Terry Richardson’s Work is Degrading to Women

[TianSoFine]

^That thread was hilarious.

^ Bruce Weber

Thanks!

Could someone let me know about the Bruce Weber scandal as well?

 

[Not Plain Jane]

I've read lots about the homoeroticism in his (BW's) work, which is obvious, and suggestions that perhaps his marriage is one of "convenience" but I haven't read about his maltreatment of the models. Hmm...

 

[tomtakesphotos]

Find a male model hanging around during fashion week- ask him what he knows/thinks about Bruce Weber. That's how you'll find out.

I think most guys are too embarrassed to really go public but most know he likes to use the A+F shoots to get guys to do solo nude shoots in private rooms / etc. Bookers warn young male models about him. I don't know that he's done anything sexual with them but I think guys are pressured to get naked for them because they think he can make them the next Simon Nessman/Garrett Neff- and I don't doubt those two went through the same thing.

 

[TREVOFASHIONISTO]

The VICE guy is a total a**hole.

 

[Shiru]

While I do think this shows a lot of what is wrong with this industry including the actions of Terry himself (complacency and acceptance of everything that happens in the industry as being just the way things are and that can't be changed, for example), I also don't really think this was handled well. Instead of letting him speak the reporter lady just keeps cutting him off trying to get him to talk about the specific problem at hand, which is whether or not Terry's behavior towards models on set is acceptable or not. It's not good reporting - very biased and backfired as it seems to support the notion of a witch-hunt.

I have to say though, even if he is an *******, he is mostly a smart one. By deflecting the reporters' questions and making this about the victimization of himself on this news show and of Terry Richardson by the terrible SJWs and feminists, the public may be more inclined to believe him over the other two. People who are willing to look deeper into the conversation will recognize what he is doing (still discrediting the girls, deflecting questions, trying to avoid taking responsibility for Terry's individual actions by saying the industry is this way, or by calling this not only a witch-hunt on Terry but on the industry as a whole, etc.) - but I'm afraid most people will not.

 

[YoninahAliza]

Gavin McInnes is a massive jerk in that interview, he didn't even answer half of the questions and he sl*t-shamed the hell out of those women. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the creator of VICE magazine is such an a**, I mean in a lot of ways the magazine speaks for itself and its creators. McInnes also claims in the interview that beauty standards are set by gay men, the comments seemed a bit homophobic in nature too. The whole interview with him was just terrible. Thank god Caryn Franklin was there to comment and set matters straight, she made some very good points and kept her cool while talking. Sadly though, too many people will probably remember the VICE editors words more then the fashion activist's, because they were more vitriol. Also, as a side note, I've got so much respect for Franklin, she seems so smart and interesting (plus her hair is amazing)!

 

[Not Plain Jane]

McInnes came off like an idiot who was hamming it up for the TV. He pulls those dramatic pauses (possibly caused by the sound delay but still) and then makes hyper-obvious facial expressions in order to get his "points" across. By contrast, Franklin seems informed, cool, and yet objectively distant from the subject matter. It's obvious she's looking at the issue as a broad one, but she knows details, too, like that McInnes was involved in the creation of "Terry's World", and thus has a vested interest in protecting him. I didn't get the sense of a witch hunt, except perhaps in the mediator since she seems to be on side with Franklin. Anyhow thanks for posting that; it was interesting.

 

[Shiru]

I think it wasn't necessarily what the reporter did that was wrong or that she actually was biased, she interrupted him a lot because she got frustrated he wasn't answering her questions. She basically fell for his trap IMO. He was smart enough to play up the "victim" angle ("hamming it up" as you so aptly put), so it makes the reporter seem more biased than she actually is. This lends him a lot more credibility than it gives her - and his belief is that the reporter is part of a witch-hunt on Terry and the industry. I think had she given him time to say his piece every once in a while, and then inform him that they were low on time and he was not answering any of the questions so she could move on to the next question, maybe that would've gone over better with the casual public watching.

I was not referring to Caryn Franklin in any way. She was, and is, absolutely brilliant.

 

[softgrey]

Find a male model hanging around during fashion week- ask him what he knows/thinks about Bruce Weber. That's how you'll find out.

