Sexual Misconduct Allegations in the Fashion Industry

[angel222]

The female models are sexually harassed by the straight men and the male models are sexually harassed by gay and bisexual men. Is it possible that female and male models can be sexually harassed by lesbian and straight women? I assume any combination is possible and probably has happened sometime and somewhere in the world.

 

[Benn98]

Amen to that.

+1!

I know I'm very vocal about the new breed of photographers and their vision (I don't think it's impactful or interesting enough), but the flip-side of this wave is 90% of all of them are relatively young women.

The female models are sexually harassed by the straight men and the male models are sexually harassed by gay and bisexual men. Is it possible that female and male models can be sexually harassed by lesbian and straight women? I assume any combination is possible and probably has happened sometime and somewhere in the world.

Of course it's something to consider. US Elle broached the matter of female-on-male sexual harassment quite eloquently in their November 2017 issue (looked for a link, but it seemed the feature was only published in the print edition), but more within the corporate framework. So while it's not entirely unlikely, it is very, very rare for men to record it.
Imo there's a link between power and abuse. No female fashion photographer other than Leibovitz and maybe Von Unwerth has ever been elevated to the level of Testino and Weber.....

 

[tigerrouge]

I always see it as: whenever there's a power differential in a relationship, there's the potential for abuse.

Traditionally, men have had the upper hand when it comes to positions of power, so we hear more about men's abusive behaviour. But abuse is something that someone of any gender or sexual orientation is capable of, given the opportunity.

I also see the problem as twofold - you have individual abusers, but you also have a system in place which allows the abusers to prosper. Getting rid of a certain person isn't going to solve the overall problem if you don't also dismantle the system that allowed them to operate, because you'll soon have a new set of abusers.

By extension, there is also no point heaping blame upon people for becoming victims of a system in which they were set up to fail. A system which still operates, and is responsible for people's inability to speak out as strongly as they might otherwise want.

 

[mathiaskatz]

Bruce Weber Sex Abuse Allegations Mount
BoF can reveal new allegations of sexual misconduct against photographer Bruce Weber, stretching back to 1982.

NEW YORK, United States — On Saturday, The New York Times published an explosive exposé in which fifteen current and former male models and thirteen male assistants and models accused top fashion photographers Mario Testino and Bruce Weber, respectively, of sexual misconduct and abuse. Today, The Business of Fashion can reveal further allegations against Weber, stretching back to 1982, made by four new sources who spoke on the record and several others who spoke on condition of anonymity.

D.L. Janney, a former male model, who recently released a memoir called “Blacklisted,” which details his time in the industry, said that while on a break during a shoot for British Vogue in 1982, Weber asked him to strip down to his underwear for a photo he could take to Calvin Klein, whose campaigns Weber was shooting at the time. Janney was eager to comply until Weber asked him to get completely nude. According to Janney, Weber said that the photos would not be published anywhere and were for “his own use, and to show Calvin.”

When Janney refused, he said the photographer refused to speak with him for the rest of the day. On another occasion, Weber had hired both Janney and his brother for a shoot for GQ; Weber asked the two brothers to remove their shirts and, according to Janney, “pretend to be boyfriends.” When they refused, Janney said they were subject to verbal abuse. As outlined in his book, Janney believes that Weber “blacklisted” him from the industry shortly after, making it impossible for him to find work as a model.

Over two decades later, Christopher Cates, a fit model, said that while on set for a photoshoot at Weber’s Miami home in 2006, the photographer asked each model to join him alone in a guest bedroom upstairs, away from the rest of the crew. Cates said that when he entered the room, Weber asked him to remove his shirt and pants, and later his underwear, and then proceeded to touch him inappropriately. According to Cates, Weber took photos during the incident using a digital SLR camera, though those photos were, to Cates’ knowledge, never used for any professional purpose.

Alex Geerman, a former model, massage therapist and healer, said that in 2008, Weber asked him to do “breathing exercises” that involved non-consensual touching of the chakras, including the root chakra, which is located around the genitals. “I didn’t understand what he was doing, and he didn’t explain it,” recalled Geerman, who said he left the shoot so disturbed he told his mother, who was waiting outside the studio: “I don’t want to do this anymore.” Yet, Geerman said that although he was upset at the time, he no longer believes that Weber did anything wrong. “It took me years to figure out, it wasn't a sexual thing. It was an art thing,” said Geerman.

