Terry Richardson’s Work is Degrading to Women

[VersaceVixen009]

It may or may not be true, the thing is Terry hasn't worked for US Vogue since 2010. He did work for French Vogue this year though.

 

[Emmanuelle]

Not saying he's not a pervert but do you know how easy it is to change a person's name in your phone and have someone text that?

Yes I know, that's why I think if there is a complaint, the police could easily prove it that's truly him who sent this.

He made an editorial for Vogue Paris in the December/january issue.

 

[jennifer~]

I've seen claims of this sort, where he's very blunt and open about his behavior. There's always skepticism surrounding them, of course. Take the case of freelance model Felice Fawn. An excerpt:

Terry Richardson: can you handle open and direct talk?

Felice Fawn: How do you mean?

Terry Richardson: straight to the point, no ping pong

Felice Fawn: Oh right haha, yeah yeah

Terry Richardson: modelling is more then only a pretty face

Felice Fawn: Yeah of course

Terry Richardson: but most models do know how things go behind the scenes to get the fame

Terry Richardson: do you?

Felice Fawn: Maybe not, so tell me?

Terry Richardson: easy and simple, like i said, i am used to talk daily about it with the other models, it is sex drugs and rock & roll

Terry Richardson: dont tell me you do not know this

Felice Fawn: Yes I am aware, but I don't do drugs and I certainly wont suck dick for fame.

Terry Richardson: thanks for the chat and wish you all the best, since there is only one real way for fame

Felice Fawn: Are you really Terry Richardson?

Terry Richardson: yes

Terry Richardson: who else i am, this account is connected with my ID and IP address

Terry Richardson: why the question?

Felice Fawn: Well you're obviously incredibly renowned for your work, so I just count myself incredibly lucky to be contacted by you.

Felice Fawn: So thanks again for your compliments.

Terry Richardson: dont be, i am a pervert like the rest in fashion

Felice Fawn: So I have read.

Terry Richardson: your read good, we all are the same

Felice Fawn: Good on you for being so blunt about it though.

Felice Fawn: Most people don't have the balls.

Terry Richardson: like i said, daily 20 models do offer me to **** them for fame and all others i know in fashion also **** around

Felice Fawn: Well I'm not like that I'm afraid.

Terry Richardson: but, would have shot you and published you for sure, but no prob

Felice Fawn: Sorry that I don't fit the criteria.

Make of it what you will. I'm disappointed in the fact that people like Kate Moss show no qualms about working with him, but I also don't believe they know the full extent of his abuses, in all the horrific detail presented here.

 

[dsamg]

Is that conversation definitely real? Terry's English doesn't seem great for someone who was born in the US..

 

[jennifer~]

^^ It's not definitely real. I don't think she made it up but there's always the possibility that someone else posed as Terry.

 

[Emmanuelle]

I don't want to believe every fashion photographer is like that please

 

[KateTheGreatest]

I'm a bit undecided about Richardson being so stupid to really propose sex in exchange for photoshoots but lots of websites are posting what the model posted. It is getting coverage, maybe now even more people will think twice about hiring him. And good for VUS to not hire him anymore, it's something, right.

 

[MyNameIs]

I've seen claims of this sort, where he's very blunt and open about his behavior. There's always skepticism surrounding them, of course. Take the case of freelance model Felice Fawn. An excerpt:

Make of it what you will. I'm disappointed in the fact that people like Kate Moss show no qualms about working with him, but I also don't believe they know the full extent of his abuses, in all the horrific detail presented here.

LMAO. Is this for real? Nobody can possibly think this is an authentic conversation with Terry Richardson, can they?

"Felice Fawn: So thanks again for your compliments.

Terry Richardson: dont be, i am a pervert like the rest in fashion"

Yeah, ok. I'm surprised he didn't also confess to doing drugs, killing Kennedy, not stopping at a stop sign and lying to his mother.

"Terry Richardson: like i said, daily 20 models do offer me to **** them for fame and all others i know in fashion also **** around"

LOL. I seriously feel bad for people falling for this. Are we to believe TR is this huge scheming pervert who been preying on young models for years without leaving any concrete evidence behind, suddenly starts texting/messaging unknown tumblrinas about it? All the while he has 20 offers daily from other models? Moreover, he's so dumb that he'll be explicit and obvious about it, so that it's really easy for the world and the police to convict him of a crime. Yep, that's totally plausible.

I'm inclined to believe some of these rumors surrounding TR. One, I don't like him or his photography. Two, there's been too much smoke from too many sources without there being some fire. But this here is straight up absurd in how removed from reality it really is.

 

[Not Plain Jane]

Yeah, that and this recent twitter post do seem questionable at best.

And if someone is doing this out of vengeance to sabotage TR, the reality is that it's more likely to have the opposite effect and make TR look sympathetic to some. In other words, people scheming against him may find that their (his/her) efforts will only backfire.

I still think the best thing for anyone who's had negative experiences with him is to file sexual harassment charges. (Of course that didn't make much difference for the CEO of American Apparel...)

If anything Richardson's career is growing by leaps and bounds because he's now moved quite heavily into the music industry, working mainly with female pop artists, of course: Mylie, Madonna, Rhianna, Beyonce, and Lady Gaga.

He's now apparently making a "documentary" film of Gaga's life that'll likely make him millions. Sigh...

