Supermodel Paulina Porizkova reveals the dark side of the fashion industry that attacked her at the age of 15
Paulina Porizkova reveals some dark secrets of the world of high fashion, saying her rise to stardom was full of unfortunate encounters.
The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit legend, now 60, detailed the alleged sexual abuse she experienced as a teenager, saying the very people who were tasked with managing her career often sent her into dangerous situations.
“I started modeling at the age of 15 in Paris during summer break after school,” Porizkova shared in a video clip posted on Instagram. “And every day I was sent from 4 to 10 o’clock called ‘go and see.’ He goes, and they see – in the whole city – alone, without knowledge of the language or the city. “
The Czechoslovak-born model explained that while some meetings were professional, many others were far from her.
“Sometimes the people I saw were well-dressed and in offices, and sometimes they were middle-aged men in dirty houses who wanted to take just a few pictures of me – you know, maybe shirtless,” she said. “I don’t lose count of the number of men wearing open bathing suits who greeted me in their hotel rooms or in the houses where I was sent by the agency or clients.”
Porizkova, who made history in 1984 as the first woman from Central Europe to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, noted that progress did not stop at dirty houses.
She remembers well-dressed old men who used to invite her to parties, yachts and villas.
For many years, the supermodel believed that these conversations were part of the payment.
“I took it all for granted,” Porizkova admitted, “that my job was to take off my clothes, put them back on and learn how to protect myself from men with horns so you don’t offend them and lose your job.”
It wasn’t until the 1990s, while watching a segment on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show about sexual harassment in the workplace, that she realized her experience qualified as harassment.
“I looked at my girlfriend and said, ‘Is that sexual harassment?
Reflecting on his vulnerability as a child in a high-profile industry, the author of “No Filter: The Good, the Bad, and the Good” emphasized how easily children can be manipulated by those in power.
“If you take a child and put him in any situation, that child will get used to it. If an adult tells you that it should be like this, then who are you, child, to protest? “And if you are not sure how many years the child will be a child, then you do not have or do not have the personality to remember that you are a child.”
The supermodel captioned her social media post with the hashtags “#Epstein,” “#EpsteinFiles” and “#Justice.
Porizkova’s impressive career includes serving as the face of Estée Lauder and appearing as a judge on “America’s Next Top Model” alongside Tyra Banks.
Over a 41-year career, she has appeared in 11 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issues.
He also transitioned to a successful writing career, releasing his first novel, “A Model Summer,” in 2007 and his non-fiction book in 2022, “No Filter.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Porizkova for comment.