I think most guys are too embarrassed to really go public but most know he likes to use the A+F shoots to get guys to do solo nude shoots in private rooms / etc. Bookers warn young male models about him. I don't know that he's done anything sexual with them but I think guys are pressured to get naked for them because they think he can make them the next Simon Nessman/Garrett Neff- and I don't doubt those two went through the same thing.

very true---
it's funny cause he looks as harmless as santa claus...
but i think that helps him get people naked...

jeurgen teller is another beauty...

 

[softgrey]

Yes, the one and only person. If there is no model, there is no conceived photoshoot, nor person who pays, nor photographer, stylist or publisher.

if the publisher or advertisers refused to pay for or print the photos, the shoot would not happen either...

 

[Phuel]

very true---
it's funny cause he looks as harmless as santa claus...
but i think that helps him get people naked...

Funny-- 'cause he looks like a (predatory) bear to me...

 

[HeatherAnne]

Yet MORE accusations.

If the New York magazine piece is true, I hope they [the magazine] end up with egg on their face. I can't believe they'd go anywhere near this.

Piece #1:

Source: New York Mag Plotting Terry Richardson-Is-Innocent Cover Story

A source tells us that an upcoming issue of New York will feature a cover story basically absolving fashion photographer Terry Richardson.
According to the source, Terry Richardson will allegedly tell the mag that he is innocent of all of the sexual assault allegations leveled against him. He will, in the words of our tipster, "say the girls are full of crapola." The tipster adds:

He has convinced the editors that he is innocent. The girls have no idea that they are going to be the losers.

Although Terry Richardson has not been charged with a crime, for four years now, models have come forward with stories about how he pushed boundaries during photoshoots. Many of the women involved claim that they froze or suddenly disassociated themselves from the situation, only realizing later what had happened: He'd asked them to touch him. He'd taken out his penis. He'd ejaculated on their faces. The women involved? Young. Barely of-age. One describes herself as "a r*pist's dream, completely naive and trusting, but passive and shy on top of that." Another says as soon as Richardson got naked in front of her during a shoot, she began to "zoom out of the situation." A not-uncommon psychological response to trauma.

Richardson has argued that the women involved knew what they were getting into:

I collaborated with consenting adult women who were fully aware of the nature of the work, and as is typical with any project, everyone signed releases . . . I have never used an offer of work or a threat of rebuke to coerce someone into something that they did not want to do. I give everyone that I work with enough respect to view them as having ownership of their free will and making their decisions accordingly.

Which is not so much a denial as it is a shrug and a "**** happens." As we've pointed out before, consent isn't the absence of a forceful no: it's the presence of a yes. With many of these Richardson allegations, the models never said "yes." Instead, they were manipulated, by someone whose very job it is on set to tell them what to do. When one model was asked why she didn't leave the second Richardson took his penis out, she put it thusly:

I dont know [why I didn't leave]! I think it was fear and a an automatic disconnect happened inside my head or something. It felt like it happened so quickly. Their attitudes were so upbeat and like everything was just you know silly or cool or whatever that the blend from weird to crossing the line was somehow blurred as it happened.

Richardson may argue that the women never said no, never left the set, never refused to be a part of his shoot, but does that make him innocent?
In any case, we'll be looking forward to seeing what this alleged New York cover story is all about.

Piece #2

'I Felt a Dick Pressing Into My Face': Terry Richardson Strikes Again

Yesterday, we reported that New York magazine is planning a cover story on noted pervy fashion photographer Terry Richardson and the hailstorm of rumors that he routinely sexually exploits and assaults models with the help of his creepy-as-**** assistant Leslie Lessin. Now, another woman has come forward claiming that Richardson sexually assaulted her, and she's spoken exclusively to us about it.

We received this email last night and we've reprinted it here in its entirety.

My name is Anna [Redacted] and I am a writer and stylist living in New York City. While I'm not a professional model by any means, I was photographed and sexually assaulted by the delightful Terry Richardson following the July 2008 launch party of the Nolita restaurant Delicatessen. I was 23 at the time.

Terry had been hired to take portraits of party-goers (the photos from the booth are still collaged on the restaurant's menus and bathroom walls, mine included), and he was apparently quite taken with my energy in front of the camera (please note the sarcasm here). His now-infamous assistant, Leslie Lessin, approached me and asked if they could have my phone number to set up a photo shoot. I obliged.

