#MeToo: Male sexual exploitation in the glamour industry

Well-chiselled bodies, six-pack abs without even a hint of body hair, a mix of manly strength and boyish vulnerability and complexion as a soft as a baby's bottom. Cars, clothes, soft drinks, soap, mobile phones and music systems. Male models have bewitched and even seduced us into buying products for decades using their bodies to lure. The more provocatively, the better. Or so we thought. Till three top international models Ryan Locke (DKNY, Gucci and currently Nautica), Robyn Sinclair (Ralph Lauren, Polo) and Terron Wood (Cornelliani, Saks Fifth Avenue and Hugo Boss) led the recent charge of sexual misconduct against world-renowned photographers Bruce Weber and Mario Testino, which brought the spotlight sharply on to the ugly underbelly of the world of modelling, fashion and entertainment where male sexual exploitation happens with impunity.

Over 15 current and former male models have since accused Weber (one of the world's foremost commercial and fine art photographers and the man behind the camera in the racy Calvin Klein and Abercrombie & Fitch ad shoots) of 'unnecessary nudity and coercive sexual behaviour,' during shoots. As for Testino (He's shot Prince William and Kate Middleton's engagement photos, photographed Madonna with her baby for Vanity Fair and arranged Princess Diana's 1997 cover shoot for Vogue, for whom he recently photographed Serena Williams and her daughter. He was even conferred the Order of the British Empire three years ago.) 13 male assistants and models have made common cause with the leading model trio saying he "subjected them to sexual advances that in some cases included groping and masturbation."

Ex-Indian model and Manhattan restaurateur Salim Ansari*, who has borne the brunt of such unwelcome sexual attention, has been following these developments rather closely. "Anyone who says these things happen only in the West is just lying. It's at least a hundred times worse in India. There, the cartel of designers, choreographers, stylists and photographers is so incestuously close-knit that forget going to the media, anyone who so much as talks to others in the community is enough for your career to end," he says on phone.

The India story

He should know. He was among the top five male models (a Delhite contemporary has since moved base to Bollywood and the other Mumbaikar well past 50 is still a darling of the media for his lifestyle and looks) through the mid-90s till his world came crashing down suddenly. "I hail from this far northern Mumbai suburb. My father's a small-time butcher. I joined the gym for a lark to keep up with my pals. Once I got the body, everybody told me to try my hand at movies. All I got after trying was several blink-and-miss parts among the crowd of side-kicks surrounding the villain. I didn't know anything about modelling. When approached by a fixer in the modelling world who introduced me to a designer-choreographer I went with the flow. The latter introduced me to the fraternity and helped me find work as a model. I moved from the suburbs to central Mumbai and suddenly had a lifestyle I'd never dreamed of," he remembers. Only the dream was soon to turn into his worst nightmare.

One day he was called by the same designer-choreographer to his Bandra home and told about "an Italian brand of underwear looking for models." He was given a bunch of really skimpy underwear and asked to try them out. "I expected to go change in some other room but he scolded me for being a prude villager. 'Women change in front of me all the time, why are you being all coy?' I was asked. Despite my unease, I changed into the underwear. He told me to relax and think of something sexy to get a hard-on 'to fill up the underwear.' I was too nervous and sweating. He even put on some porn video cassette, but I was still filled with fear." He finally wisened to what was going on when the designer stepped ahead and put his hand into the front of his underwear squeezing his privates. "I thought I was going to break down. This is someone I looked up to and almost reverentially called 'Sir' all along. I just quickly changed and left. I was so nervous I didn't wait for the lift. I ran down the stairs and remember stumbling as I fought angry tears."

While his work got greatly reduced later, he was shocked how many in the fraternity began to tell him to lose "his small-town moral hang-ups" wherever he went. When he once found the exact same bunch of skimpy underwear left out to dry by a flatmate, also struggling to model, he tried to warn him. "And that became my undoing. He squealed on me. The next day I ran into the choreographer-designer's fashion high priest friend. 'You're done. You've bad mouthed my friend? Let's see who the f**k gives you any work ever!"

From being among the top models his fall from grace was overnight. "Even fashion shows and shoots I'd lined up for slipped away. I was told they didn't need so many male models and were dropping me. Some like this corporate pageant queen czarina commiserated but told him he shouldn't have been so stubborn."

Left with no hope and work it took him two years to move to the US. "I never wanted to go back to the fashion industry in the US. I feared my vulnerability as a newcomer could be exploited again," he says admitting he's not even told all this to the woman he is now married to. "I don't even know where to begin. Also, I don't like the dark negativity that creeps in every time I think of how defenceless I felt in that situation. I've just tried to blank it out."

He doesn't feel emboldened enough to talk and take names fearing it will end up upsetting his traditional family back home. "They were never too happy when I began venturing into a field they didn't know much about. This will devastate them. I'm unsure I'm ready to put my name out there yet," he says and adds, "But I want my story known so that young vulnerable boys who face sex predators know this is wrong and that they aren't alone."

Desperation driven

Twenty-six-year-old footballer-model Prathamesh Maulingkar who is scheduled to represent India at Mister Supranational 2018 pageant in Poland feels this is as much about the desperation of young men who want to make it at any cost as about predatory sex. "If you come across as confident, assertive and keep it professional without making it look like this is your last and only chance, people won't mess with you," he says.

