I am generally annoyed by her existence.
She annoys me, but i totally believe her and feel bad for her. I get why she didn’t want to tell her parents, it’s all real sad. There are so many perverts in this industry.
I had no idea how gross Uncle Terry is. I mean, the bloggers always allude to it but I never really knew until I read the linked article. F*cking gross, dude. Just. Eww.
Ah, flashbacks. No fun. No fun at all those things….
Glad she’s speaking out about this.
Did any of them hold a gun to her head? She was not forced to do anything. She sold her soul for fame like many young girls who then complain about creepy men making them do creepy things. She herself admits she knew it was wrong yet she did it! The fact that she did the things they wanted is what keeps the sick machine going! She is her own worst enemy and did nothing to stop it from happening to other girls all because she wanted fame. She could have left the business (which we all know is sick and filled with perverts) at anytime. Im so sick of girls complaining AFTER they get famous that people forced them to do things they didnt want to do (unless a girl is actually forced/assaulted which also happens) which is entirely different than her choosing to do what she did although she knew it was wrong.
It’s very easy to make such comments in hindsight but when you’re a young girl with low self esteem like Alexa was, or desperate to make a living like some of the poor european girls and you’re in a situation where pressure is mounted… well, if only we could all be so strong. Stay classy.
That’s sad and scary.
No sympathy here. She chose to do it so she could, maybe, “model”. How’d that work for you?
She lived with a known photographer for a few years when she was late ‘teen’s or early 20’s. Maybe that helped her? Her starving-waif fashion look is neither attractive nor interesting enough to be relevant today.
There was a model a few years ago who secretly filmed a lot of stuff with the help of her boyfriend and made a documentary about how common this kind of behaviour (and worse) is in the modelling world. She actually got a few really young girls to name big names in the industry who had sexually abused or taken advantage of them. But then a lot of them got scared and asked her not to include it as they didn’t want to ruin their careers. She said it was really frustrating.
My best mate’s cousin is a quite well known model and she has been extremely tall and beautiful since she was twelve. Grown men thought she was 18+ and hit on her. When they found out she was younger, most didn’t care. She was so sexually warped from it. She was extremely sexualised from a very young age and regularly had sexual relationships with men in the their 20s when she was 14-16.
That’s very sad. I’d think parents would keep tabs on their young daughters’ activities & “jobs”.
When I was 20 I moved to NYC to attend FIT. There was a modeling agency nearby called Click. I had this idea with my roommates that we could go in there and like, “apply to be models”. We were so broke, and so dumb! But we went and were totally ridiculous but the receptionist told me to stay, that someone who worked with runway models wanted to talk to me. I was so flattered, but confused because I am 5’6″. No matter, he actually thought maybe I’d be a good model for some guy he knew, who had a swimsuit company and needed models for their catalogue. Wow, did I think I was cool! An appointment was set up for the next week at 2pm and I was told to loose 5lbs before that. “No problem!”, I said, counting my imagined modeling money. I showed up at a showroom in midtown at 2pm and was so embarrassed, because a flustered older man came out and, whoops!, I was supposed to have come at 6pm. Of course, I agreed, I would come back. When I arrived for the second time that day, surprise surprise, the older gentleman buzzed me through the doors and the place was deserted. It started out normal enough, though, what did I know? I tried on some workout clothes and he took pictures of me with a polaroid. Then he brought me into his office and told me all about how he was the owner of the company and how he just loved his models… and some of them were even his girlfriends. Mmmmhmmm, I’m thinking, looking at pictures of his wife and kids on his desk, this is really creepy. I was asked to change one more time. This time the outfit was a skirt and top that ended up being see-through. I will spare you the details of the groping and attempted kisses, but somehow I got into my own clothes and hightailed it for the elevators, still trying to be polite to that creep! I was walking down the street crying when a limo pulls up and guess who is in back? He wanted to give me a ride back to my dorm! Yeesh!
The next day I reported everything that had happend to my contact at Click. Well, he knew exactly what had happened, it was so obviously NOT a surprise to him. He told me to meet him at a bar on the corner and then basically told me that that was the way it was and if I ever wanted to work in modeling, those were the breaks. I was so crushed and embarrassed. How could I have been so stupid? I told my roommates, they felt bad for me, but… I never told anyone else. Now that I’m older I can’t believe I didn’t call him out to someone, but who? Years later I had ‘forgotten’ all about it when I had an appointment with a vendor in that same building as the swimsuit company. I walked through the doors and had the most revolting flashback. I can never walk by that building without being completely creeped out.