DougBPhoto wrote:
That said, it might be wise to still complete your end of the agreement so that you are clearly the only wronged party.

Otherwise you were hired for a job, you were prepped, and then you didn't show, which could be viewed as you not doing what you were hired/contracted for.

You might not want to put yourself into a potentially weaker position thinking you're standing on principle.

GRMACK wrote:
If you turned the gig down the agency might put you at the bottom of the pile for future work.  Since you agreed, you might still be in their favorites folder, just you may not like it now, but you do have options for the time being.  Press legal over volunteering to do it and you may get blackballed too which is worse.  There's a lot of formerly agency rep'ed models out there for one reason or another.

So you got a new look now.  Make something positive out of it (Go wig shopping!) and not dwell on perceptions of it hurting your career.  Obviously right now it hasn't.

I totally disagree with this. I can't see any decent agency being OK with the model's appearance being drastically altered without their knowledge as they now have a product (the model) they cannot sell as they have no current material of her. Any decent agency would flip their marbles guaranteed.

Looknsee Photography wrote:
I'm really sorry for your troubles.

Playing Devil's Advocate:  I will point out that there are two sides to every story, and the other side will say that you consented to the styling (which included some "adjustments" to your hair).  They will also say that you had ample opportunity to raise objections while all this was going on.

So, ask yourself:  how could you have prevented this from happening before it was too late?  What would you do differently next time?

Now, in terms of your options:  The way I see it, you can make a fuss (justified or not), or you can chalk it up as a learning experience.  If you want to make a fuss (because of your "worth" and your "integrity"), that's your choice, and I'm not going to say whether it's a valid or appropriate choice or not -- whichever makes you happy, but here's what happens if you make a fuss:

...  That customer will claim that you left them in a lurch by refusing
     to follow through with the photo session,
...  That customer will never hire you again,
...  That customer may never hire your agency again,
...  Your agency might find it more difficult to find placements for you,
...  etc.

Any a-hole can sue any other a-hole for any reason.  What happens to your net worth if you get the reputation of a model who sues stylists?

It's a sad story with no happy ending possible, but my suggestion is that you think on the question I asked above:  how could you have prevented this from happening before it was too late?  If you can figure out a constructive answer to this question, you've learned a valuable lesson.

I'm sorry -- you sound upset, and I really do hope things work out for you.

This is good advice on trying to prevent it from happening again, but for this instance, it is blaming the victim.   We have all trusted somebody's word and paid the price.  Most of us will do it again.  Does a person go into every modeling job thinking, "How is this person going to screw me over and how do I prevent it?"  I think that attitude would eliminate the possibility of future work pretty darn quick.

I suggest going to the shoot, getting paid, registering a protest with the highest authority there, and then seeing a lawyer.  Get some good legal council.  Find an agency that has your back.

Monica L C wrote:
... I was completely traumatized by the end result.

Monica, I am sorry that you experienced such an unpleasant situation.  It's something where the gig was misrepresented to you, but things like this happen.  Your hair will grow back.   You will get over the trauma of seeing yourself with short hair.  It could have been worse ... much worse! 

I have been a photographer for hair shows and the major California Cosmetology Association Conventions in the past.  I've also had very long hair, I've had my hair various colors, I've had an Afro and had it shaved off ... all because I've been close to my friends who do hair AND I'm a guy! This is what "hair artists" do!  They will cut your hair.  Models that do hair shows are aware that they will be able to do only a couple shows at a time before they need to let it grow back.  Well since I'm no longer a model, I do understand the importance of your "image" so I sympathize with you ... but again, it could have been worse. 

The attitude of blowing off the job is not a good one.  I understand you are making a point, but this may hamper you getting future work.  You can get extensions, or wear a wig until your hair is back to normal.

Years ago, I was photographing a young model and singer whom I was managing at the time.  She had long hair and had modeling for me before.  I had just photographed her on her girlfriends classic Chevy El Camino, then took off to go to a club where my band I was working with was going to play.  She and her girlfriend took off in the other direction in the El Camino ... when they got into a head on collusion with another truck!  She and her girlfriend were thrown from the vehicle ... no seat belts in that year of vehicle.  They both had head trauma and went into surgery for removing blood clots on the brain.

