F'd Ad Fridays: Why you should always be present for your 15-year-old supermodel daughter's photoshoots

The headline is probably wrong at this point. See updates at bottom.


Styleite reports that the parents of (now) 16-year-old model Hailey Clauson are suing Urban Outfitters, photographer Jason Lee Parry and two other stores for a grand total of $28 million in damages for putting the images of Hailey on apparel without their permission.

Parry and Clauson, archived from a deleted post (hmmm) on Hailey's Blog.

This is a young woman who has modelled for Gucci and Oscar de la Renta, and she’s been done spreads in French, Russian and Chinese Vogue. So on the surface, you'd think that this was about lost revenue from abuse of their supermodel daughter's image.

But apparently, it is something else:

The pic is presumably taken from the UO online shop, as it matches the style of their other merch. (Although it doesn't seem to be there now).

The parents' claim for damages stems from what the describe as the "blatantly salacious manner" in which the teen was photographed.

I imagine UO are pretty pissed off about this, especially if they didn't have all the details about the photo. The hipster retail chain is known for producing dozens of ironic tees, with images ranging from Saved by The Bell's Kelly Kapowsky to Thai Pepsi logos.

The photographer, meanwhile, had parental permission to do the original shoot, as demanded by law. And the pics from that session were already up on fashion blogs. Presumably stage parents in the industry would be aware of that. They also appear on Parry's online portfolio.

And then there's the issue of much more provocative professional work that she has also done:

She's also done topless stuff, but I'm not posting that.

I don't blame Urban Outfitters, or the photographer. They're only part of the problem. The big problem is a fashion industry for which only teenage girls have bodies flawless enough to convey the stylemakers' ideals of beauty. And even more so, the  blame has to be shared by parents who let that industry get a hold of their dependent children.


UPDATE e-online provided more details:

The suit alleges that Parry agreed to never release the shot after her then agency Ford Models complained. She is now represented by Next NY.

But the risqué photo turned up later in the German glossy Qvest. It also popped up on T-shirts sold at boutiques Blood is the New Black in Los Angeles and Brandy & Melville in SoHo.

A manager at the Brandy & Melville store in SoHo was unaware the shop had been named in the lawsuit and did not know if the tees were still being sold. "We don't know anything about it. I hadn't heard," said the employee.

Parry says both Coulson's mom and dad were at the photo shoot in question in March 2010 and gave him permission to publish the shot.

Coulson's mom, Bethany, did not return a request for comment.

More UPDATE - Parry apparently did the shoot for Qvest.


Sunday UPDATE - statement from "Team Parry":

“In regards to the recent lawsuit against Jason Lee Parry and Urban Outfitters­.

While the outcome of the Jason Lee Parry’s lawsuit will ultimately be determined in court, I would like to address the undeniable facts about these absurd allegation­s.

-The model’s father was present for a majority of the shoot. He was shown photos while on set and sanctioned them long before they were published.

-Ford modeling agency assigned the model for Jason Lee Parry’s shoot. Ford approved the fashion story featured in Qvest magazine to be published. The photo in question was featured in the model’s portfolio on Ford’s site. All correspond­ence is documented in emails approving the shoot.

- A total of seven people were on set during the entire duration of the shoot, including three female stylists, and a female videograph­er. The upmost care was given to ensure the model was provided privacy while changing wardrobes and that absolutely no nudity of any kind was visible.

-There was absolutely no breasts or genitalia visible in the image in question. There is less skin observable in the image than could be seen in any contempora­ry bathing suit photo.

- Unbeknowns­t to Jason Lee Parry the image in question was selected by the t-shirt brand. He was also unaware of retail distributi­on of the t-shirt.

-After the photos were released the model proudly posted the images in question to her personal site.”