Our policy is that “no means no” – that means, we never wheedle, insist, push, or even encourage a model to do something when they have indicated they don’t want to do it (see how we present this to models).
We don’t play “head games”, pretend to misunderstand, or be passive aggressive about the model’s decision – we accept that everyone has boundaries, and that we all don’t feel comfortable when they are crossed.
Consider this scenario;
The Shoot Producer ask the model, “Tell us about the last time you had sex?”. The model looks uncomfortable, and says “Actually… I’d prefer not to…”
There’s a range of responses the SP could make, for example;
❌ Oh – why is that?
The model has clearly indicated a “no”, so it’s inappropriate to “dig deeper” – why she has said “no” is none of the SPs business.
❌ Ok, maybe you could act it out instead?
The model has said “no” to talking about it, asking her to act it out is insensitive – she’s said she is uncomfortable with the subject, so it’s appropriate to change the subject to something else.
✔️ No worries, we’ll cut that out of the final edit. Let’s talk about something else. How have you changed how you give blow jobs over time?
The shoot is sexual in nature, so it’s appropriate to ask other sexual questions, but (in this example) not related to her most recent sexual experience.
Depending on how “serious” the model’s reaction is, it may be necessary to take more drastic measures – reduce the Posing Level, ask some more-general questions to lighten the mood, or even reschedule the shoot. This is left to the SP’s discretion.
What if the model is vague when meaning “no”?
The complexity of human nature and cultural differences means that sometimes models will not give a clear “no” because it’s presumed to be impolite, or for fear of retribution (many young women are programmed to be extremely sensitive to this, as they have all had bad experiences when it comes to saying no to people in power over them, as a Shoot Producer is).
Models may mean “no”, but instead;
- Suggest alternatives
- Change the subject of conversation
- Call for a break
- Use softer phrasing, like “Maybe later?” or “Not right now”, or “Maybe on the next shoot”
This makes it difficult to know what to do, especially in the complexity of a fast-moving shoot day! Shoot Producers are sensitive to this, as a model who feels her boundaries are crossed will not be engaged in the shoot. If a Shoot Producer senses a model means “no” but the model is not explicitly saying “no”, it’s best to clarify it directly with the model. For example;
✅ I have suggested doing some nude shots outside several times now, and I just realised that each time you’ve changed the subject! Is that just bad timing (haha), or would you really prefer not to do that?
If the model’s response is anything other than an enthusiastic “yes”, shooting outside (or whatever the topic is) should not be done. Following on;
✅ Got it, no worries – we won’t shoot outside when you’re nude!
The Shoot Producer makes it clear the model is not going to be “forced” to shoot outside, so she does not need to worry the SP will “spring” it on her again. The model can relax 😌.
What if the model says “no” too much?
If the model indicates “no” many times (for example, refuses to answer any sexual questions; refuses to show her buttocks), we cannot make a complete shoot. A complete shoot is required for the model to be paid, and for the shoot to be released.
If the model refuses a large part of the shoot, the shoot needs to be cancelled. The media captured so far will be destroyed, the paperwork will not be completed, and the model will not be paid.
While the model may perceive this as “forcing” her to do what she does not want to do, our position on this (what a complete shoot comprises) is made clear to models on many occasions, so will not be a surprise. It may be best to frame this as a “reschedule” (rather than a cancellation), giving the model and the company time to sort out the differences.
Lowering the Posing Level of a shoot is always possible. For example;
The model started doing an Explicit pose, but felt uncomfortable. The SP directed the model into a different EXP pose, and the model was uncomfortable with that as well.
The SP chatted with the model and found she’s not comfortable being “that revealing” in this shoot, so the SP suggests we make this a Open Leg shoot instead. The model has already done some Open Leg poses and is comfortable with that.
The Shoot moves ahead successfully.
This is a great outcome for the company (we get a shoot), and the model (she’s comfortable).
It is essential the SP makes notes in the PPCMS about this, and flags the notes as “important”, so the media of the Posing Level the model was uncomfortable with is not released on the abbywinters.com website.