My friend came out of surgery, and was damn near as good as new!  She was ordering pizza and having too many visitors in her room at ICU (or was it recovery?)  Her head had been shaved, but she took it all in good humor.  We'd be at a stop light, and she'd smile at the guy in the car next to us, then lift off her wig to show her bald head laughing as we drove away!  It wasn't long before we were shooting pictures again.  Her girlfriend did not recover as quickly, as her attitude was not so bold and positive.

Count this a lesson learned, but look towards the future too.

Hunter Wald wrote:
This is good advice on trying to prevent it from happening again, but for this instance, it is blaming the victim.   We have all trusted somebody's word and paid the price.  Most of us will do it again.  Does a person go into every modeling job thinking, "How is this person going to screw me over and how do I prevent it?"  I think that attitude would eliminate the possibility of future work pretty darn quick.

I suggest going to the shoot, getting paid, registering a protest with the highest authority there, and then seeing a lawyer.  Get some good legal council.  Find an agency that has your back.

You're going to have to prove damages?  By the time the case goes to trial, her hair could be back to it's original length.  I don't know that a lawsuit would be worth it.  Depending on what she signed with the agency, she will be lucky if he client does not sue her agency or her for breach of contract.

This is good advice on trying to prevent it from happening again, but for this instance, it is blaming the victim.

No, it isn't. She made a choice.
She consented, and didn't do her due diligence. She should have rejected it completely since it wasn't in the agreement. At the least she should have insisted on a mirror so that she could keep an eye on what the stylist was doing. She basically agreed to alter the contract without even consulting her agency.

Is her agency not a victim?
is the client not a victim?

Hunter Wald wrote:
...but for this instance, it is blaming the victim.

With all due respect, we don't know that.  We've only heard one side of the story; we don't know that she's the "victim" -- I would imagine that the other side can as easily claim to be the victim.

Hunter Wald wrote:
We have all trusted somebody's word and paid the price.

I should point out that we are trusting the OP's word, here, too.

Hunter Wald wrote:
Does a person go into every modeling job thinking, "How is this person going to screw me over and how do I prevent it?"  I think that attitude would eliminate the possibility of future work pretty darn quick.

That's a pretty extreme exaggeration.  What I advocate is clarity in communication, not necessarily an assumption that the person is going to get "screwed over".  Look around the forums -- the "Is This A Scam?" threads are very popular -- should we ignore the warning signs?  I say, no.

Hunter Wald wrote:
I suggest going to the shoot, getting paid, registering a protest with the highest authority there, and then seeing a lawyer.  Get some good legal council.  Find an agency that has your back.

Like I said, any a-hole can sue any other a-hole for whatever reason.  Winning, however, is another matter, and even if the model wins, she'll lose.  If she wins, her hair won't be restored, will it?  Here's what will happen if she sues...
...  Her lawyer will get paid, a lot,
...  Their lawyer will get paid, a lot,
...  Lawyers, who are paid by the hour, will not be in a hurry to resolve
     the dispute,
...  As the plaintiff, she will have to show (prove) damages,
...  Their lawyers will say horrible things about her,
...  She will lose sleep,
...  She will lose work opportunities,
...  She may lose, in which case, she may have to pay the defendants and
     their lawyer (after all she bailed on the shoot),
...  She may win, but if she does, she probably won't recover enough to
     cover her legal expenses,
...  She will tug on the coats of strangers to tell her sad story,
...  etc.

Yeah, she can sue, but to me, that's probably modeling career suicide.

GRMACK wrote:
I'd forget about the legal compensation since you agreed to it and no one forced you into it.  I could see Judge Judy saying much the same, although maybe with a bit more flair and admonishment too.

For the time being you could get some extensions or wigs and use those while it grows back too.  I've worked with some who went through the same thing and actually liked their wigs and new looks coming from them.  Did add variety and a different look, and some far better than their real hair too (Actually most did.).