Another model, Ryan Vigilant, said the photographer touched him inappropriately in a sexual manner during a shoot in 2008. Vigilant initially did not want to name Weber directly. However, after reading Weber’s statement in response to the New York Times story, he changed his mind. “The statements that Bruce and Mario, or should I say their lawyers made, pains me,” he wrote via email. “I don’t understand their denial. Either their sense of entitlement has so clouded their ethical judgement, it’s not based in reality anymore. Or they are going through so much pain internally and are destroying themselves.”

Jason Boyce, the model who recently filed suit in New York State Supreme Court against Weber and spoke to The New York Times, among others, said that Weber’s inappropriate behaviour was well-known within the industry though never explicitly stated. "Anytime you’d bring up Bruce it was always like, ‘Oh yeah he’s a little weird, he’s a little creepy, he does these weird breathing exercises,’” recalled Boyce. “That’s as far as anyone would talk about it. No one would ever fully-fledged say he assaulted me. It was always like a shrug it off, ‘Oh well, let’s not make this a big deal,’ as men do, ‘Let’s not make this a big deal.’”

The lawsuit also names Boyce’s agent, Jason Kanner, and his agency, Soul Artist Management. “We believe that he knew or should have known,” said Lisa Bloom, an attorney and founder of The Bloom Firm, which is representing Boyce, during a phone conversation in December.

Geerman said that while he believes agencies do provide certain protection against harassment, “When it comes to Bruce Weber, it was just this understanding like, look, he does this to everybody. So, it’s just kind of what you take from it, what you make from it. I definitely think a young person going to shoot with him, they don’t understand. I didn’t understand.”

Boyce said, "The culture was: you did what you were told. That was how they sold it. If you do what I tell you, you’ll make it. If you just do what I tell you. you'll make it. My agent told me that all the time."

Bloom said that since they filed suit, her law firm has been contacted by a large number of male models “who have claims against Bruce Weber and other powerful people in the industry.” Asked if others could join the suit, Bloom said she and her firm are vetting each claim, adding that the statute of limitations and the victims’ desire to remain anonymous, are the biggest hurdles. In New York, claims of sexual harassment must be filed within three years; in California, it’s as little as one year. “Many of them have very heartbreaking claims that seem very credible to me, but they’re simply time barred,” she said.

When asked for comment to these new allegations, a representative for Weber said he stood by his statement made to The New York Times: “I'm completely shocked and saddened by the outrageous claims being made against me, which I absolutely deny. I have used common breathing exercises and professionally photographed thousands of nude models over my career, but never touched anyone inappropriately. Given my life’s work, these twisted and untrue allegations are truly disheartening. I've been taking pictures for over 40 years and have the utmost respect for everyone I've ever photographed. I would never, ever, try to hurt anyone or prevent someone from succeeding — it’s just not in my character.”

cr: bof

 

[dsamg]

How can anyone believe he is innocent when there are so many stories? Ugh he is absolutely disgusting for issuing a denial as well. Hope he is punished accordingly.

 

[RedSmokeRise]

^ Ugh i know right? Some of the worst parts of this news are all the "stay strong" supporting comments on his social media.

 

[angel222]

Yes, sexual harassment is about the abuse of power and to gain power from a victim, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

 

[Armani]

“But IVE known Bruce for 25 years and for all those years hes been so kind to ME!”

 

[billiejbob]

The female models are sexually harassed by the straight men and the male models are sexually harassed by gay and bisexual men. Is it possible that female and male models can be sexually harassed by lesbian and straight women? I assume any combination is possible and probably has happened sometime and somewhere in the world.

Most definitely. The biggest problem though is that no one believes men or women when they are assaulted by a woman because 'women don't assault.'
It's not just in fashion but society as a whole. If a man is assaulted or beaten by a woman and comes forth about it people laugh and say things like 'Oh you should have just fought her off' or 'Oh but women don't r*pe/sexual assault.'
It's utterly repulsive because it not only shames men and women assaulted by other women but allows women to get away with it more than men.

Since the #metoo campaign started with Weinstein, Mariah Carey was accused of sexual assault by a former security guard yet it barely made the press and no one has called for her to be hung out to dry.

Another example is actress Emma Roberts who was arrested and jailed for domestic violence against her boyfriend Peter Evans yet the media painted the whole situation in a way that made her look like the victim even though she was the aggressor and abuser.

It's these double standards (mainly from the media) that allow women to get away with it. Especially women in power such as Mariah Carey.

I doubt we'll see any men or women come out about more assaults committed by women because everyone (including all those that have praised the #metoo campaign or even come forth about sexual harassment themselves) will laugh it off and make an excuse for it.