He said he asks for specifics of his shoots clearly mentioned in the contract. "Any excessive provocative nudity or suggestive skin show departing from the contract is a no-no. One needs to be firm about this, even willing to give it up an assignment if needed."

Others like Kishan Kapoor* a South Mumbai boy feels it is far more complicated than that. This 25-year-old says he got tired of being groped and asked for sexual favours and began taking his girlfriend along whenever he went to audition. "What I thought was strategy backfired and I suddenly find myself with far and few assignments."

He still bristles recounting his last audition for a jeans ad. "Once I went through the first round I was asked to wait until all other auditions were over. I got hopeful. The designer sent everyone including the cameraman outside and shut the door saying he wanted me to have space. And then while asking me to thrust my crotch at the camera suggestively he kept touching me inappropriately. First, it seemed innocuous but later I saw the look in his eyes as he grabbed my crotch. Furious, I slapped him hard and walked away unmindful of his threats of finishing my career."

Two months since he has found himself without work. "I like to believe there are good people around too and I will find my break without making compromises and that's what keeps me going."

Dos & don'ts

Padma Shri awardee, fashion designer, writer and environmental activist Wendell Rodricks would totally approve of Kapoor's views. "Models should accept that there is no need to get on a ramp via someone's bed. If you have the qualities, you'll get on the ramp. If not, accept the fact and move on. Don't be so desperate. It's not worth it as there is not much work for male models and anyway, it's a short career," he says and emphasises: "The only way out is to say NO and go to another career. I've repeatedly told models that if you're good for ramp, ads, whatever...people will pick you out for the job."

Ace fashion photographer-stylist Paul David Martin echoes Rodricks and says that being too obvious about their desperation is the undoing of many male models. "Unlike Mumbai where awareness is much higher, in places like Delhi I've seen young men come with crazy pre-conceived notions about modelling. They dress, talk and behave hypersexually often dropping not-so-subtle suggestions they're willing to pay any price to reach the top. Such boys are the most vulnerable to exploitation," he explains and adds, "Whenever one hears of sexual misconduct / harassment / abuse of male models the victims often come from that demographic."

Rodricks also warns about using a broad brush stroke to paint everyone in the industry as circumspect. "Close-knit though the fashion industry is, everyone is not an abuser. In fact, we're on the constant lookout for new talent to promote. The mistake models (from rural areas especially) make, is that they think they'll get a ramp walk if they sleep with designers, choreographers, coordinators, etc. They should go to industry professionals who have a clean reputation. A few rotten apples ruin the reputation of the entire industry. I've been in the industry for long enough to know that there are many genuine friendships and some good souls in fashion. They far outnumber the abusers."

Not modelling alone

While Rodricks insists on calling the sexual exploitation an abuse of power by perpetrators, he underlines how it is not exclusive the world of fashion. Others, however, point out how this is more true of fields of entertainment, glamour or performing arts which involve the showcasing of physicality. "The murder of Kathak exponent Bireshwar Gautam after he allegedly sexually abused a male TV actor nearly a decade ago or the serious sexual abuse charges against celebrated Bollywood choreographer Shiamak Davar by his students, a charge he vehemently denied, has often indicated this phenomenon is not as rare as is made out to be," says cultural historian Meghna Kashyap. "With a number of youngsters drawn to Bollywood, TV and the relatively newer web series competition is intense and the desire to find a break can push young men into situations from where the road can often lead to sex work."

Virendra Balhara should know. He has taken that path. When we met this 28-year-old on an afternoon at his Lokhandwala gym he laughed about being the only one there. "I came to Mumbai from Haryana to act in movies and see how I don't even want people to see me in real life now," his voice completely inconsonant with the laughter. After trying to land a role in films, TV soaps and even auditioning for modelling assignments he gave up. "Till they got into my pants I would be treated in style and given hopes. Once they tired of me, forget work, the same people wouldn't even take my calls," he says bitterly, "I used to pose nude for an artiste but he'd only call me once in a while and I have bills to pay. So I first began stripping and then working as an escort. Now I just pursue sex work full-time for a living. The option is to go back to Haryana and work on the farm with my father."

After his girlfriend found out last month, she broke up with him and moved out. "She was guilt tripping me on my choice, saying I should drive a taxi/auto instead but had no answer to how I would pay for her high-maintenance lifestyle in that much money."

One of the country's leading voices on gender equality Dr A L Sharada, who is also the director of Population First warns against the tendency to smirk when instances of male sexual abuse are brought up. "It is unfortunate when some who claim to be working for women's rights see this as comeuppance for the way women have been abused for centuries," she says, "Whether its women or men, patriarchy creates enabling conditions for vulnerabilities to be exploited."

Here Rodricks' sound advice comes back to caution: "The young models, and often their pushy ambitious parents, should be aware that like in any fraternity, whether banking, media or a Government job, it is a tough world out there. The only way to shine and get a job, any job, is through hard work and talent. Not through satisfying someone sexually. In all cases of abuse, it takes two hands to clap. If it gets uncomfortable, just say NO and walk out the door."

Meanwhile, Terron Wood wants more guys to speak up. Soon after the New York Post story about the sexual misconduct came out he tweeted: "Hey guys, I don't normally talk about stuff like this but I'm glad I can be a part of an article that can bring light to this subject and change to the industry," he said and added, "I want to thank the men who are also a part of the article. It's not easy to come out and talk about this subject."

Perhaps, breaking the silence is the only way to end the ugly price male models pay for their careers...