good number of you weighed in with your positive and negative opinions on Ali Michael's fashion spread in the New York Times.
Many readers lashed out asking where the parental supervision was. Ali's mother MaryAnn Michael actually travels with her daughter every step of the way to all her castings, shows and shoots around the world.
Here's what she has to say:
"While I can appreciate the fact that the “T” might not have been the most appropriate venue for this editorial, it is interesting to see how it has been perceived by so many people. It is also fascinating that people think that they have the right to judge so severely and with such outrage and vengeance. Perhaps, these are the same people who would not enter an art museum unless the statues were covered in drapes. In Europe, the pictures in question would never elicit the least bit of controversy.
There is nothing “minor” about Ali. She is an old soul who is an extremely intelligent, focused, disciplined, responsible young lady. She is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. While she is a few months shy of her 18th birthday, she is more mature than most adults twice her age.
She has had the good fortune to work with some of the world’s best known photographers over the past two years including Paolo Roversi. He is an icon in the industry. The pictures in the “T” are in no way sexual and, in fact, portray a sense of innocence and beauty.
I have my viewpoint and you have yours. It is unacceptable for you to demand that we think exactly alike and it is unconscionable that you feel the need to judge or attack. After all, we come from totally different backgrounds and perspectives and are each entitled to our opinions.
Art and beauty are in the eye of the beholder. If you don’t like what you see, keep in mind that no one is forcing you to look."
Many readers lashed out asking where the parental supervision was. Ali's mother MaryAnn Michael actually travels with her daughter every step of the way to all her castings, shows and shoots around the world.
Here's what she has to say:
"While I can appreciate the fact that the “T” might not have been the most appropriate venue for this editorial, it is interesting to see how it has been perceived by so many people. It is also fascinating that people think that they have the right to judge so severely and with such outrage and vengeance. Perhaps, these are the same people who would not enter an art museum unless the statues were covered in drapes. In Europe, the pictures in question would never elicit the least bit of controversy.
There is nothing “minor” about Ali. She is an old soul who is an extremely intelligent, focused, disciplined, responsible young lady. She is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. While she is a few months shy of her 18th birthday, she is more mature than most adults twice her age.
She has had the good fortune to work with some of the world’s best known photographers over the past two years including Paolo Roversi. He is an icon in the industry. The pictures in the “T” are in no way sexual and, in fact, portray a sense of innocence and beauty.
I have my viewpoint and you have yours. It is unacceptable for you to demand that we think exactly alike and it is unconscionable that you feel the need to judge or attack. After all, we come from totally different backgrounds and perspectives and are each entitled to our opinions.
Art and beauty are in the eye of the beholder. If you don’t like what you see, keep in mind that no one is forcing you to look."