It's the sad truth.

 

[angel222]

Not to mention in the US hundreds and hundreds of female teachers having been caught having sex with teenage students. There are female sexual predators.

 

[Armani]

Without a doubt there are many female sexual predators who abuse their power the same way, but for women & men alike it's a lot more difficult to share stories about being abused by women than it would if it was a man. As unfortunate as it is, there are a lot of people who are more inclined to believe sexual abuse stories if the man is the abuser, or, if a gay/bi/pan man abused another man, they're even further inclined to believe the story if the abuser is the older of the two, or the less physically attractive of the two (which even furthermore explains why Weinstein was one of, if not the first of the known abusers to gain traction as a part of the recent movement in the general public.) For men to come out about women harassing them, or women to come out about lesbian/bi/pan women harassing them, a lot more factors come into play. Many people have been trained to believe that "old, creepy men" are ALWAYS the predators (again, look at Weinstein, look at Richardson, look at Weber, look at Testino. They all fit the stereotype perfectly). When many parents train their children to stay away from strangers, never get into a car unattended, watch your surroundings, etc. they tend to vividly elaborate on the "old creepy men" stereotype, while, on the other hand, if a victim comes out about a woman, especially a younger, more physically attractive woman, the victim is then automatically painted by many as a liar (as previously mentioned, the Emma Roberts and Evan Peters story is a great example. Although I believe the both of them were abusive to eachother, a lot of people take Emma's side because she doesn't fit the narrative. And, if anyone has been following the Melanie Martinez allegations, which is a woman to woman assault allegation, many people believe Melanie's side of things although she's never directly denied the allegations because Melanie doesn't fit the narrative either.) Again, I do believe this mindset is disgusting & should be further brought to light along with more allegations, but, as billiejbob stated, double standards are still very much prevalent, and it's the sad truth.

 

[fashionista-ta]

+1!

I know I'm very vocal about the new breed of photographers and their vision (I don't think it's impactful or interesting enough), but the flip-side of this wave is 90% of all of them are relatively young women.



Of course it's something to consider. US Elle broached the matter of female-on-male sexual harassment quite eloquently in their November 2017 issue (looked for a link, but it seemed the feature was only published in the print edition), but more within the corporate framework. So while it's not entirely unlikely, it is very, very rare for men to record it.
Imo there's a link between power and abuse. No female fashion photographer other than Leibovitz and maybe Von Unwerth has ever been elevated to the level of Testino and Weber.....

I just read the US Elle piece as well. In that account, and he says this himself, it wasn't really sexual, though it was certainly harassment. I would say she was a total jerk, and it was possibly more fat-shaming than anything else.

I knew a bartender who told me he was sexually harassed by his female boss, but I'm not sure I've known of any other cases personally.

Let's say the boys go down, and the young women you mention come to dominate the industry in the next 20 years. Frankly I think that alone would largely solve the problem. Not only are women socialized completely differently, but I have yet to meet a woman with what I call testosterone poisoning. (Btw, I believe on average women have 1/10th the testosterone men do.) Men really have a corner on the market when it comes to serious violence and aggression. Women can and have been violent, and committed murder, and certainly many women have abused their own children. But abusing power in a work setting for their own titillation ... it's just rare from what I have observed.

 

[rubydon]

I just read the US Elle piece as well. In that account, and he says this himself, it wasn't really sexual, though it was certainly harassment. I would say she was a total jerk, and it was possibly more fat-shaming than anything else.

I knew a bartender who told me he was sexually harassed by his female boss, but I'm not sure I've known of any other cases personally.

Let's say the boys go down, and the young women you mention come to dominate the industry in the next 20 years. Frankly I think that alone would largely solve the problem. Not only are women socialized completely differently, but I have yet to meet a woman with what I call testosterone poisoning. (Btw, I believe on average women have 1/10th the testosterone men do.) Men really have a corner on the market when it comes to serious violence and aggression. Women can and have been violent, and committed murder, and certainly many women have abused their own children. But abusing power in a work setting for their own titillation ... it's just rare from what I have observed.

I agree with all of this. And I think there's a societal component to it as well. Society has, in the past, praised men for aggressive, predatory behavior, so many men have been conditioned to view this behavior as being "masculine." Most women have been conditioned in a completely different way.

 

[softgrey]

where are the bookers who worked for the trump agency?
don't they have any good stories to share...?

...

