News at St. Catherine's
Middle Schooler Advocated for Rights of Child Models
Rising eighth grader Lily Goodman joined legislators in New York to seek bill protecting child models.
Child model and rising 8th grader at St. Catherine’s, Lily Goodman, joined Senate Co-Leader Jeff Klein, State Senate Labor Committee Chairwoman Diane Savino and Supermodel Coco Rocha, last month, to submit a legislation preventing the exploitation and abuse of child models in New York.
Goodman began modeling at the age of 3 for the Goddard Schools. Since then, she has been in numerous commercials and ads, and has participated in many fashion shows for Nordstrom and for Virginia Fashion Week. Her eyes were used on Virginia Eye Institutes billboards and she also was recently featured in a national ad campaign for Homeland security to fight against Human Trafficking. Although she has had a successful modeling career thus far, she has always been aware of the obstacles that child models face.
In the previous legislation, child models were denied the following protections given to other child performers: health and safety, a responsible person, a nurse, financial trust and an education requirement.
In Goodman’s speech, during the press conference at the Lincoln Center, she spoke about how important it is to have this legislation passed.
“This not only benefits the child model’s education, but it will keep them safe when their parents are not near, and it will help the child model have a future career when they get older and can’t model anymore,” Goodman said.
Her insightful, personal speech impressed many people, including Sara Ziff, president of the Model Alliance, a “growing network of models and industry leaders dedicated to improving working conditions in the American Fashion Industry.”
“She was confident as she was eloquent, and the Senators and everyone at the Model Alliance took note,” Ziff said. “Lily is a remarkable young woman. She’s not only a model, but also a role model.”
Goodman was not nervous for her speech. She felt confident delivering her words in front of a large crowd.
“Without St. Catherine’s, I couldn’t have written as good of a speech as I did,” Goodman said. “I wouldn’t have felt so comfortable speaking in front of a large audience.”
“Lily played a big part in raising awareness about the gaps in New York’s child labor laws,” said Senator Klein. “Thanks to her help, the New York State Senate and Assembly have passed legislation that finally extends child labor protections to all child performers.”
Click here to view Lily’s speech and the press release.
Located in the heart of Richmond, Virginia, St. Catherine’s School is a private, all-girls pre-K, kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school. We provide a well-rounded educational experience for girls from communities across Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico and all of central Virginia. St.Catherine’s all-girls educational experience is rooted in more than a century of history and tradition. From our revolutionary past to our dynamic present, St. Catherine’s has always focused on preparing students for a boundless future.