Seems like every season of ANTM they do that in one of the first few shows:  Ones with long hair become super short, and short become long with wigs/extensions - or totally bald.  Show drama maybe, or part of their weeding out process too.

If you turned the gig down the agency might put you at the bottom of the pile for future work.  Since you agreed, you might still be in their favorites folder, just you may not like it now, but you do have options for the time being.  Press legal over volunteering to do it and you may get blackballed too which is worse.  There's a lot of formerly agency rep'ed models out there for one reason or another.

So you got a new look now.  Make something positive out of it (Go wig shopping!) and not dwell on perceptions of it hurting your career.  Obviously right now it hasn't.

Oh GOD, we're now citing a bad reality tv shows as industry relevant information and legal precedent.

Star wrote:
"This job was for STYLING only. No cutting or color was apart of the agreement/CONTRACT. "

what do people not understand, the client broke the contract. Why on earth would she show to the shoot after the contract was broken? Why shouldn't she sue since she had a contract and they violated it when they cut her hair without permission?

We haven't seen this "agreement/CONTRACT".

Looknsee Photography wrote:

We haven't seen this "agreement/CONTRACT".

and why on earth should you? it is a legal document. If you don't take the word of the OP that it exists then why even reply to this topic? I'm outta here, got real work to do.

Monica L C wrote:
A lesson in claiming your worth and standing up for yourself.

Now I know this could be a lot worse, but it's about the principal.

Here is my story...

I booked a job through one of my agencies for a hair "styling" photo shoot.

This job was for STYLING only. No cutting or color was apart of the agreement/CONTRACT. Upon arriving to the prep day shoot I was asked if I could get my hair "trimmed" and "thinned out." I was told that it would look the same, but only more styled. I agreed to this because I assumed that she was not going to drastically change my hair because she was aware of the styling only agreement. Every time she'd cut into my hair with scissors she'd affirm and re-affirm that it wasn't cutting very much. She said this at least 20 times. I trusted what she was saying because of this. I also did not have a mirror around me to  see what she was doing, nor did I really know or understand what was happening to my hair due to the fact that I don't do hair. When she finally provided me with a hand held mirror at the end I could not tell how much hair had been cut when I looked in the mirror. I also waited to touch my hair till I left because I didn't want to interfere with the styling so I could not feel how much she cut.

With that said, I was completely traumatized by the end result. The stylist basically didn't give a sh*t about how her choices would potentially affect me. The thickness and length of my hair is half of what it was before my hair was cut. My hair is completely different now. My "brand" is completely different. I went from full, thick mid back length hair to a shoulder length bob with tails. The cut is horrible. Before the cut my hair was f*cking AWESOME! Take a look at my port.

The amount of emotional damage and stress this has caused me is astronomical. I feel violated and taken advantage of. I see to be an infringement of my look/trademark. This has impacted my personal well being and my ability to successfully continue working in this field.

Instead of supporting me, my agencies only concern was if I was going to do the actual shoot or not. This happened on the prep day. I felt a severe amount of pressure to decide.

My choice...

I chose NOT to do the shoot and potentially lose all forms of compensation because I knew deeply within myself doing the shoot was saying what happened was OK. It was not OK. The minute I realized that I didn't need the money and it wasn't worth losing my integrity, and chose not to do the shoot my entire being felt free and empowered.

This isn't just about losing some hair. This is about knowing your worth and standing up for your self when something is in violation of your value. This is about trusting you can receive in a way that supports your highest value.

I feel that a lot of models (even photographers, MU artists and stylists. EVERYONE really) make choices in this industry out of desperation. Models, you are worth more than losing your integrity. In fact, when you start making choices that support your value, you start to attract better experiences.


I've also chosen to take this even further and seek legal help for compensation for a breach of contract.
Including -- Loss of potential work due to changed appearance/look/trademark. Impact on other agencies I am signed with due to putting a hold on sending me out on jobs because I no longer look like my photos. The time it will take to grow my hair back. Minimum 6-12 months. Time/energy/money it will take to get new photos for my portfolio. Therapy - To cope with the emotional trauma/stress from cutting half of my hair off without being told. I've had my hair the same length and thickness for over 23 years. This was traumatizing and feels like a severe violation. "Regrowth" The time spent fixing my hair. (cost of corrective haircuts and extensions)

Thanks for taking the time to read my story.

