Model Bridget Malcolm opens up about being told to get naked during a photo shoot

A former Victoria’s Secret model has opened up about a traumatic experience where she was forced to take her clothes off by a photographer in the hopes it will give young models the strength to say “no”.

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Former Victoria’s Secret model Bridget Malcolm has opened up about a traumatic experience where she was forced to take her clothes off.

The 26-year-old Australian said she only recently developed the confidence to say tell people “no” when it came to modelling, saying models are trained to be agreeable.

She detailed one specific occasion shooting for a “high profile magazine” where a photographer pressured her to take her clothes off — despite her being assured there would be no nudity — and then dismissed the whole on set crew.

Bridget Malcolm walks the runway at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. Picture: Getty Images for Victoria's Secret)

“He wanted me to shoot entirely nude — ‘for editing purposes’,” she wrote on her blog. “I was intensely uncomfortable, and initially showed hesitation. But he pushed and pushed.”

The same thing happened again that day, this time on the street in view of the public and this time Malcolm broke down.

“Later that evening we were shooting outside. The only thing I was wearing was a fur coat. He asked me to take the coat off, and I refused. He asked again, and I refused. He asked again, and this time I took it off, feeling completely coerced and unsafe. The shot ended with me in tears, needing to take a minute to get my composure back.”

Malcolm said she wants to help young models feel confident to say no. Photo: Gotham/GC Images

While she was unavailable to speak to Confidential due to intense work commitments, her manager Michael Stanley said she decided to open up so up-and-coming models know what to look out for and how to gain the confidence to say “no” early in their career.

“Bridget writes to do her part in making the world a better place for this and the following generations,” he said. “If her words can help and empower just one person to live a more fulfilled and healthy life, she’s happy.”

Malcolm refused to name neither the photographer mentioned in her story nor the magazine the shoot was for but said the incident took place “a few years ago”.