Babalola Otitoju Joseph, a fast rising fashion model, has called on industry stakeholders to quickly rise in support of models struggling with eating disorders in a bid to prevent their fledgling careers from hitting the crossroads.
Formerly known by the nickname Joseph Walter and now referred to as Joseph Water, the handsome hunk also harped on the need for management to be empathetic to models suffering from one form of challenge or the other.
Speaking recently on his journey into the world of modeling, Joseph Water noted that of great worry to her is the complexity of troubles faced by her colleagues, saying, “What concerns me the most and I would love for girls to speak up more about is the eating disorder issue.
“Most of my model friends admitted to me they have had some kind of eating disorder at some point in their careers and most of them were still struggling with it. That made me realize how bad it is and how little clients and agents talk and care about the well being of models.
“I do not want to hear that I am too fat or what is the problem with your skin. It is normal that when you get your period that you look a bit puffy or get a few pimples. I know it is our job to take care of our body and face and make sure it looks its best all the time, but still, everybody has her/his days, where they have some issues and do not want to hear, they look like shit or whatever.”
Joseph Water also spoke about agencies and the imperative of going the whole distance to make models understand the workings of the industry at all point in time. “If the majority of people within any industry had a similar level of empathy [as my agency] towards mental and physical health, there would be a huge shift in our evolution.”
He continued: “Models must understand that an agency is a working partner, neither an employer nor a boss, and act accordingly. The relationship between models and their agency needs to be clarified, and the balance of power should be rethought.
“Before signing any contract with an agency, there should be an obligatory briefing by the agency’s lawyer and accountant. A training program for the personnel of the agency: knowing and understanding the laws and the procedures they apply daily is a good starting point, especially taken into account the fact that if a model has a question, he or she usually turns to the booker.
” Educating models themselves on their duties and rights is apt. We should not underestimate the fact that many young inexperienced people accept and will continue to accept unfair and dangerous working conditions due to the misinterpretation of the profession, and the aura of ‘industry of fantasy’ it has”,.added Joseph Water, whose full name at birth is Babalola Otitoju Joseph
“There definitely should be more organizations (like Model Alliance) for models to go to when they have been sexually assaulted, haven’t been paid, or have been mistreated at casting/sittings/agency and there should be more health regulations to make sure models are being healthy and encouraged to take better care of themselves . Maybe a health coach/ nutritionists organized by an agency for models to talk to and get knowledge from.”
Not one to shy away from reality, Joseph Water expressed his willingness to quit the industry if the money is no longer good enough or if his agency stops from being professional in its relationship with him.
“If am not really making money or getting paid enough as a model, also not having a good modeling agency that can help you to get a paid gig job with the top brands like Versace, Gucci, Fendi, Burberry, I will consider quitting. Another factor is sexual harassment or if you have to go naked or have sex before getting a paid modeling job,” he explained.
The coronavirus pandemic swept through the globe particularly in 2020, culminating in the loss of lives, jobs and many more. Some businesses either shutdown or retrenched a number of workers to stay afloat. But how did Joseph Water cope with the pandemic?
“Last year was tough for me because I got booked for some shootings, runaways gigs which I couldn’t go due to pandemic fashion models like me who rely on runway gigs and campaign photoshoots in exotic locations for much of their income. Fashion events have been curtailed, plus brands have scaled back on their photoshoots.
” Some have experimented with replacing professional models with influencers and their own employees. Even with New York Fashion Week I always like to attend every year to get booked and shoot, I couldn’t go due to the pandemic as well. So let’s just say I was not getting paid as a model during the lockdown,” said Joseph Water
Like most Nigerians across the world, Joseph Water is not in the least impressed about federal government’s suspension of Twitter, the micro-blogging site over what the government described as a threat to national unity.
In his words, “social media is supposed to be free for everyone to use. I’m not in Nigeria now but the act of the government towards twitter infringes on the freedom to use social media and it’s disheartening and the reason behind the clampdown is just childish. The Nigerian government should do better because this was the same platform they used during their electoral campaigns.”