 

[iperlchen]

It's definitely not just the men. I have heard stories of female bookers harassing young male models as well. When models come to NY for the first time, they need a place to stay and sometimes their bookers offer a spare room. It's not always a bad thing, but for sure some bookers have taken advantage of that situation. Fashion is such a vague business without any real boundaries in place and no external oversight. Most of the young people that enter this business are too young to know what is responsible adult behavior and what's not. Not all of them are able to protect themselves and steer their personal development in a healthy direction. And then here at TFS, you have people wondering why their favorite model quits and goes back to university...

“I knew that if people didn’t want to have sex with you and people didn’t find you beautiful, you weren’t much inspiration,” Taber said. “The models that got jobs are the ones stylists and photographers are into. I also wanted people to like me, especially the most powerful people in the business. I would almost get offended if they didn’t want to have sex with me. That’s how I got groomed. That’s how it worked in my mind.”

 

[dsamg]

Most definitely. The biggest problem though is that no one believes men or women when they are assaulted by a woman because 'women don't assault.'
It's not just in fashion but society as a whole. If a man is assaulted or beaten by a woman and comes forth about it people laugh and say things like 'Oh you should have just fought her off' or 'Oh but women don't r*pe/sexual assault.'
It's utterly repulsive because it not only shames men and women assaulted by other women but allows women to get away with it more than men.

Since the #metoo campaign started with Weinstein, Mariah Carey was accused of sexual assault by a former security guard yet it barely made the press and no one has called for her to be hung out to dry.

Another example is actress Emma Roberts who was arrested and jailed for domestic violence against her boyfriend Peter Evans yet the media painted the whole situation in a way that made her look like the victim even though she was the aggressor and abuser.

It's these double standards (mainly from the media) that allow women to get away with it. Especially women in power such as Mariah Carey.

I doubt we'll see any men or women come out about more assaults committed by women because everyone (including all those that have praised the #metoo campaign or even come forth about sexual harassment themselves) will laugh it off and make an excuse for it.

It's the sad truth.

Don't forget the Amber Heard situation.

Wasn't there supposed to be something coming out about Leibovitz?

 

[Benn98]

Wasn't there supposed to be something coming out about Leibovitz?

I think it was mainly that she's a nightmare to work with. That much was hinted by Tina Brown in her book. Annie's a bit of a perfectionist. Each and every image you ever saw of her would've been rehearsed and blocked with her assistants, so she merely expect the subjects to replicate that. God help them if they're not able to.

 

[Armani]

Blech.
https://twitter.com/dwnews/status/953984318614913026

 

[CrisGalaxy]

I wonder if this scandal will die off for both Testino and Weber like it did with Galliano's racist remarks.

 

[Benn98]

Someone needs to check the drinking water which these beloved icons in France seems to be sipping on.....

Brigitte Bardot: sexual harassment protesters are 'hypocritical' and 'ridiculous'

Bardot is second French film star after Catherine Deneuve to lambast women involved in campaigns such as #MeToo and its French equivalent

Andrew Pulver
Thu 18 Jan 2018 13.32 GMT Last modified on Thu 18 Jan 2018 22.01 GMT

French former actor Brigitte Bardot has joined Catherine Deneuve in expressing distaste for women in the film industry who complain of sexual harassment, saying “in the vast majority of cases” it is “hypocritical, ridiculous and uninteresting”.

In an interview with Paris Match, Bardot said: “Many actresses flirt with producers to get a role. Then when they tell the story afterwards, they say they have been harassed … in actual fact, rather than benefit them, it only harms them.”

Saying that she had never been a victim of sexual harassment, Bardot added: “I thought it was nice to be told that I was beautiful or that I had a pretty little ***. This kind of compliment is nice.”

Bardot becomes the second high-profile French film industry figure to come out in recent days against the campaign against harassment in the industry, which in France has coalesced around #BalanceTonPorc (“Squeal on Your Pig”), the French equivalent to #MeToo. On 9 January it emerged that Catherine Deneuve had signed an open letter criticising a “puritanical ... wave of purification” and that “the liberty to seduce and importune was essential”. Deneuve later apologised to victims of sexual assault, saying that others among the signatories had “distort[ed] the spirit of the text”.

Bardot retired from acting in 1973 after a 20-year career, becoming arguably international cinema’s best-known sex symbol after starring in a string of hits, including And God Created Women, La Vérité and Le Mépris. Since her retirement, Bardot has been active in animal welfare issues as well as being an outspoken supporter of the National Front. She has been convicted five times in French courts for racial hatred offences, paying a series of fines.

Source: Theguardian.com