Models Revolt! Fashion Icons Clash with NY Governor Over Explosive New Fashion Bill

Get ready to be shocked by what 200 top fashion models are demanding! Fashion icons like Christy Turlington, Helena Christensen, and Alessandra Ambrosio have teamed up to send an electrifying open letter to New York's governor, begging her to sign a groundbreaking Fashion Workers Act! This sizzling letter to Kathy Hochul is all about safeguarding models from some serious trouble – think sexual harassment, discrimination, and even AI manipulations!

Guess what? This eye-opening Fashion Workers Act has already breezed through the New York Assembly and Senate. But hold on, it needs that last stamp of approval from Hochul before the clock strikes midnight on December 24!

"Models know all too well why we desperately need basic labor protections to cook up a safe, equitable work scene in the fashion world," the letter dramatically declares. They passionately argue how New York is letting down the stunning faces of the globe’s most culturally rich and economically powerful industry!

The brains behind this mission? The Model Alliance – they've been cooking this up since 2022. Sara Ziff, the executive director, is urging the first-ever female Democratic governor of New York to rise with their mostly female, often immigrant workforce.

This sizzling bill aims to snatch back control from the power-hungry agencies holding onto young models like puppets! Many models, especially those stepping onto US soil for the first time, don’t even know what they've earned or about the hefty commissions slicing away their hard-earned dough.

Ziff didn’t hold back when tackling agency protests, saying if they’re panicking about running operations transparently, they’re basically shouting they’ve got a broken business model. Ziff boldly stated, "If your business depends on exploiting young girls, then maybe you need a business rethink!"

And hold your breath, because the AI concerns in the bill ring a bell with Hollywood's stars that shook up the industry by striking for five months last year. "Our paycheck is all about our image and likeness," Ziff points out. Smart and simple, they’re asking for clear written consent before messing with a model’s digital look using AI.

While Hollywood unions like Sag-Aftra managed to strike a deal ensuring AI consent and compensation, models are sadly still left in the cold without union rights. Ziff revealed models are categorized as independent contractors, making it illegal for them to unionize. But don’t lose hope; Ziff's spent over a decade strategizing how to achieve these basic rights without traditional union structures. Hence the need for the dazzling Fashion Workers Act!