>>20180
From the home page there is section called.
"The Controversy"
And it says please read on the home page.
The text is as follows.
"The Controversy
July 24, 2002 (all private information on SLT models and members is confidential and will not be revealed to other sources)
THE PROBLEM
Practically every girl dreams of being a model or actress and unless you live in New York, that dream is nearly impossible to achieve. Internet modeling has developed and exploded in all forms. It can provide international exposure for many amateurs with ease and little expense.
Unfortunately, internet modeling has become an avenue for unethical distribution of questionable material which has resulted in controversy and negativity. It has also created a venue for individuals to use photography and modeling as an excuse to gain access to underage children and to exploit them. The attack is not on the website viewers, but on the website operators. Investigators have found convicted sex offenders photographing minors and operating modeling websites.
A SOLUTION
Some are producing borderline "gray area" images of children and are protected by freedom of speech and expression. Those trying to stop these types of websites are running into blockades for creating legislation. Perhaps a possible solution would be to require photographers who photograph minors to be licensed. Background checks could be a requirement and perhaps then the legislation could be placed on non-licensed photographers. Stipulations could be invoked that require a parent or guardian to be present during shoots. Think about it… licensed daycare providers are encouraged, pediatricians are licensed, school teachers are certified, etc. Anyone who works with children should be licensed. If the groups fighting this controversy could make this happen, then parents would have the security of choosing only licensed photographers and criminal investigators could eliminate and prosecute "illegal" photographers. This idea is our contribution to the problem and we hope that reporters, investigators, attorneys, parents and legislators who are interested in helping, will promote this idea and make it a reality.
THE GOOD SIDE
There are two sides to every issue. SLT would like to speak in favor of internet modeling. A lot of "bad" sites have been exposed and covered in the media. We hope to start a new trend of internet modeling that is moral, acceptable and positive. Unfortunately, there are very few sites that could be considered "safe and clean". We want to show that internet modeling can be a good thing. If "good" sites, and internet modeling in general, can become accepted, and utilized, then more legitimate groups could become involved and set a precedence for modeling to no longer be a career that is very difficult to obtain.
SLT began out of a demand for a lack of opportunities for aspiring models. We listened to the parents and to the children who wanted to get into modeling. Agencies don't exist in every city. Pageants require travel and expense, not to mention the kind of pressure that is placed on children. Portfolios are very expensive. Modeling "jobs" just aren't easily accessible or as simple as looking through the want ads in your local newspaper. The internet can be used positively by offering a chance to anyone who would like to get into modeling.
All SLT models receive free copies of all their images for their portfolio. They are also paid for their services and they receive experience in front of the camera. So far, it has been very rewarding for everyone involved. The parents are happy and proud, the models are having fun and we feel good about how we've helped them. We'd like to share a little story about one of our models. We were told that one of the models had been having problems. It was stated that the model had been continuously teased about their looks. Sad, but true. We feel the model is very photogenic and the model was impressed and proud of the images. We were so touched by the thanks we received about how modeling for SLT has boosted their moral and raised their self confidence. They say the model now has a better self attitude and is a much happier person. What can be more rewarding than that?
WHO IS SLT?
We encourage models to just be themselves. A photoshoot should be fun and everyone should be able to feel comfortable. We don't tell them what to wear or how to pose. We don't discriminate against any model. The main people running SLT are a husband and wife of 17 years with 4 children. One of their children has done commercial modeling and another is one of the models on the website. Three of SLT's current models were shot by another photographer. We have noticed that two different photographers could shoot the same model in the same outfit with the same pose and produce a totally different effect. We believe that the intentions and attitude of the photographer WILL relay in his or her images. We've received many comments about how our photos look so different than the other sites and how our models "look their age" and just look like kids having fun as opposed to being portrayed as older than they are or for the wrong purposes.
Although we don't act as an agency, our hope is that even just one of the SLT models will successfully enter into a modeling career or receive a commercial assignment as a result of appearing on the site. The models are free to work with anyone. Some of their parents are actively promoting their children to agencies and photographers to help them further achieve their dreams. SLT models ARE living their dreams. They are respected and treated as professional models and they consider themselves to be models.
There will always be people who are totally against internet modeling and we respect their opinions. Some may feel that we are "feeding the interest" of pedophiles and sex offenders and we'd like to address that issue. We admit that some viewers may enter our site with immoral intentions, although we couldn't prove that. We are still curious in regards to the viewers as it's not really known why people join these sites. Some could be photographers interested in others work, some perhaps are people who enjoy looking at photographs, some just like to spend money or maybe just like to "join", others could be professionals looking for new faces and some may be here to support the models. We could go on and on trying to guess why people join and make assumptions. Whoever they are, we will still protect their privacy and not reveal the identities of the members. We don't want innocent viewers to be judged the same way that internet modeling in general is being cast. SLT members can feel free to let us know their opinions without fear of unwanted publicity.
However, in regards to the wrong types of viewers, at least they're at home and not out combing the parks, playgrounds, malls and school yards. A pedophile is a pedophile, for whatever reason, and nobody can change that. Eliminating internet images won't eliminate the real problem. There's always teen magazines, children's television shows, and many other sources for seeing children. We will always ensure the safety and protection of the models. The only thing known about them is a first name, which may or may not be their real name. IF there are pedophiles and sex offenders joining these sites, then it's the website operator's job to be sure to present the models properly and to monitor and question any serious modeling inquiries.
IN CLOSING
We feel the need to speak out about the good side to internet modeling or no one will ever see any good in it. Something DOES need to be done to stop people that are running borderline sites, but people also need to realize that there are people with good intentions who support internet modeling. We also hope that the media will carefully take all the ramifications into consideration when presenting the bad sites so as not to harm the innocent models who were involved and became victimized and also be careful not to "advertise" those sites. We also want to urge parents to be very skeptical and cautious; check references of photographers, talk to other models who have worked with them, don't be afraid to talk to and question other photographers and ALWAYS be involved in every aspect.
(click banner to see the national news stories)"
The link in the banner is
https://web.archive.org/web/20021010051023/http://www.childsupermodels.com/cgi-bin/autorank/rankem.cgi?action=in&id=slteens
And has been exculded from the wayback machine.