Make the choice based on your highest value.


Monica

There's no question that what happened to you was wrong.

I think it's reasonable to refuse the job as you did and it's not an exaggeration to describe how you felt as "traumatized".

I think the most important thing for you to do is choose a course of action that best suits your needs.

I don't think that you'd have been losing integrity to have done the job - at least you'd have gotten something out of it.

Money is not going to fix your feelings about your hair.

A lawsuit will drag on longer than it will take for your hair to grow back. It will also hurt your reputation as being someone who's difficult and lawsuit happy, even if you're 100% right. That will not become clear to outsiders until the 18-24 months it will take to settle the lawsuit have passed. They'll see that you won, but by then the damage will have been done.


Having hair ruined by jobs is not uncommon. I recently shot someone who had her hair burned off by having it straightened it daily for a movie role. She had clip in hair extensions in all of the photos and was about to get permanent ones put in that would last until her hair had fully grown back in. That's a viable solution for you.

I think the ideal timing to ask for that would be at the end of the prep day and get it in writing before doing the shoot. It's something people would understand, but your feelings lead to anger which has put you in an adversarial role with them and vice versa.

The only issue is that you breached your part of the contract too - not the hair part, but the showing up part. It's very realistic that that cost them more than the cost of extensions and that they will not happily spend money solving a problem for the person who caused them a problem.

The only thing I can see is having the sweetest, most empathetic person at the agency call them and tell the saddest version of your story possible and then ask for help. No threats, just a hint at extensions.

There's a saying about lawsuit settlements along the lines of no one is every happy with them. By definition, you're settling. Both sides are compromising and neither is getting what they want. It's a safe assumption, that you're not going to end up fully happy, but if you can get something that helps a little, like extensions, that's at least something.

Star wrote:
"This job was for STYLING only. No cutting or color was apart of the agreement/CONTRACT. "

what do people not understand, the client broke the contract. Why on earth would she show to the shoot after the contract was broken? Why shouldn't she sue since she had a contract and they violated it when they cut her hair without permission?

Because lawsuits aren't always the best remedies for broken contracts. They're expensive, they take a long time, they're emotionally draining, they make enemies and they never get what you want - a lawsuit will not bring her hair back.

What she should do is figure out what's best for her in the long run and then ask for that. Then depending on what happens, file a suit.

Looknsee Photography wrote:
I'm really sorry for your troubles.

Playing Devil's Advocate:  I will point out that there are two sides to every story, and the other side will say that you consented to the styling (which included some "adjustments" to your hair).  They will also say that you had ample opportunity to raise objections while all this was going on.

So, ask yourself:  how could you have prevented this from happening before it was too late?  What would you do differently next time?

Now, in terms of your options:  The way I see it, you can make a fuss (justified or not), or you can chalk it up as a learning experience.  If you want to make a fuss (because of your "worth" and your "integrity"), that's your choice, and I'm not going to say whether it's a valid or appropriate choice or not -- whichever makes you happy, but here's what happens if you make a fuss:

...  That customer will claim that you left them in a lurch by refusing
     to follow through with the photo session,
...  That customer will never hire you again,
...  That customer may never hire your agency again,
...  Your agency might find it more difficult to find placements for you,
...  etc.

Any a-hole can sue any other a-hole for any reason.  What happens to your net worth if you get the reputation of a model who sues stylists?

It's a sad story with no happy ending possible, but my suggestion is that you think on the question I asked above:  how could you have prevented this from happening before it was too late?  If you can figure out a constructive answer to this question, you've learned a valuable lesson.

I'm sorry -- you sound upset, and I really do hope things work out for you.

All correct except she's not here for legal advise, she's here for personal advice and emotional support.

Asking her how she could have prevented this is really just victim blaming or suggesting the blatantly obvious which she's probably already done.

