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In the late 1990s, several photographers started sharing collections of conventional child photos on the Internet. These collections, usually called ''series'', first appeared on Newsgroups dedicated to pictures of children. The more prolific photographers soon developed Web Sites to host the more popular series. These sites generally avoided suggestive apparel and eroticism. Practically all of these early series featured children in conventional childhood locations and situations, notably the ''Amanda'' and ''Lil' Amber'' series. The pioneering sites ''Joseph Paul Photography'' and ''Paul Jones Photography'' (later renamed ''PJCrew'') began with photo series featuring family members, but their series soon took on the look of model shoots intended for advertisers of childrens' clothing. In both of those cases, the photographers hired neighborhood children to serve as models by telling them and their parents that the photographs were intended for fashion advertisements. In fact, the photographers' web sites generally made enough money so that other customers for the photographs were unnecessary. CHILD MODELING WEB SITES Almost all Internet child modeling centers around web sites that display model series or ''portfolios''. The sites almost always present the children as fashion models for hire. In fact, all of a model's income typically comes from membership subscritions to the web sites displaying their photos. Subscription prices ranged US$ 20-30 per month, or higher. In 2002, the PJCrew site was reported to bring in a net income of US$ 7,000 to 10,000 a month. Occasionally a child modeling site would suggest a rationale for individuals to join, and these usually fell into two categories: Advertising Agencies and Fan Club s. Under the advertising agency rationale, people would subscribe to the site if they were in the advertising business and needed to "scout out" potential models. Under the fan club rationale, "fans" of the models appearing on the site would pay to follow the career of favored models, much as a Movie Star fan might purchase a Fan Magazine . To some extent, there was an assumption that the fans of young models would be other young people. Reports suggest that almost all child modeling site subscriptions are purchased by adult males for recreational purposes. The typical conclusion drawn from this observation is that the sites are used exclusively for erotic stimulation. While this may explain some of the sites' commercial appeal, there appear to be other motivations as well. The tone and content of several on-line discussion groups that cater to child modeling site subscribers reflect an almost parental interest in the models' welfare. Moderators routinely ban participants who make lewd or even disrespectful comments about the child models. While the subscribers' interest in the models might not be easily explained in familiar ways, they do not generally appear to pose a threat to the models' safety. There have been no reports of Internet child models being stalked or harassed by customers, though they have been stalked by news organizations. RISKS OF INTERNET CHILD MODELING Internet child modeling clearly disturbs many members of the general public. Observers have identified several possible risks:
In many ways, Internet child modeling is comparable to conventional modeling: the work is part-time, it pays well, and it carries a certain glamour. In both cases, children may be harassed by peers: classmates of the 1970s Child Model Lisanne Falk posted a photo of her modeling a Bra on her school locker. Unlike conventional modeling, however, Internet child models may live anywhere in the world; the only requirement is proximity to a photographer willing to take photographs for the site. CONTROVERSY In July, 2001, Wired News published a story about child modeling web sites that described ''Lil' Amber'', ''Jessi the Kid'', and ''Tiffany Teen Model'', which are websites operated by a web hosting company called Webe Web Corporation in located in Florida. In November, 2001, the NBC television station serving Miami, FL, ran a story entitled Selling Innocence . A reporter "went undercover" to contact the site operators and then tracked down Amber (which isn't her real name), the model featured in ''Lil' Amber'' at her family's farm in Palm Beach County. Amber's step mother, father, and brother refused to discuss Amber's modeling site, and asked them to leave. Following the publicity, Amber and the model Molli of ''Mollirama'' "retired" from Internet modeling. The news report also prompted Florida Congressman Mark Foley ( R - Palm Beach County ) to propose legislation banning child modeling web sites. In 2001, Webe Web placed an essay that responded to all the criticism on the ''Jessi the Kid'' site. Molli and Jessi (of the ''Jessi the Kid'' site) are now modeling again. Jessi returned in the Summer of 2005 and Molli returned in the early part of 2006. Webe Web (the company that hosts the websites of Molli and Jessi) recently announced that their second child model, Lil Amber, is expected to return in April or May of 2006. Lil Amber would now be sixteen years old. In April of 2003, a child model named Cindy appeared with her mother on The Oprah Winfrey Show [http://www.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200304/tows_past_20030428.jhtml] and discussed her experiences as an Internet child model. SEE ALSO SOURCES
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