IPOD
RADIO
Missy is merely figurehead and doesn't really have anything to do with the site.
Missy and Sean founded the site together. She is in charge of the day to day workings of the site and has been since day one. She has shot over 300 sets on the site. She has been in contact with every SuicideGirl since the sites inception and works very hard to always be available and answer all of the girls questions. Olivia and s5 are also partners in the company and work very hard adding features and keeping the site running. Sean works very hard handling business deals and has handled the tour in the past. Sean and Missy do split some of the responsibilities regarding the site as business partners are known to do but both put in very long hard hours, as does everyone who works at SuicideGirls.
Elisabeth's experience working for Missy:
Hi. My name is Elisabeth, and I've been a member of SG since its inception in 2001, and became an employee of the company in March 2004. I've worked directly with Missy (who is a real actual live breathing person) since that time. I started with the company first as her assistant and was later promoted to the accounting dept. She has her hands in every facet of this business, and quite honestly, I think she spends way too much time at work!
This site is her "baby", though, and I can't imagine being in her position. It is both unenviable yet also admirable, and I say that because it boggles my mind how she can do so many things in one day. In addition to interacting with nearly 1000 SuicideGirls, she continually gives interviews, exchanges emails with potential applicants, approves photosets, works with photographers and photoshoppers, has meetings about all of the great products SG does in addition to the site, goes over new site features and yet also finds the time to do photo shoots and be available for every member of her staff. Did I mention that she spends a lot of time at work?
In closing, there is something that I want to share. SG *is* guilty of resounding worldwide success, due to the efforts of very many talented individuals. However, I think that there would be no SG at all if it weren't for Missy and her vision. There are two sides to any success story, but I think that this is something that is indisputable.
-Elisabeth SuicideFiled under: Toxic Waste
SG does not pay for photosets / Royalties are being withheld from girls
We pay for every photoset, every contract and every invoice we receive. We track payment and ensure that every model is paid for every photoset we accept. It is a point of pride for us and we work very hard to ensure that every payment is made promptly and accurately. We don't fuck around when it comes to payment, ask any of our many satisfied vendors, models or freelance staff. Same deal goes for royalties. As in most every industry, royalties are only paid after costs are recouped.
Filed under: Toxic Waste
SuicideGirls tricks women into modeling for them.
All models are given a contract to peruse and sign if they wish to. At no time are they pressured into signing the contract if they don't want to. In fact, we let every model know before she becomes a SuicideGirl that while she decides how she is posed, what she wears, how she is presented and should not be embarrassed or ashamed of anything about the pics, that sometimes loved ones and friends may find it hard to see them in this light. They are informed that the pictures are up forever and told to think about the potential impact on their lives before deciding to be an SG.
Filed under: Toxic Waste
SuicideGirls is not female-friendly.
I will not speak for the experience of the women who model for us, but here is some info about our practices, and you can decide for yourself. (1) Most of the photographers are women, and most of the photoshoppers are women. The people whose job it is to look at and process your application are women. Almost all of the women doing this work are, themselves, SuicideGirls on the site. (2) The extent of our photoshop work is to remove zits and do basic photo correction; we do not (as is common in the industry) replace nipples with "stock nipples" or purposely edit thighs to change their shape entirely. (3) Models choose their own photographers or they can use one of our staff photographers. They can choose their own makeup, lighting, outfits, staging, and do whatever else they want to direct the photoshoot themselves. (4) We do not badger the models to lose weight or starve themselves as is common in the industry. And despite the commonly held perception, there is a range of different body types and sizes on the site. (5) We moderate our community to actively discourage a "boy's club" mentality, where women are made to feel unwelcome. (6) Models have a journal that they write for themselves, and they write their own profiles.
On the flip side, when it comes to contracts, we do not baby the models just because they are women. This is just as sexist and degrading as harming a model just because she is a woman. With any contracts they sign, they are free to look them over for as long as they want, and have them reviewed by anyone. So, with a contract comes responsibility. They are held to what they freely agreed to, and to do otherwise would be insulting to their intelligence.
And for those who don't like legalese, we even have a FAQ that all applicants and current SuicideGirls are encouraged to read, written in plain English. We also implore prospective SuicideGirls NOT to apply if they think in any way that they'll regret their decision. Feel free to read and decide for yourself if we're doing enough to inform applicants of what they're getting into.
Filed under: Toxic Waste
Sean is a big meany.
A part of Sean's job is to give people the news no one wants to hear. In business you have to sometimes tell people 'no' and sometimes people don't handle 'no' very well.
Missy's experience with Sean
This is Missy and I feel I can answer this one... Sean is hilarious, smart, kind, generous and caring; he is passionate about his work and very professional. Sean is a very nice person but he is a real person who like anyone can get cranky sometimes. This does not make him the devil, although he did have a really great Halloween costume one year. Sean and I have been friends for over a decade and while they have not alwasy seen eye to eye on everything and sometimes we wanted to choke each other I have nothing but good things to say about him. He works harder than 10 people and has taught me more than any other person I know. He is an amazing listener and always tries to help me find the best solution for any problem, personal or professional. I admire his dedication, friendship and generosity. He is a sucker for his friends and will do anything to help them out when they are in need, often to his detriment. He has opened his home and offered his friendship to every girl on the site, although over the years many of those girls have taken advantage of this kindness he continues to go above and beyond. He has sent girls cookies when they were sad, let them live at his home when they had no where else to go and lent them money from his own pocket when they needed. All of the girls know that if they visit, Sean does his best to make time to treat them to a good meal and interesting conversation when they come to town.
London's experience with Sean
Hi there- I wanted to outline a few of my experiences with the company since I have been with them since nearly the beginning and worked for them almost as long. If it wasn't for Suicide Girls I dont know if I would have ever known how much I wanted to make photography my career. If it wasn't for Missy acting as my teacher and helping me get started and Sean's help obtaining the proper equipment I never would have had the resources or opportunities for any of the work I do now- for them and my other clients. They did alot for me. They gave me a job. I have learned more from working for this company than I could have learned in related classes. Over the last 4 years that I have been a part of SG I have been given many opportunities including but not limited to: going on tour, being a part of a DVD and a book, performed with some of my favorite musical artists, made lifetime friends, flown to places to participate in fun things like parties, shows and other events I never would have been able to be a part of if it wasn't for them.
I have lived in Sean's house, spent large amounts of time being his friend and just hanging out, I have spent alot of time working with Missy and she is one of the nicest, sweetest girls I have ever worked with. I love the girls on the site, I love my job and I love the staff and working with them is always a nice experience.
I think its important to hear from someone who is not just a model for the site but also someone who works with them, is friends with staff and has been around since the start. I see how hard everyone works for the site and what is put into it and how much effort is exerted and I wanted to give credit to them for that.
See the testimonials section for more model accounts of their experiences with SG.