AI Summary
5 min readWhen Karina Von d’Ahé was 15 years old, she and five other young Danish models were locked inside a Milan apartment. Middle-aged men opened a corner cabinet and pulled out sex toys. “We were completely deer in headlights,” she recalls. While the other girls started crying, Von d’Ahé realized nobody else was going to act. She put herself in front of the group, told the men the party was over, and got everyone out.
That story, told in the podcast Ikke Et Ord Om Politik, is the anchor for a conversation about how a 13-year-old model became one of Denmark's most visible influencers—and what the model industry was really like before #MeToo.
The model industry’s old guard
Von d’Ahé was scouted at 13 and signed with Elite, then run by John Casablancas. His right-hand man, Gerard, was notorious. “He always said to me, loosen up. You have to be a little flirty with the customers and the photographer.” She was told to play ball. Nobody said “go to bed with them,” but the message was clear: flirt, go with the flow, don’t be difficult.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:23) **Early Modeling & The Milan Party** - Karina describes being scouted at 13 and sent to Paris and Milan, where she and other young Danish models were locked in an apartment with middle-aged men who produced sex toys, forcing her to take charge and get them out safely.
- 2 (05:29) **Developing a "Hustler" Radar** - Karina explains how these early experiences gave her an innate ability to read people's energy and spot bad actors, a skill she still uses today.
- 3 (08:34) **Family Background & Street Smarts** - Growing up with a divorced stewardess mother and a DR film-photographer father, Karina describes herself as "street smart" rather than book smart, and explains how a trusted photographer (Marianne Diers) guided her into modeling safely.
- 4 (11:41) **The Model Life: Competition vs. Camaraderie** - Karina reflects on the social dynamics of modeling, noting that competition was less intense than today because models had different specialties, and she formed lasting friendships with some colleagues.
- 5 (14:35) **Industry Evolution & MeToo** - Karina assesses how the modeling industry has changed, noting that agencies now take care of young people seriously, but she contrasts her own privilege (ability to say no and go home) with that of a vulnerable Eastern European roommate who had no safety net.
- 6 (17:09) **Pressure to "Loosen Up" and Flirt** - Karina details the indirect pressure from powerful men like John Casablancas and Gerard to flirt and go with the flow, though they never explicitly said to have sex with clients.
- 7 (19:28) **Why She Quit Modeling** - At 18, Karina felt lonely, overwhelmed, and exhausted from constant alertness while traveling alone. The joy left, and she chose a relationship with Michael Hardinger (from Shubidua) and "pasta" over the career.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
Men før reality og glitter var der en 13-årig pige, som rejste alene rundt i verden, og arbejdede som model. Det var ikke altid glamourøst - hun lærte hurtigt på den hårde måde, hvor vigtigt det er at sige fra, for ingen andre gjorde det for hende. Hør med, når Karina deler de vildeste oplevelser fra sin modeltid og fortæller, hvordan hun fandt styrken til at stå fast, når grænserne blev testet.
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