Then she came back. Now they wanted to know if I would be willing to skip out on the party for a few minutes and go do an impromptu photo shoot at Terry's home/studio on Bowery, just a few blocks away. Never one to turn down an ill-advised adventure or an appeal to my vanity, I said, "Sure!"

I can't even say he shot any photos. His assistant held the camera and pushed the buttons, under his direction. At first, I just stood against the wall, traditional portrait-style while I made goofy faces and she snapped away. Innocent fun. He asked if I'd reveal my "t*ts." I'm not against nudity by any means and have had plenty of photographer friends shoot me in various states of undress so again, the answer was, "Sure. Why not!" Boobs out, no big deal.

Then he entered the shot and Leslie snapped a few of us together. He had me kind of crouch down on the floor as I moved around, posing. Then, suddenly, I felt a dick pressing into the side of my face. Terry Richardson's semi-hard penis was plunged into the outside of my cheek, and he was jabbing it into my face. Leslie giggled, and muttered something to the effect of the, "Isn't this fun?!" He pressed it to my lips. He clearly wanted a blow job and wanted it documented on camera.

I didn't want to act scared or angry because I was in this guy's apartment with no one else around aside from his equally screwed-up assistant and who knows what these psychos were capable of, so I merely muttered something about having to get back to the party and jetted the hell out of there.

Several days later, while I was sitting at work, I received a call from an unfamiliar number. It was Leslie.

"Hey, Anna! So Terry cannot stop talking about you. You're his new muse. He's obsessed."

I remained silent. "And his birthday is coming up, and I have kind of a crazy idea I know he would just love. I was thinking, you could just show up at his apartment - I'll tell you when I'll know he'll be home - and when he opens the door, you just grab him and make out with him. Then run away! He will absolutely love that. Just don't tell Jen [Brill, his photo agent girlfriend at the time]. She can never know about this."

"Leslie, I have no desire to make out with him. Absolutely not." I hung up.

The photos are still out there, but I have never seen them. I would have come out with the story when the incident happened, but - as pathetic as this sounds - didn't think anyone would give a **** about a non-model getting a dick, albeit a famous fashion photographer's dick, shoved in her face without any proof whatsoever. I seriously regret just pushing it aside, as I have done time and time again when it comes to incidents involving myself and sexual assaults, a history that goes back to when I was a young teenager. But hearing that New York magazine is going to publish a story absolving the sleazebag of a load of sick, sordid stuff he most definitely, obviously did to multiple women is enough to finally incite me. The guy shouldn't just be locked out from the fashion photography world, he should be in jail. Add another girl to the list!

jezebel

 

[StoneSkipper]

Does he really think he can get away with an innocent claim now, with all the evidences piling up against him? Will anybody even buy that sh!t? (And I know they will. Sigh...)

I collaborated with consenting adult women who were fully aware of the nature of the work, and as is typical with any project, everyone signed releases . . . I have never used an offer of work or a threat of rebuke to coerce someone into something that they did not want to do. I give everyone that I work with enough respect to view them as having ownership of their free will and making their decisions accordingly.

Basically: "This was a sex trip from the beginning and they were raped because they secretly wanted it. Also, I can do whatever I want if everybody signs a release."

Isn't anybody seeing the underline in his words? Isn't anybody seeing how dangerous of an example this guy is? My word, I feel like I'm taking crazy pills.

On a slightly lighter note, I love the title of this thread. "Terry Richardson's work is degrading to women"... well, what else is new?

 

[Not Plain Jane]

Interesting pieces HeatherAnne. It's surprising that New York Mag would be proposing such an article given that they've not generally "sided" with Terry in all of this. However, maybe now that this other woman has spoken out, they will quell their denial piece.

 

[Not Plain Jane]

Not sure if this has been linked up here, but for those wanting to boycott anything related to TR, there has been a tumblr started to keep you up to date on this issue.

Here's their stated mandate:

Welcome to We Hired Terry.
In light of the mounting disturbing allegations against prolific photographer Terry Richardson, this blog serves as a record of the creatives who—despite Mr. Richardson’a alleged behavior—hire him for high-profile projects.
Submissions welcome—see guidelines on the “submit” page.

