Terry Richardson’s Work is Degrading to Women

[billabonggirl73]

Zhaopian

I really hope that you dont have daughters or work in any sort of community services..

I doubt victims of crimes would agree with you. I can only thankgod that most people don't think like you

 

[billabonggirl73]

The issue is that these models should not be put in the position where Terry is naked during a shoot. It's really, like, cool and awesome that you're so strong and liberated and sure of yourself that you would be able to halt a situation by saying NO, but it's not realistic to expect this from everyone. As a woman, you should be more sympathetic and minded towards this.

Very nice point. Alot of women are not strong enough to say no.i imagine to young girls and models with little money especially, it would be very hard and intimidating to object to anything Terry would say.

 

[Almásy]

The issue is that these models should not be put in the position where Terry is naked during a shoot. It's really, like, cool and awesome that you're so strong and liberated and sure of yourself that you would be able to halt a situation by saying NO, but it's not realistic to expect this from everyone. As a woman, you should be more sympathetic and minded towards this.

Thats a good point. I wish sometimes I had that quality. Still, how can women expect the same rights as men if we don´t take it? Everyone knows that the fashion business is a very dirty business (also because of people like him), so you know exactly what you signs up to when you enter the work as a model.

 

[Almásy]

Zhaopian

I really hope that you dont have daughters or work in any sort of community services..

I doubt victims of crimes would agree with you. I can only thankgod that most people don't think like you

Was that meant for me? I think you got me wrong.

EDIT:

Ops, thank God that was meant for someone else, haha. Im sorry!

 

[billabonggirl73]

Was that meant for me? I think you got me wrong. That was absolutely not what I meant, I meant to say thats what the lawyers of the man who raped the girl says. I would never agreed with that kind of people, I am so sorry. You misunderstood me.

No i did not mean it for you. I wrote Zhaopian name at the top of my post.

I understand what you meant by that as well. It seems to be the only excuse that the accused lawyers can come up with. My mum works with victims and she always gets fired up when people use that excuse.

 

[agee]

Re the parallels with Kate Moss, there are differences. First of all, fairly soon after the incriminating photos of Kate Moss were published, she issued some kind of public statement taking responsibility for her behavior and she went into rehab. Now that could have been sincere or it could have been damage control, who knows? Also, she did actually lose a few big campaigns, one of which was H&M, who is probably Terry's biggerst commercial client. She was able to get them back or replace them, but she did lose them. How this relates to Terry, I can believe that he will be able to get work, I don't see him ending up on skid row as a result of this, but I also think that he will not be the go-to photographer for when a magazine wants the style that Terry is known for, they will go to other photographers, even if Terry is considered the better one. Now when I see Tom Ford closing his show wearing a t-shirt with "We love you Terry," on it perhaps I will believe it.

P.S. While I still don't think Terry will get the same kinds of gigs that he did in the past, if he took Kate Moss / Tiger Woods route of mea culpa with some "boo hoo look how screwed up my childhood was / I am a recovering addict" thrown in, perhaps over time he can work his way back into mainstream fashion. Going back to Kate Moss, she opened herself up quite a bit - she allowed herself to questioned by police and I would guess that she was also investigated by child services. So it was not like she was photographed doing an illegal act and la-di-da, she was back on top.

 

[Almásy]

Another exiting interview:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2004/oct/17/photography.art

 

[Northern Star]

Some viewpoints posted here are frankly unbelievable
At this point these are only allegations but if there is a scrap of truth in them.....how can it possibly be the fault of the model, who apparently should have known better in 'this business'?
In no profession, in no way whatsoever should a girl, young or not be asked to touch a mans penis, and certainly in any other profession this would JUST not be tolerated.
Richardson's background may be a factor here, but that cannot detract from the main issue that Rasmussen was clearly so adamament about.

 

[tangerine]

Please keep politics, racial/ethnic remarks and personal attacks out of this discussion. Remember to be respectful to other members, even if you disagree. Thank you.

*continued political discussion and personal attacks will result in deletions, warnings, or worse.

 

[Fontenrose]

Wall Street Journal interview with Marc Jacobs:

After the panel, we had a chance to ask the designer his thoughts about the Terry Richardson controversy. Some background: last week, model Rie Rasmussen accused the famed photographer of abusing his power when he obtains his sexually-charged photos, Page Six reported. The news item set off a flurry of blog posts, including models’ stories, defenses of and condemnation for Richardson. By the end of the week, Richardson posted an apology via his Web site.
We asked Jacobs whether sexy photo shoots with young models should be more closely monitored by the fashion industry. “I’ve worked with Terry and Terry has asked me to do some crazy things,” Jacobs said. “I know that those pictures will exist if I do them. But I’m a big boy and I can say no.”
Jacobs said he hadn’t heard about the controversy, but added that Richardson is “not ill-spirited.”
Talking more widely about the industry, he added: “If a girl is underage, maybe the girl’s agent or chaperon should be present on the shoot. That’s the hard part. Who’s to blame or who’s to watch?”

Gee, maybe the person who harasses models to do things they don't want to, is to blame? And yes, you are a big boy, and a client, so it's not the same thing at all.

 

[Jungla_Juana]

the fact that no top industry figure is going out of their way to outright DENY that Terry is a pervert (among other things) speaks volumes. MJ's response is extremely diplomatic.

 

[model_mom]

Quote from Marc Jacobs
: “If a girl is underage, maybe the girl’s agent or chaperon should be present on the shoot. That’s the hard part. Who’s to blame or who’s to watch?”