That would have been good advice if she'd been asking about how to avoid this in the future, but that's not what she asked.

Monica L C wrote:
A lesson in claiming your worth and standing up for yourself.

Thanks for taking the time to read my story.

Make the choice based on your highest value.


Monica

Kudos!

Looknsee Photography wrote:
With all due respect, we don't know that.  We've only heard one side of the story; we don't know that she's the "victim" -- I would imagine that the other side can as easily claim to be the victim.



I should point out that we are trusting the OP's word, here, too.



That's a pretty extreme exaggeration.  What I advocate is clarity in communication, not necessarily an assumption that the person is going to get "screwed over".  Look around the forums -- the "Is This A Scam?" threads are very popular -- should we ignore the warning signs?  I say, no.



Like I said, any a-hole can sue any other a-hole for whatever reason.  Winning, however, is another matter, and even if the model wins, she'll lose.  If she wins, her hair won't be restored, will it?  Here's what will happen if she sues...
...  Her lawyer will get paid, a lot,
...  Their lawyer will get paid, a lot,
...  Lawyers, who are paid by the hour, will not be in a hurry to resolve
     the dispute,
...  As the plaintiff, she will have to show (prove) damages,
...  Their lawyers will say horrible things about her,
...  She will lose sleep,
...  She will lose work opportunities,
...  She may lose, in which case, she may have to pay the defendants and
     their lawyer (after all she bailed on the shoot),
...  She may win, but if she does, she probably won't recover enough to
     cover her legal expenses,
...  She will tug on the coats of strangers to tell her sad story,
...  etc.

Yeah, she can sue, but to me, that's probably modeling career suicide.

Looknsee Photography wrote:
We haven't seen this "agreement/CONTRACT".

I didn't tell her to sue.  I suggested she see a lawyer.  There is a difference.

In a subsequent post, you doubt her version of the story.  She can show a lawyer the contract and discuss the details and course of action, if any, with the attorney.  Do we have any reason to see the contract and do we have any reason to doubt her word other than our mistrust of OPs?  Dismissing her story, because we are only privileged enough to hear one side of the story isn't helping the OP.  If the other people want us to hear their side, they are welcome to respond to the OP.  I think, since they haven't responded, they do not contest the OPs story.  Is that any more of an unreasonable position than to dismiss the OPs story because we haven't heard from the opposing side? Why is it the ModelMayhem Forums standard retort position is to dismiss the story teller because we hear only one side?  If the OP is leaving out pertinent facts, then the OP is going to get advice and comments based on the data that she gave.  If the story is inaccurate, then the OP should know that any conclusions or comments that we make are likewise inaccurate.


I do not expect her to ignore warning signs.  (see scam threads)  Nor do I expect her to fear dangers that aren't there.  (See escort threads)  Her version said that someone was saying, be calm, don't worry, through the whole process while deceiving her all along.  I have been the victim of a bad haircut.  I had a barber take a gouge out of the hair on the back of my head.  I didn't know it till someone at work asked about it.  Once I knew about it, I could reflect back to the evening before, about how the barber didn't show me that side of my head and the barber at the other chair had a funny look on his face.  People lie.  People deceive.  We don't always know it right away.   If ever.   Wasn't it you who told stories about your father being a composer, and him being taken advantage of by people?  I took you, or whoever I have confused you with, at your word.  Why should I not take the OP at her word?

MC Photo wrote:
All correct except she's not here for legal advise, she's here for personal advice and emotional support.

Asking her how she could have prevented this is really just victim blaming or suggesting the blatantly obvious which she's probably already done.

That would have been good advice if she'd been asking about how to avoid this in the future, but that's not what she asked.

Agreed.  It isn't that the people warning against taking legal action aren't correct in their assertion that it is a rigorous process.  But that is for the OP to decide and your advice may help her with that decision.  On the other hand, I loose sleep because the people around me, and my attorney have advised me in the same matter.  I want to fight the injustice that has occurred to me, partially so it doesn't happen to other people.  My attorney asked me, "Why do you care?"    I cited the Martin Niemoller poem and the quote, "Evil flourishes when good men do nothing."  While I would not recommend that the OP actually sue, speaking to an attorney could be wise.

