This model was 13 when this photo was taken.

The Polish teenage model, Monika Jagaciak, is now 14 and on her way to Australia to strut her baby stuff on the catwalk at fashion week. Nooooooooooooooo. But yes.

Bravo to Vogue Australia editor Kirstie Clements who has refused to shoot the model for Vogue and has called for a minimum model age of 16 for catwalk models at fashion week:

"We found out on Wednesday about Jak’s
age and told (Fashion Week boss) Simon Lock there was no way Vogue
could be involved in promoting her.
Jak was absolutley a potential for the cover, we were lined up to
shoot her but when I discovered this week that she was 14 I was like
‘ah, no way’. I have children who are 13 and 14 and I’m still tucking them into bed in their jim-jams. I just think there should be a standardized rule that specifies models should be at least 16 to participate".

Abso-fucking-lutely. It’s insulting to women – not to mention
misleading – to have children modelling clothes that will be sold to
adults. Interestingly, since the bun fight erupted, Monika’s model
agency IMG (who own fashion week in Australia) have removed her age
from their website.

Fashion week boss Simon Lock, has used his own 14 year old daughter as a weapon in his counter-attack, trying to justify why Monika will be flown out to Australia to be the star of the week’s collections:

"Jak will be chaperoned by an agent from her mother agency (Gaga in
Poland) and she is coming with the full approval of her parents, who
are very switched on and extremely supportive," said Mr Lock.

"I have a 14-year-old daughter myself, so I’m well aware of the
situation – we want to see these models grow and devlop through this
opportunity at RAFW, not be exploited.

"Hopefully she will have a great experience and one day, when she’s a world famous model, she’ll think of us."

Yep, I’m sure she’ll send you a postcard from rehab or the eating disorder clinic. But even if she doesn’t end up that way for her (and let’s hope it doesn’t), models younger than 16 don’t belong on the catwalk or in women’s magazines. Ever.