In 1996, Gerald and the models of the "elite" company
The case of France's elite model management company became a high-profile scandal. The company's owner is Gerald Mary, who has been leading the company for more than 30 years. People started talking about harassment at the company back in the 1990s, but it wasn't until 2019 that the police began to notice the fact.
Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein were two very powerful businessmen. They were blinded by their power and wealth, and for decades they forced many girls to have sex. In 2010, they had to stand trial and take responsibility for their crimes. Now, Gerald Mary, the former head of the world-famous model agency, has encountered the same problem, with more than 24 women accusing him of sexual harassment and rape. In September last year, six former supermodels flew to Paris to testify in the case of Gerald Marie.
In 2020, before the formal investigation into the case began, The Guardian conducted a special investigation to speak with victims of fashion industry Harvey Weinstein. The investigation found that behind the glossy surface of elite model agencies, there was a dirty deal controlled by Gerald Mary. The most astonishing thing is that everyone knows about it, but the silence has remained silent for almost 40 years.
Wendy Walsh in 1986
Individual cases
In the spring of 1980, Wendy Walsh and her mother flew from Toronto to Paris. Wendy Walsh was just over 18 years old. Wendy's "baby face" first caught the attention of Canadian beauty stylists, who offered to send some photos of the girl to a famous Parisian model agency. In Paris, the model agency was interested in the girl and invited her to a personal meeting with the firm's 30-year-old director, Gerald Marie.
Wendy Walsh, her mother and Gerald Mary had dinner together. According to Wendy Walsh, "It was the first time I ate a French sandwich. Mr. Gerald gently explained each dish to me. I vividly remember how he pleased my mother, which surprised me. When I was young, my mother was also an extremely beautiful woman, but since she changed to a disease, her face has been full of markings. Mr. Gerald said a lot of nice things and sometimes shook my mother's hand. The atmosphere was very harmonious. ”
Gerald Mary
Back at the hotel, Wendy's mother said to her daughter, "He's a good guy and will take care of you." Looking back at the previous scenes, Wendy understands that Mr. Gerald is also using this way to get the other models' families to let their guard down. He lured the girls to him, convincing his parents that he would be the reliable guardian of the girls.
Two months later, in June 1980, Wendy Walsh moved to Paris. "I was young and naïve, thinking that everything in the world was good. I'm not afraid at all because I believe in people who promise to take care of me and make me a famous model. Wendy said.
Famous radio host Wendy Walsh
Wendy Walsh is now a well-known radio host in the United States. In 1980, dozens of girls from all over the world came to Paris to chase their dreams like Wendy. Over the next few decades, thousands of girls who dreamed of becoming models worked for Gerald Mary, though only a few of them became true stars. The company's owner, Gerald Mary, did "take care" of them, but it wasn't what Wendy's mother had imagined.
Gerald Marie raped Wendy just weeks after she arrived in Paris. In addition to Wendy, at least 7 other girls were harassed by Mr. Gerald Mary between 1980 and 1998.
Gerald and the company's models
When Wendy Walsh had just started her career, Gerald Marie had been working for the Paris Project model agency for 5 years and was one of the most powerful and well-connected agents in Europe. Do you want to be a model? Just Gerald Mary gives the editor-in-chief of the world-renowned fashion magazine Vogue a phone call. In 1986, the Paris Project became a subsidiary of the "Elite Model Agency" and Mr. Gerald was appointed President of the European branch. He co-manages the firm with New York-based founder John Casablancas. It was these two who discovered supermodels like Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Helena Christensen, and many more.
Back in 1980, Gerald Mary's "harassment" was already an "open secret," as confirmed by some former models. It's also part of underpinning the fashion industry's entrenched culture of exploitation.
Recent photo of Wendy Walsh
Wendy Walsh is still a new face at the company, so she is forced to attend every meeting with potential customers. Some of them took place at night and didn't look like business negotiations at all. There are a lot of rich playboys in the luxury villas, holding cocaine in their hands. Because individuals are drunk, there is nothing to talk about.
Soon, Wendy Walsh was invited to Monte Carlo to meet new potential customers, but an older model friend advised her not to go on the trip. In a world of the rich who own luxury yachts, young girls do something uncontrollable. Wendy Walsh declined the invitation, but another aspiring model, 19-year-old Gildod, didn't get any advice, so she accepted the invitation.
Jill Dodd
Like Wendy Walsh, Gildod came to Paris in 1980 as a recruiter for the Paris Project and began auditioning, but there have been few significant job opportunities. So a few months later, the company billed the girls: plane tickets from the U.S. to Paris, hotel bills, and food bills. Of course, Jill didn't have any money, she would just sit in the corner and cry.