Looknsee Photography wrote:
We haven't seen this "agreement/CONTRACT".

Star wrote:
and why on earth should you? it is a legal document. If you don't take the word of the OP that it exists then why even reply to this topic? I'm outta here, got real work to do.

I'm just saying that we have only heard one side of this story.  I'm a natural born skeptic, meaning that I have no reason to believe or disbelieve the OP.  Why are people here so willing to believe that the model was the victim and the stylist was wrong?  I just think that we lack sufficient information & perspective to make the call one way or the other.

MC Photo wrote:
There's no question that what happened to you was wrong.

And what makes you so sure you know the whole story?

MC Photo wrote:
All correct except she's not here for legal advise, she's here for personal advice and emotional support.

Asking her how she could have prevented this is really just victim blaming or suggesting the blatantly obvious which she's probably already done.

That would have been good advice if she'd been asking about how to avoid this in the future, but that's not what she asked.

Well, I tried (and apparently failed) to avoid giving legal advice.  Sorry 'bout that.  Having been through a few civil suits, it's a hot button for me.

However, I thought I gave her some good personal advice; in sum...
...  She's welcome to make a fuss (however she wants to), but making a fuss could
     have an impact on future job opportunities,
...  I suggested that she look at things from the other side -- she got her hair styled
     and then refused to follow through with the photo session, leaving the client
     in a lurch,
...  I suggested that there is not much she can do about the current situation,
     but she could take this opportunity to turn this into a learning experience so
     that she could figure out constructive ways to avoid a repeat of this issue.

My college advisor, a very wise man, once said, "Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment".  Her hair is cut.  My best advice -- move forward, not back.

Looknsee Photography wrote:
My college advisor, a very wise man, once said, "Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment".  Her hair is cut.  My best advice -- move forward, not back.

That is good advice.

Looknsee Photography wrote:
My college advisor, a very wise man, once said, "Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment".  Her hair is cut.  My best advice -- move forward, not back.

I've expressed that there are worse things that can happen, and to move forward from this is the best option.  Hair tends to grow back.  I've met and worked with many models who have suffered bad hair cuts.  They never died from it.  When I was scheduled to go in for open heart surgery, I got the worst haircut of my life in preparation for it because I've always heard you can't die with bad hair ... or is it "from" bad hair?  Anyway, I survived the heart valve surgery.  She is going to survive her bad haircut too.  A sense of humor about it will help!

Monica L C wrote:
A lesson in claiming your worth and standing up for yourself.

Now I know this could be a lot worse, but it's about the principal.

//snip//

Thanks for taking the time to read my story.

Make the choice based on your highest value.

Monica

Hi Monica!

You have heard many people of support of you, some critical voices as well...

Now... here is my take on this...

True, the haircut was not at all what you've expected... and it's understandable that you are upset... and you might think that your stance "integrity vs. money" is the moral highway and a good principle.

Let me ask you this: In the end... who had the greatest loss, who got hurt the most, by your decision to boycott the shoot?

The "damage" was already done... hair grows back... and you could have used the new style on the first page of your portfolio... as you know... that's how it is done normally... new hairstyle... first page of portfolio, no need to redo the ENTIRE book!!! 

You might as well have taken a pro-active step and just go through with the shoot and make the money... maybe getting some more, because they cut more of your hair than you were informed about.

I had model friends in NYC, who had long hair, went to a show (for Wendy Williams in a particular case) and the hair was cropped, thinned and shortened, pretty much as in your case... but guess what... when I asked my friend how she felt about it, she shrugged her shoulders and said, that she is getting paid for this... and moved on.

No biggie...

Well... those are my dos céntimos!

udor wrote:

Hi Monica!

You have heard many people of support of you, some critical voices as well...

Now... here is my take on this...

True, the haircut was not at all what you've expected... and it's understandable that you are upset... and you might think that your stance "integrity vs. money" is the moral highway and a good principle.