In the fashion industry, maybe 10% of the young models have chaperones,parents or agents who give a rip about what's going on in their lives. Agencies bring models over from European countries,pay for their airfare,put them in a model apartment,and hand them money every week to live on...who's going to say ,"no thanks" when they send them out on a job or campaign shoot when they are in debt to their agency. The issue with Terry Richardson is that he took advantage of their situation and went over and beyond what is ask of a model when he knows full well what kind of pressure they are under.

On this thread everyone is asking what big time models have an issue with Terry....what they need to be asking is how many young unknowns have been pressured into giving in to his demands that we will never hear about.

 

[fee de foret]

***Edited **** My God, you´re practically saying that women (or the models, as you like) can´t make they´re own choice. You really think all the women he has gone to bed with did it without really wanting it? Women are just as sexual as men, just like him - but he is the perv now. I love his pictures, because they always makes me shocked because they´re so repulsive and provocative. In the end - thats what makes an artist an artist. ****Edited **** We´re in the 2000 - it´s OK to say NO! The girls that don´t say no, they are the stupid ones. ****Edited***

just because its called "art" doesn't make it art. just because someone who works with high fashion and top models and takes pictures of their various sexual harrassment antics doesn't make it art. its just sexaul harrassment caught on camera.

also, i know the point has been made several times about how hard it really is to say no, but think about your job. i know with my old job, when my boss asked me to do something that wasn't in the job description, it was still hard to say no becuase he was my boss. i didn't want to make him mad or put my job in any sort of danger. now granted, it was never anything of sexual nature or content but still. i can only imagine how potent the pressure must be when you have "uncle terry", his assistants and your agency on your back all egging you on to do what they want. IT IS WRONG PERIOD. no matter how many big shots defend him, no matter how many glamourous campaigns he has shot, no matter how many woe is me statements he puts out, its wrong. no human should be allowed to get away with this kind of behavior.

 

[noellejv]

It's also clearly sexual harassment/assault because it's not an isolated incident. It's a series of repetitive behaviours wherein Terry Richardson asks for sex acts under the guise of wanting to take pictures. Were this an isolated incident there would be a gray area, this is a designed trap.

And as for comparing him and his exploits to Egon Schiele, I was actually grateful for that chuckle. Let's not substitute academia for common sense.

 

[tigerrouge]

Many women will face a situation in their working environment where it is clear that engaging in sexual activity with the person in charge will be 'to her benefit' and if the woman refuses, she will not progress far, certainly not on the basis of talent, commitment and hard work.

In such a scenario, everyone has the option of saying no. But that doesn't change anything, that doesn't provide any solution to the real problem - that someone is abusing their position of authority. Removing yourself from the situation doesn't make any real difference. The power imbalance continues with new people taking your place, facing a 'choice' which no-one should be asked to make. The fact that some people are willing to say yes doesn't excuse it, because it shouldn't happen at all. And only when we tackle the person who is the cause of the unfair practice, will such a situation change.

Terry now has the opportunity to think about how he operates, and to reflect on the idea that he could be that person we are hearing about.

 

[Squizree]

Why do some people insist on putting the blame on just one side? It's EQUALLY the fault of BOTH sides. If the problem was only present with ONE side then the issue would have been resolved long ago.
But the face that BOTH parties are at fault means that the problems are just continuing and getting worse.
Terry Richardson is abusing his professional position AND the girls doing the shoots are too stupid to be making decisions.
They are BOTH at fault, Terry AND the girls.

 

[noellejv]

Why do some people insist on putting the blame on just one side? It's EQUALLY the fault of BOTH sides. If the problem was only present with ONE side then the issue would have been resolved long ago.
But the face that BOTH parties are at fault means that the problems are just continuing and getting worse.
Terry Richardson is abusing his professional position AND the girls doing the shoots are too stupid to be making decisions.
They are BOTH at fault, Terry AND the girls.

Well the answer is simple, teens and people in their early 20's are known for being 'stupid' or making poor decisions. That is why they are targeted so frequently. That is also why laws exist to protect them.

 

[Imaginara]

Yes im afraid i cant agree with you there Squizree.

Since in that work relationship, Terry is the person in a position of power (aka. "the boss") the model will be at an disadvantage, perhaps not daring to speak out fearing punishment (in the form of bad career move). And this is true regardless of age. Sexual harassment at work (which this is) can occur at any age, with the same issues involved.

This is why the blame cannot be put equal in my opinion. Terry has the full responsibility as the person in charge that anyone working with him does not feel threatened, abused or mistreated.

Just like any boss on this planet really =)

 

[irulan]

^Exactly. It's a decision nobody should have to make in the first place. If you go there for work, you should be able to expect that you will be treated with respect and professionalism.

Of course you can say No, there are girls who have and who have stellar carreers without Richardson's help.

But if everything was just right, no model, no woman and no man should be confronted with this issue at all. And the only one to ensure that is the boss. So yes, blame it on Terry for getting those girls to a point where they have to say Yes or No.


Seriously, I just say Suck It Up. I don't get why he has to expose the public to his obvious problems. Apparently he's in treatment, why not fix your issues there? It's how everybody else does it, they go see their therapist. I'm not a fan of this public self-therapy and I don't think any good art ever came from that.

 

[Squizree]

^ I love art as much as the next tFSer but harassment and abuse is just not funny and should be of higher priority.

And if he's in therapy, and clearly admits that he as a problem, why are there people still defending him? The whole argument is so redundant.