No one knows for sure Joana Sanz's position regarding her husband Dani Alves, sentenced by the Barcelona Court to four and a half years in prison for raping a 23-year-old girl. However, in the age in which we live, where the networks act as judge, jury and social executioner, a sentence or an image can awaken overnight a wave of criticism that culminates in the politics of the cancel· lation The image that Joana Sanz published on Tuesday on her Instagram account, with her hand and that of the footballer intertwined, added to her statement in favor of the trial, has generated a complex social debate that not only affects her personal life but also her professional one .
Leaving public opinion aside, the fact is that the fashion industry and the world of image have their own road map and there never appears to be splashed by controversy. This is confirmed by Ángel Herrera, director of Salvador Models, who points out that "brands want to convey their values in campaigns and the models they choose must contribute their image to the message they want to project". "There are many considerations to take into account, but usually controversies with a negative charge tend to lead to an escape on the part of the brands", he acknowledges, and adds that, in the case of Sanz, his continuous changes of "do not play in his favor his".
There are precedents. The cancellation policy has very real consequences in the lives of public figures, and even more so if they are in public office. Without going further, and saving the distances, in Valencia, Mónica Oltra was forced in 2022 to resign from her position as vice-president of the community for an alleged cover-up of her ex-husband's sexual abuse of a protected minor. On Tuesday, two years later, the judge filed the case because he sees no crime in the case that forced his resignation. Joana Sanz's, however, is an open trial that takes place on social networks and the firms, taking into account the potential for controversy that may affect them, will be the ones to issue a verdict. This is explained by a communication expert who works for a large fashion firm and who prefers to remain anonymous: "When we hire a model, we count on her to be white-faced, that is, she is not accompanied by a context or a story behind it. The protagonist must be the collection she wears, and if the message ceases to be the collection and becomes the story of the model, the hiring protocol changes", he says. That is why firms do not hesitate to shield and protect themselves through sponsorship and image rights contracts. As detailed by Claudia Romera, expert in branding strategy, marketing, communication and business and professor at ICModa, in these contracts there are moral clauses, brand protection and negotiation and legal protection. "After all, sponsorship and image rights start from the 'transfer of values', a kind of 'tell me who you're with, and I'll tell you who you are' applied to business, which works both in the good sense as in the bad", he admits.
For these experts, one thing is clear: Joana Sanz must start being consistent with her position, because her job and her image depend on it. Romera goes a step further and details some urgent measures to manage this image crisis. "Transparency and communication about the position in the controversy is a must for her for now. Aside from the controversy, she must maintain professionalism at work and consider her response to the controversy as a reflection of her personal autonomy and her independence as a woman," she says.
Although the impact of the controversy regarding her image is undeniable, it seems that the model continues to work away from the spotlight and the great international catwalks that she had conquered in the past. Although the first three pinned posts on her Instagram wall show campaigns from more than a year ago for Jimmy Choo, Wella and Etam, the model has avoided posting there - although she did do one discreet mention in a story – the latest most recent work in modeling: a campaign photographed in her native Canary Islands for a local German fashion firm called Heine.
