Ian Somerhalder on underage models, the Photoshop effect and shooting in his underwear
MANILA, Philippines - Underage models set an unrealistic ideal, according to Ian Somerhalder. The Vampire Diaries actor, in Manila to shoot a Penshoppe campaign, was discovered at the age of 10, making the rounds of Milan, Paris and New York Fashion Week, and participating in high fashion campaigns.
“I think there absolutely should be a way to limit how young these models should be,” Somerhalder remarked at a recent press conference.
Vogue, all 19 international editions, recently pledged to eliminate the use of underage models. Models aged 16 and below, under the aegis of editors and bookers, are verboten, according to Condé Nast International chairman Jonathan Newhouse who informed The New York Times that “Vogue editors around the world want the magazines to reflect their commitment to the health of the models who appear on the pages and the well-being of their readers.”
“I remember when I was 15 or 16, there were these girls who were literally labeled ‘supermodels’ at 14,” Somerhalder recalls. ‘And I find it really odd that these 14-year-old girls, at about 5’11”, look like they’re 25.”
“It’s selling clothes, high-end clothes, to adult women — women chasing this fountain of youth and beauty, yet the person who’s selling it is 14 years old. How does a 45-year old woman, who’s agonizing about getting old, compare herself to this model?
“Well there’s one little thing she doesn’t know about, and it’s that that model is a freshman in high school, or in eighth grade. I totally disagree with how that works. But I think that really is part of what has been going on in fashion for many years. So maybe we can be agents of change in this aspect, make these brands more true.”
Somerhalder, who spent a large portion of his youth in front of the camera, points to one element of the shoot process.
“Photoshop is what destroyed us,” he observes. “I mean, how can we compete with that little mouse?”
He noticed friends in their mid-30s aging well who are agonizing over their wrinkles. “It’s a weird obsession we have about staying young,” he says. “I just turned 33, and back when I turned 30, I went, “I made it! I’m an adult! This is so cool.” I’m 33 now, and I have more energy than when I was 18 or 20. I feel so much better about myself. There’s something amazing about aging.”
Green dream
Somerhalder is noted for his green efforts, regularly extolling the virtues of eco-friendly projects on his Twitter. On off-setting his carbon footprint, the actor tells The STAR, “We were going to El Nido (to shoot the Penshoppe campaign). You fly in this little chartered plane with a very small pump engine. But this company, ITI (Island Transvoyager, Inc.), computed that, say for that particular airplane, it takes six trees to offset the carbon footprint for each passenger. So for every passenger they fly, they plant six trees. How cool is that? Filipinos are taking big strides in going green.”
Shoot for the stars
Somerhalder is the latest in a line of Hollywood celebrity endorsers, following Gossip Girl’s Ed Westwick who headlined the previous Penshoppe campaign. Shot by Darren Tieste at a Palawan resort, the Vampire Diaries star modeled the latest collection. “I think we covered until Fall 2045,” he quipped.
“There are a lot of great colors and a lot of fun, simple, soft fabrics that were really comfortable. It was about 95 degrees, and there were certain outfits — like there was this jacket — wherein I thought I was gonna fall over,” he says.
“Oh, and the Penshoppe G-strings are awesome. Totally comfortable,” he winks, while fans not quite past puberty screamed in adoration.
When it comes to shopping for his own wardrobe, Somerhalder doesn’t mince words.
“I am the worst when it comes to fashion. I don’t even shop by look anymore, I just shop by feel,” he says, “because I’m all about comfort. Men dress for comfort. That’s one thing I don’t get about women. What is it you say, ‘fashion before comfort?’ I’m totally just a T-shirt and jeans type of guy.”