And here's the link, if you're interested:

http://wehiredterry.tumblr.com/

The is also another tumblr called "No More Terry" with essentially the same purpose; here's the link:

http://nomoreterry.tumblr.com/

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I like it! and have it bookmarked, thank you.


I was wondering if it might be possible to mark this and other threads with explicit content NSFW, for those of us who might be reading tFS at work?

 

[dsamg]

Here it is

http://nymag.com/thecut/2014/06/terry-richardson-interview.html?mid=facebook_nymag

 

[Not Plain Jane]

He certainly had a horrifically sad childhood. Not that it excuses anything, but it does help you to see how or why he might long for attention.

Some choice quotations relating to the topic of this thread:

His shoots could get wild, and he made no secret of that. In 2002, he told Vice about his forthcoming calendar for street-style brand Supreme, the goal being “to put together a calendar you could jerk off to.” The shoot, he revealed, “got a bit out of hand by the end. The woman producing the shoot got freaked out and had to leave. I think every person there ****ed someone. It was intense.”

As Richardson’s career accelerated, his personal work became more intensely sexual. He now routinely took off his own clothes during shoots, which he explained as simply a gambit to make models comfortable posing naked. In what he would later describe as both a replacement for the substances he’d forsworn and a catharsis of his “issues,” he increasingly photographed himself, or was photographed by his assistants, in a multitude of explicit scenarios. “Doing that nude work and taking his own clothes off is how he got over his own shyness,” says Dian Hanson. “And he’s got a big dick. And once the world notices that, it’s kind of encouraging to continue taking your clothes off.”

Steve-O, a member of the Jackass cast, recalls in his memoir an afternoon when Johnny Knoxville called and said, “Hey, I’m at Terry Richardson’s studio. He wants to do a b*kk*ke shoot, and we’re just a few cocks short. You game?” Richardson photographed it all. He wanted Steve-O “pulling a girl’s hair while I shot a load on her face and someone else pointed a gun at her head.”

Richardson seemed to relish having become what the Village Voice called the “notorious sleaze fashion photographer.” He’d tell models to call him “Uncle Terry.” In interviews, he’d say things like “I was a shy kid, and now I’m this powerful guy with his boner, dominating all these girls.”

I didn't think he'd ever been charged, but, apparently, he has been:

In August 2003, a young Romanian model named Gabriela Johansson was dispatched by her agency, L.A. Models, to the Chateau Marmont, where Richardson was doing a casting session. During the shoot, she took her top off, but when he “pushed aggressively” for her to remove the rest of her clothes, she became “extremely uncomfortable,” according to a lawsuit she filed against Richardson in 2005, after a Richardson picture of her surfaced in an art exhibit. Johansson claimed that she’d been tricked into signing a release that had been presented as merely a “sign-in sheet.” A similar suit was brought against Richardson the same year, this one by a male model named Frank “Speedy” Lopera, who had appeared fully naked in Terry*world and later claimed he had been misled. Both were quietly settled.

There are some thought provoking parts about taking responsibility for choices made, for example....

At some level, whether you believe Richardson was sexually coercive hinges on a judgment of the power dynamic in any given photo shoot, and of the agency of young models in the moral vacuum of the fashion world. “I think when you put yourself in front of a photographer, you have to have a clear idea of what you’re willing to do and what not,” says Freja Beha, the Danish supermodel. “[Richardson] has never taken me anywhere I’ve felt uncomfortable with. I’d even go so far as to say he’s one of the most sensitive people in the business, who’s quite honest about how he feels.”

But then...

But he seems either unaware of or unwilling to acknowledge the ways in which coercion can be unspoken and situational. A prominent photography agent identifies the potential for abuse. “Kate Moss wasn’t asked to grab a hard dick,” this person says. “Miley Cyrus wasn’t asked to grab a hard dick. H&M models weren’t asked to grab a hard dick. But these other girls, the 19-year-old girl from Whereverville, should be the one to say, ‘I don’t think this is a good idea’? These girls are told by agents how important he is, and then they show up and it’s a bait and switch. This guy and his friends are literally like, ‘Grab my boner.’ Is this girl going to say no? And go back to the village? That’s not a real choice. It’s a false choice.”

 

[inwhiterooms]

I honestly don't know what to believe...

 

[KateTheGreatest]

This is just really sad, maybe he should go get some help.