By Roberé Lett  | Publisher | Style Editor

Anyone who knows the fashion modeling industry is or should be familiar with Marie P. Anderson. As an uber agent/model coach for some top agencies such as Elite, Wilhelmina, Agency Galatea Chicago to scouting and signing stellar faces like Cindy Crawford. Author and motivational speaker. As the owner of her own hugely successful agency Aria and now the ubiquitous Boss Babes as founder, she brings expertise and years of experience in scouting, placing models, branding, social media, etc. and so much more. “All of our coaching and guidance is from our real-world experience, helping models launch their careers.” That’s the epitome of Marie P. Anderson; caring and selfless in her pursuit of effecting change in an industry that touts that message explicitly, but so often never initiates real change beyond a hemline or a garment fabrication. 

I began our conversation with the question of what being a talent agent means?  Marie: Well, that’s an extensive conversation, and I will try narrowing it down to a short version; I have been in this industry for 38 plus years. I am old-school, and back in the day, there was a very different sense of the modeling industry from the agency perspective. There was pride in becoming a booker and then becoming an agent. An agent has to have absolute respect for the talent and the business, unlike today. It’s the way you introduce a young person to this industry. Like telling a young girl, she needs liposuction in her thighs to create that thigh gap or lose weight to fit a specific size standard or get a boob job; anything that tells that young person they are not good enough from the beginning is not a great way to start.  Roberé: I agree wholeheartedly because here in Michigan, I have always felt that it is the agent’s job to be a buffer between the client and the talent, and we need to serve both well when everyone is satisfied my job is complete. I try to speak to talent with a real sensitivity to what the industry can mean for them both, good or bad. Marie: Agents should have compassion and understanding that talent might already have been bullied at school, emotionally damaged with an eating disorder, or have had sexually inappropriate contact before ever setting foot in an agency. 

Once a model always a model! Images: Jennee Johnson MU/H: Celena San Juan Stylist: Ariana Anderson | Custom Made Blouse: Veronica Sheaffer

Agents should understand addiction, recovery, body dysmorphia, eating disorders and spot some of these things in a new or existing talent.  Roberé: I always questioned where liability and accountability are in the fashion industry. The reason models are so drastically skinny and, in many cases, still are as a result of a demand put forth by many designers as a directive for their aesthetics, and rarely was diversity included.  Marie: It’s brainwashing, the power of a particular statement made by industry insiders, and everyone follows suit. Concern for making money. I worked for a large agency, and we were getting complaints about a particular agent being verbally and physically abusive to the models to the point where lawsuits were threatened. I ended up being the person who got fired because I complained to the owners, who just kept saying that models are replaceable if they complained or didn’t follow along get rid of them. 

Roberé: As we see more and more, the late Jeffrey Epstein and several other very prominent people are being called out and ultimately ousted from jobs and positions of power because of inappropriate behaviors. Marie: Speaking out as a model advocate has created friction for me in the industry with both agency owners and clients that wouldn’t book with me because in the industry I was known as a whistleblower; throughout the ’90s and 2000s, no one was speaking out about the abuses. When I started in the business, owners, directors, agents, and bookers took pride in teaching models the industry Roberé: I would hear horror stories about significant designers and agencies treating models as call girls and boys for the rich and famous. Even here locally, I see the way models are treated some times. It just makes me nuts, low or no paying jobs, charging models to be in fashion shows where they are already working for free but also required to sell tickets and promote events. Even when I try setting the record straight or giving my opinion on why talent should be wary of doing these types of jobs, I will still get push back, so it becomes a moot point. Marie: I think like in the music industry and on platforms like YouTube, there should be a parental warning labeled for the modeling industry to be listed on photos and materials where young talent is put in sexually suggestive clothing, poses, and situations. With the over-saturation of the market, I think we have lost the element of pride. The internet boom and COVID have changed the industry dramatically in every way; we are still and will continue to reel from the effects for some time to come. Everything from how models can safely do photoshoots, runway shows, commercials to eCommerce and print bookings is being sorted out. Recently one of our models had a significant booking in New York City that was all scheduled. Still, when she mentioned that she had recently traveled to Michigan for a wedding, the client immediately canceled her from the gig; all the new politics from wearing masks to how we gather with others have changed. We still haven’t figured out the full effect. Roberé: Well, Marie, I know how extremely busy you are, and I am ecstatic that you were able to speak with me and Haute is Online Magazine to share your wisdom and understanding of the industry, and there is still so much more to share! 

Thank you for advocating for model safety in the industry. You make the world and the modeling profession so much better!

XO Roberé  

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If you’re interested in knowing more about how Marie may be of service to you, please refer to her CONTACT tab in the menu on the website.

All images and video courtesy of www.bossbabemodels.com.

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