 

[jennifer~]

I doubt it would be out of vengeance. If Emma Appleton's claim is fake, I'm guessing the motive would be publicity. If we're sticking with this motive, then Felice Fawn could have gotten someone to pose as Terry and knowingly partaken in a fraudulent chat. That would seem to be the easiest way. It was over Facebook, which I've never even used, so I don't know every mistake to look for. It would have required someone setting up a fake account, if the chat were completely undoctored. (There's debate about that...)
I hate even thinking that people would be so irresponsible, because it does detract from serious claims about him. Just going over the possibilities

 

[VersaceVixen009]

I definitely do think that some of these allegations are true. Sure, some of the claims by upcoming and aspiring models could be eyebrow raisers and could be deemed as possible ways to seek attention, but already, well-ESTABLISHED models such as Sara Ziff, Rie and Coco Rocha have come out with these claims, and they sure don't need more publicity, as they already have great modeling careers.

I just wonder why it took Rie 8 years to come out and say something, seeing that she worked with him for Gucci.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I think we can take it you've never had this type of experience yourself?

There's quite an interesting article in a recent issue of US Elle by an author in her 50s who discussed being molested as a high school student in her memoir and when she was interviewed on Fresh Air. (Took her decades to "come out and say something.") Her high school contacted her and actually investigated what she'd documented about rampant sexual abuse dating back to the 70s. She discusses in the article how she had no idea what a widespread effect the abuse had had on her life up to the present day until she wrote about it and spoke about it, after which she noticed some very significant changes. I completely applaud the high school for taking the action they did. Now we need all of those working with Terry Richardson, many of whom claim to be feminists and supporters of other women, to do the same. And hopefully everyone he's abused will speak up and experience the benefits of doing so.

 

[VersaceVixen009]

^That is NOT what I meant. First of all, I'm completely familiar with this touchy subject, so please do not take a personal jab at me. My point is, Rie is a very powerful figure in the fashion world and I wonder why she didn't speak out sooner. Maybe she was afraid. I was simply speculating. A personal jab at me was completely unnecessary.

 

[Not Plain Jane]

Fashionista-ta, I wonder if some of that also goes with the past, when less things were aired openly in the public eye, as so much is now. It seems people may be less likely to be reticent about things like abuse today because there are more support systems in place, although it's still clearly far from ideal.

Jennifer~ I was thinking of the vengeance coming from the other end - i.e., not the models who received the messages, but someone planning behind the scenes and sending these things out to unknowing receivers. I meant that the models who received the messages weren't in on it. Although your publicity angle is definitely possible I suppose. But as you say, sad, if true.

I too definitely think some of these allegations are 100% true because as MyNameIs pointed out, there have been too many people speaking/writing about it for too long for there to be absolutely no truth to it. It's not like one person has accused him of sexually harassing behaviour; rather SEVERAL have.

That's why it remains astonishing to me above all that so many female high profile models and pop stars continue to support him. If they wouldn't work with him, he'd basically be out of a job, or surely not laughing all the way to the bank and getting away with what he's ostensibly done.

 

[jennifer~]

^^ Ohh, that's possible. It would be interesting if it were the same person -- Terry's arch enemy or something, lol.
Many past allegations have sounded believable, plus Rie Rasmussen would be correct in any case: Half his oeuvre is really gross and degrading (and the other half is bland stuff for Bazaar or whatever). It's actually hard to imagine that someone with his taste for "girls who appear underage, abused" in hardcore p*rn scenarios or whatever -- as Rie mentioned orginally -- would not be guilty of some inappropriate forwardness, at the least.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^That is NOT what I meant. First of all, I'm completely familiar with this touchy subject, so please do not take a personal jab at me. My point is, Rie is a very powerful figure in the fashion world and I wonder why she didn't speak out sooner. Maybe she was afraid. I was simply speculating. A personal jab at me was completely unnecessary.

I'm sorry you took what I said personally. Your unqualified questioning of why 8 years would elapse before someone spoke out led me to believe you're not familiar with how incredibly common it is to keep sexual harassment and abuse secret.

Power and era have little influence on shame, for example. There are a dozen reasons why someone might not speak out--shame, fear of not being believed, fear of the effect on her own reputation, fear of retaliation, etc., etc., etc.


PS The IM, etc. reminds me of this Hercule Poirot story (Case of the Aegean Stables, or something like that) where the politician is actually guilty, but after an intentionally planted tabloid story turns out to be false, no one believes the real story.

 

[VersaceVixen009]

^Apology accepted. Not only should I have elaborated and been more clearer, I think you also took what I said to be a criticism of Rie- which was not the case at all. What she did was a very powerful, bold thing to do. Justice indeed should be served. I was wondering what her personal reason was behind it and how she felt. As a psychology major, I am aware of the effects of sexual harassment and reasons why situations are not disclosed. What I am trying to say is it would be great to hear more from Rie on the subject and how she felt and what made her chose to come out so recently.

 

[BerlinRocks]

I don't want to believe every fashion photographer is like that please

Some are gays, so no they are not all like that with girls.


That is pretty shocking stories, I read here.
And I really enjoy when he compares himself to Mapplethorpe or Newton. I mean.... c'mone, mate! First Mapplethorpe cannot be reduced to his "p*rno" body of work, and second he was mostly looking for an aesthetic, a classical aesthetic of the body. He was mostly a sculptor into the photo medium. Not a random redneck perv'.

PS The IM, etc. reminds me of this Hercule Poirot story (Case of the Aegean Stables, or something like that) where the politician is actually guilty, but after an intentionally planted tabloid story turns out to be false, no one believes the real story.

Poirot on tFS? Loooove it!

 

[misspistol]

People just need to look at his old work, anyone who doesn't believe he would propose certain things is naive.

 

[Emmanuelle]

I think Sara Ziff and Coco Rocha can be trusted. They have founded the Model Alliance and abused models can contact them if they have a problem at work. So if is really a perv, they must have a lot of complaints about him. I wish they could do something against him.