Still, these measures are baby steps, models told us, and there's vast room for improvement.
Model Diandra Forrest says she still hasn't seen much change in the way models are treated like objects backstage: "Even if it’s not a sexual thing, [it’s hard]. It’s like, ‘Acknowledge me. Talk to me. You’re talking about me, yes, but include me in the conversation too. I’m a person, not a mannequin.'"
Another expressed disappointment with fashion's casual culture around nudity. "I don’t really feel like #MeToo has changed much," an 18-year-old told Glamour anonymously. "My first show this season, you could see my vagina on the runway. I had underwear, but they didn’t let me grab it. So in the picture, you definitely could see the crease. I was like, 'Oh my God, my vagina’s literally on the Internet.' Getty Images has a picture of it. My friends said, 'You should send this to your agency and get compensation,' but then other people were like, 'Oh, just don’t say anything, it’s fine, it’s not that obvious.' No one was defending me at all."
Access to food and water, meanwhile, has gotten better over all. Backstage, Glamour editors spotted more seating areas for models to eat and a wider variety of food. But not at every show. "I don’t want to throw anyone under the bus, but at one show there was coffee and water and that’s it," says Westling. "The food is OK, but you know a lot of us run around until 3:00 A.M. It’s like we’re on our own, but then I’ll have another show after this, then have fittings, so there’s really no time [to eat]. Catering should definitely be upgraded. I’m sure if we complained enough, there could be potentially be a change. But I think it all falls down on the production and who books these people at the end of the day."
Getty Images; Cristina Cianci
But while many wished change would move faster, over all there's a sense of solidarity and hope among the modeling community that a major reckoning is on the way. "[The industry] is what it is, and we’ll keep it moving and destroy [its negatives] in small amounts," says Westling. "We won’t change the world overnight, but as long as we keep promoting and voicing [our concerns], we'll be fine. At least it gets to the surface now, because before it never did."
