"Yo, She's A Model!"

Is anyone else tired of hearing this? Now the Fashion Week is upon us, my ears can't be the only ones beleaguered by this balderdash. When people prate these trite words to me I'm not exactly sure how to take them, but a few things come to mind. 1) I assume that "she's a model," translates directly into "she didn't finish high school." 2) If this girl is a legitimate model then why is she out partying next to me during fashion week when she should be at home getting her beauty sleep? 3) Does "she's a model" mean this girl now has credentials? Should I ask to see her paperwork? Oh, I get it, now its ok to like her...or, now she is definitely hot, cause I wasn't sure before you told me that.

I think, "she's a model," is a code signal for closeted guys to let each other know which girls they are "supposed" to like in order to keep their closetedness a secret. Either way, those words with a little insight prove to be less than promising....

If you should ever choose to get to know one of these "models," the reality for many of these young girls is bleak at best. Most of them come to New York with little or no education and are put up in agency apartments with other girls from similar backgrounds. They are set up to live a glamorous but hand-to-mouth existence that will last only as long as their looks. Many of them become friends with "model wranglers," usually other male models, whose job it is to deliver as many girls to a nightclubs like Marquee or Pink Elephant in a night in order to give the nightclub an atmosphere of the rich and beautiful. As a result of their looks, these girls have access to almost anything, something that few are ready to handle responsibly. Many older guys, sometimes owners of these agencies, bestow gifts on these girls and through their largess allow them to experience the best of the city for free.

At the end of the day however, these "models," have five hundred dollar purses and not a dollar in them. The myopia of this world is oppressive. The truth is, most of these girls will come as close to Bryant Park as a cab driver and at the same time make a lot less money. Their formative years will be partied away and by the time their looks have expired they will have set themselves up for the most compromising of situations. Not to be a downer, but these are the details that a lot of people miss. The grass ain't always greener and those awesome commercials "be cool, stay in school," were maybe kindof right. Cheers and enjoy Fashion Week!