The Fashion Teller values itself as an INDEPENDENT elite group that loves to do artistic projects outside any influence but our team. We take NEUTRAL stance on any drama or feud between models or/and designers, as we consider it none of our business. Any drama or fights should strictly be confined in between the feuding parties and not get anyone else involve. We believe it is very unprofessional and unethical for any agency, business or designer to forbid or restrict the actions of their models outside the workplace such as prohibiting models to wear a certain designer’s outfits on their own time/blog/flickr/work. It should ALWAYS be the model’s right to choose what they want to do, wear or blog on their own time. COERCION OR HARASSMENT MUST NOT BE TOLERATED AND SHOULD BE REPORTED AS ABUSE TO LINDEN LABS.
It is very sad and unfortunate that many models feel like they don’t have a voice, especially the new ones. They are afraid to speak up for what is right as they fear of being labeled difficult or worse, be ejected from the group or blacklisted. Let me tell you something. YOU HAVE THE POWER but if you don’t stand up, you will always be treated like a servant or slave. No one has any power over you unless you allow them to. Any VIPS, Agencies or Big Name Designers got where they are because of YOU, the public. And you have the power to take them down their high horse. You have the power and right to decide which business to support in SL. Why spent your money on someone that restricts your freedom and rights? Support businesses that actually values you and respects what you do.
UPDATE:
Now that this is out in the open, they are releasing a statement that this is all a lie. LOL. You just called all those models, agency owners, magazine owners, and bloggers you coerced…LIARS.
We all know the truth. GOD knows the truth. Shame on YOU.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ricoracerflux/6282538776/in/photostream
The Mind & Musings of RicoRacer Flux 
We also have the power to NOT pay one L$ toward people (or groups) who think it’s up to them to decide who is “good enough” to model.
Why should they be given the power (and get paid for it!) to tell us when *they* think that we are good enough to model anything for anyone? Shouldn’t it be only up to us and those who ask us to model for them? (This is my own stance on this issue.)
As far as people not standing up for themselves….it’s the same in RL. Many don’t realize that standing up for yourself does not mean that you are or have to be “rude” or whathaveyou. If you treat someone with respect and dignity, you deserve nothing but the same in return.
I can’t believe anyone in SL would be so shallow as to demand someone quite modeling for a different designer or something…. though I’m sure it happens,
Great post! I hope bloggers, designers, academy owners,models, will read this post. It is all about business ethics. Bloggers have a right to blog for whomever they want. I have had a few instances were I have been contacted by designers not happy that I blogged for a competitor. I do as I please!
very well said alexandra, kay and rico esp! coercion is both infantile and completely unfair. i’m sure that we’ve all seen our share of drama in SL. let’s keep SL. there’s enough drama in RL, so as with any relationship in SL or RL, if it doesn’t pertain to another individual, don’t bring him/her into the fray. be adult enough to keep it between only the parties involved. SL = fun!
very well said alexandra, kay and rico esp! coercion is infantile and completely unfair. i think that we’ve all seen enough drama in SL, particularly in fashion. there’s enough drama in RL. so, let’s keep SL fun!
A very interesting post and as a content creator I completely support bloggers and models in expressing their own individuality on their own time. Independent Fashion Bloggers are some of the people that help to educate newcomers into SL as to what to look for in design.
From the point of view of a designer, there is something that people who work in the SL fashion industry also need to take into account. Designers in SL are all trying to stand out from the crowd. If you express your views in a personal blog it can affect whether or not a designer will hire / choose you to represent their brand. This is not an attempt to take away your integrity or freedom Rico. It is the designers right to choose who they want as the ‘face’ of their products. If a person chooses to represent a brand such as Mr/Miss ACME SHOES and is paid by the owner of ACME SHOES, then goes on to rave about another shoe maker in their private blog/photostream, doesn’t the designer have to right to refuse to continue working with that person? And while this is SL and you can do and be anything you want to be, business here reflects RL practices. If Emma Stone was to blog that Mineral Foundation by L’Oreal was the best makeup around… I am sure she wouldn’t be the face of Revlon for very long. As models and bloggers have the right to express themselves, so do designers. NO ONE has the right to dictate your actions in SL, but everyone must also be ready to accept the consequences of said actions, designers, models and bloggers.
I shouldn’t smile but your second last sentence left me grinning. My first thought was ‘ Just Bring It’! But then I don;t think I am typical of a lot of designers in SL. The situation you are describing is a completely different matter as far as I am concerned. I would hope, as you pointed out in your post, that people would realise that such behaviour should never be tolerated. It has been, however, SOP in both SL and RL businesses for a very long time. The difference a few of designers here fail to realise is that in SL your reputation is everything.
Tenemos un papel vital en nuestras decisiones y hemos de ser coherentes con nosotros mismos. Nosotros decidimos donde queremos estar, eso no tenemos que olvidarlo. Podemos escojer!
EXACTLY!! I totally agree with you.
Now the story will be a bit different if somebody is “paid” to blog for a certain designer. In that case, it would be her/his job to write blog posts. But if you are not paid, then you are FREE to blog about whatever you like.
That’s also the issue of “freedom of expression”. Blogs are like fashion journalism. It has to be free and neutral. Otherwise, the value of media will be sacrificed.
agree with you. it is depend on what you think what you want to do except forced someone to other. thanks rico for this issue .
well said Rico