Let me ask you this: In the end... who had the greatest loss, who got hurt the most, by your decision to boycott the shoot?

The "damage" was already done... hair grows back... and you could have used the new style on the first page of your portfolio... as you know... that's how it is done normally... new hairstyle... first page of portfolio, no need to redo the ENTIRE book!!! 

You might as well have taken a pro-active step and just go through with the shoot and make the money... maybe getting some more, because they cut more of your hair than you were informed about.

I had model friends in NYC, who had long hair, went to a show (for Wendy Williams in a particular case) and the hair was cropped, thinned and shortened, pretty much as in your case... but guess what... when I asked my friend how she felt about it, she shrugged her shoulders and said, that she is getting paid for this... and moved on.

No biggie...

Well... those are my dos céntimos!

Completely agree with Udor, & resist allowing ego to sabotage your long term career.

Monica L C wrote:
Upon arriving to the prep day shoot I was asked if I could get my hair "trimmed" and "thinned out." I was told that it would look the same, but only more styled.

...I agreed...

That's really all this boils down to.  I wish people would learn to accept some of the blame for their mistakes.  You say the shoot was for styling only, so the moment the stylist asked if you'd like anything other than that you should have said "No".  You allowed them to proceed, and then didn't bother keeping an eye on the progress. 

Yes, they did something drastically different, and they should have consulted you further...but in the end, that pair of scissors would have never come out had you not agreed to it.  Also, for someone so concerned about losing potential income....you chose to flake on the shoot after the hair was already cut...not really a bright thing to do.  Your hair will grow back, but anyone associated with that shoot, anyone who is friends and hears about how you wasted their time during prep AND flaked on the paid shoot (and yes, EVERYONE in this industry talks, especially in our neck of the woods) will never book you for anything again.

So, here we are.  Your hair may or may not be fucked up.  It will take a long time to grow back by your account.  Can you sue?  Sure.  Will you win?  I dunno, but I'm sure the first thing the judge will ask is "Did you agree to let her cut the hair?", then it's all going to be arguing over semantics and interpretation.  All at the same time your reputation will be harmed because not only did you bail on a job, but you also sue clients.  My suggestion, learn from your mistake:  IF a job says you do a,b, and c....don't do h, r, v, g, or any other things that you aren't obligated to do.  In the meantime talk with your agency and see what their suggestions are for your hair, get another hair cut, and start shooting again.  It's not like models have never drastically changed their looks before, and there's not much you can do in the meantime unless you'd prefer to quit working for the next year...

Bearz Images wrote:
Completely agree with Udor, & resist allowing ego to sabotage your long term career.

Her profile says she's 28, so it is not like she's some cocky 19 year-old without a clue and having no idea how much she does not know.

She has every right to stand up for herself and that something essential to her career was hacked to bits against her permission.

Her agency is supposed to be looking out for her, and it sounds like they didn't give a shit.  The client, at best, lied about what they intended to do and booked her under false pretenses.

She has every right to sue, it isn't ego, it sounds like she'd genuinely been damaged.

Would suing harm her long term career, who knows, but it sounds pretty clear that the emotional and physical damage is causing her harm right now for sure.

Should she have left when the scissors came out, with hind-sight being 20/20 yes, but to blame her now for not doing so seems kinda like blaming a victim.

DougBPhoto wrote:

Her profile says she's 28, so it is not like she's some cocky 19 year-old without a clue and having no idea how much she does not know.

She has every right to stand up for herself and that something essential to her career was hacked to bits against her permission.

Her agency is supposed to be looking out for her, and it sounds like they didn't give a shit.  The client, at best, lied about what they intended to do and booked her under false pretenses.

She has every right to sue, it isn't ego, it sounds like she'd genuinely been damaged.

Would suing harm her long term career, who knows, but it sounds pretty clear that the emotional and physical damage is causing her harm right now for sure.

Should she have left when the scissors came out, with hind-sight being 20/20 yes, but to blame her now for not doing so seems kinda like blaming a victim.

Don't mistake advice for blame.