Stand Still, Be Pretty

All dressed up, with impeccable make-up and hairstyle, and high-heels on their feet, hostesses are the glamourous showcases of trade shows, conventions and cocktail parties. But behind their forced smiles lies the harsh reality of a precarious job with degrading conditions and full of discrimination.

Frequently hired according for their good looks, hostesses are forced to embody the feminine ideal - at the cost of their comfort, health or integrity. In the workplace, they have to put up with inappropriate comments, moral harassment, racism, sexist and sexual violence… For several years now, they have been fighting against this unfair, dehumanizing system. On social networks, many of them bear witness to the abuse they suffer on a regular basis. The aim of this film is to shed light on the daily lives of these women, who are all too often seen as mere objects.

Alongside a journalist who investigated the job, and via hidden cameras and moving testimonies, we take a behind-the-scenes look at the artificial and discriminating world of the hostess industry. For the very first time, we give a voice to those concerned (former hostesses) and let their revolt be heard.