Suddenly, Jill is told that the head of the company, Gerald, wants to see her, and the girl is overjoyed. She believes that the long-awaited meeting with her boss could make her career better, as she witnessed firsthand how Mr. Gerrard sent a girl directly to the studio of the world-famous fashion magazine Vogue without any testing and evaluation. So Jill felt his chance had come.
They went to the club together. Mr. Gerald made a good impression on Jill. According to Jill's recollection: Mr. Gerald was a confident man, not at all the "sullen" president she had seen in the office. That's why Jill agreed to go to Mr. Gerrard's house to continue the conversation. Jill felt that Mr. Gerald was attentive and polite, and was flattered by the attention he received from Mr. Gerald. Things went so fast that Gerald's black hand reached out to Jill. Even though she shouted, "Stop! "But as Wendy Walsh experienced, Mr. Gerrard ignored the girl's protests.
The naïve Jill thinks that Mr. Gerald really likes himself, but in a way that is a little too bossy. She later discovered that Gerald had harassed her roommate and many other models.
Adnan Khashoggi, one of the world's leading arms dealers
When Gill was invited to Monte Carlo, she immediately seized the opportunity to escape Paris. There, she was introduced to Adnan Khashoggi, a Saudi billionaire and one of the richest people in the world. The next day, Jill attends a dinner hosted on Adnan Khashoggi's luxury yacht, and they begin their romance. Two years later, Gill became a wife in Adnan Khashoggi's harem.
It wasn't until much, long, long time that Jill finally discovered the truth. Adnan chose her from many of the model's photographs. Adnan later admitted that he had paid for a catalog of models from a model agency. In 2017, Adnan had passed away, and Jill knew he was just being used.
There are too many such examples. Gerald Mary ruined many girls' modeling dreams and had a huge impact on their psychology. For reasons of length, it is listed here.
Gerald with his first wife, who was also a model for the company
The BBC's independent investigative project
Anderson, an employee who worked for the Elite Model Agency from 1983 to 1990, argues that to understand why Gerald's crimes went unpunished, it was necessary to understand the unlimited powers that the modeling training company was given at the time. Anderson was originally recruited for Chicago's elite models and was later promoted to vice president. She remembers at least six different models complaining to her about Mr. Gerrard's misdeeds, but they were afraid to call the police for fear of losing their jobs.
More investigative information was done by BBC reporters. In the late 1990s, journalist Lisa and her colleague Donal conducted a special investigation. Pretending to be an aspiring model and photographer, they infiltrated the "elite model agency" company. Here, they witnessed first-hand the ugliness of the agency. Lisa was raped by Mr. Gerald at the club with other models. Immediately after the incident, Lisa returned to her room and told the camera what had just happened. However, these records were not handed over to the police. Because of this, the reporter's investigation will be suspended in advance.
Journalist Lisa tells about her undercover work in an investigative documentary
In November 1999, the investigation by journalists Lisa and Donal was completed and broadcast on the BBC. Not only is there the figure of journalist Lisa, but there are also many shocking shots taken by hidden cameras. Throughout the film, it is clear that Gerald is a real monster, he raped the models and threatened.
However, the "Elite Model Agency" refused to acknowledge the authenticity of the documentary and refused to hold Mr. Gerrard accountable. In addition, the company's representatives filed a lawsuit with the BBC, saying that the reporter had misrepresented the facts. Their power is great, and they have managed to prove themselves correct in court and win the case. The broadcaster had to apologize publicly and admit that the documentary had been "misled" and promised not to air the investigative film again. (In the years that followed, Lisa repeatedly asked the company to hand over the documentary to her, but was refused.) Gerald Mary's reputation was restored and she continued to lead the "elite" company for many years.
Subsequent
In 2004, the "elite" company was split into two separate institutions, owned by different companies, which are still in operation today. Gerald Mary continued to oversee the "Elite" division in New York until 2011.
In 2012, Gerald Marie joined the prestigious Parisian agency "Oui Management" as an investor, and her model added a lot to Louis Vuitton's advertisements and the cover of Vogue magazine. Despite Gerald's claims to be retired, industry insiders working with Oui Management confirmed that until recently, he also played an important role in the company, and his responsibilities also included finding talent and working with "promising newcomers."
Gerald, 2001
Today Gerald married a Russian model. Most often, he can be found in villas in Paris or Ibiza. In response to the allegations against him in 2019, Gerald was shocked and categorically denied them. Gerald intends to actively cooperate in the investigation of the criminal case that has been initiated to find out the truth.
However, 40 years later, has the modeling industry changed? Many people think that the problem that Gerald represents is still relevant today, but that people have remained silent about what is happening.
Pictures from the Internet, invasion and deletion!