Monika Jagaciak
Monika Jagaciak has been stopped from walking the Austrailian Fashion Week catwalk after officials ban underage models.
The 14 year old Polish model has caused a stir in the fashion industry all over the world with her fresh faced look and was due to be the face of Austrailia's biggest fashion event.
Austrailia Fashion Week officials had at first stood by Monika despite her age but yesterday AFW boss Simon Lock confirmed organisers have revoked that decision.
"Effective immediately both male and female models participating in AFW will need to be at least 16 years of age and must be represented by a reputable model agency," the statement said.
"Polices are constantly revisited and endorsed by the advisory board to ensure the event best served the industry and reflected community attitudes towards issues surrounding the fashion industry," Mr Lock added.
Monika was due to take part in a shoot for Austrailian Vogue but Editor Kirsty Clements has also had a re-think: "I just figured she was that average age of a model," Clements told afp. "so we said 'she's great, we will use her for a couple of shoots'."
"It was only two nights ago that it was relayed to me that she was 14 so I pulled the plug on it."
It isn't currently compulsory for agents to publish the birth date of models alongside the headshots they send out to magazines and designers so sometimes underage girls can be hired without an employer realising.
In the past the fashion industry has been criticised for using underage models who's bodies have not yet developed to sell an unnatural image of a woman's body and now officals of the major fashion weeks around the world are taking action to ban models who are under 16.
But is this enough? Some people are calling for the ban to be extended to those under 18. What do you think?
Caz Moss- Female First