Terry Richardson banned from working with Conde Nast

[tigerrouge]

Time will tell whether this represents progress.

Remember that newspaper expose about Kate Moss, when various fashion and beauty companies hesitated for a few days, waiting to see what the general reaction was, before deciding to drop her via a big public announcement... and then went back to using her when the moment of outrage had passed and the issue was no longer on the radar.

 

[ThatDudeOverTher]

Is Terry Richardson the only photographer with these type of allegations? There's gotta be more people out there in the fashion industry who sexually harassed young models.

Certainly not. I've heard awful stories from some of my close friends who are models and from other friends who are assistants to a couple of "big name" photographers. One of the names has already been listed here speculatively.

The other one that no one seems to suspect is even bigger than Terry, in terms of how much work he gets, but the number of male models who have stories to tell... All I'll say is that sooner or later, the towel will come off...

 

[Nymphaea]

Well, that has to be Mario Testino and I'm not surprised.

 

[badgalcrush]

Wow... To be honest at a first look Testino looked gay to me

If its really about him and behave this way I cant deny ... I'm quite suprise wouldn't imagine that

 

[ThatDudeOverTher]

Wow... To be honest at a first look Testino looked gay to me

If its really about him and behave this way I cant deny ... I'm quite suprise wouldn't imagine that

Not confirming whether or not the photographer is indeed Mario, but male models are also victims in the industry

 

[Phuel]

Men are, and definitely can be victims of these same harassments and assaults. But for a variety of reasons that are complex and ingrained in society— along with an accepted bias from both women and men, men are likely not encouraged to speak up nor will they get the support to speak up. So they just brush it off.

 

[333101]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-41747635

 

[MulletProof]

I think what makes these things difficult in fashion is that it's sooo profoundly unregulated that even the word regulation resonates more as the crime of regulating artistic expression. So you have people that are obviously in it holding a camera for no greater purpose than getting laid at a rate no other profession (or the cruel world out there) would ever facilitate for them due to legal structures, as well as looks, personality, all these factors that can be brutal but embraced in the fashion world providing whatever you're doing is in the name of fashion. People like Olivier Zahm, perv and proud, valid credentials as employer and a "style" that will be defended as "that is his style of photography!" until the end of time.

The Weinstein scandal also sheds some light on how slow work can be when it takes place in different countries/legal systems. Fashion, unlike Hollywood, is not even consolidated in one country but in 3, add to that the cultural differences and France leading, which is kind of like the blind leading the one-eyed in sexism.. and yeah. It will die down. I'm just glad they're taking Terry out of business... his work is a f*cking eye sore.

Little rant and not aimed personally, but having just seen this in a Designers & Collections thread too, I cannot for the life of me stand 'insider information'... the proximity is up in the air when anonymity is involved, same for professionalism (employment leaks) and as a result, veracity... and in my years here, time after time, it's BS. But yeah you'll get the kids "tell us more!". It's as useless as the anonymous people speaking up on IG "one time I was walking into a casting and my skirt got lifted".. okay, thanks? glad we're talking about it, I was assaulted in Paris not long ago and the response (from both male and female officers) was probably more traumatizing than the incident itself. Does sharing incidents contribute to changing perceptions and turning something no one cares for into something openly and immediately reprehensible? yes and that's positive, but does it cut heads or even damages anyone? does it create consequences? not any time soon, and that just gives plenty of time for these people to cover their tracks. Unfortunately, as proved by Asia and Rose, you have to take a "nothing to lose" approach, even if you clearly have your career and sanity to lose... you can barely get somewhere with names/locations/dates, so eliminating that from incidents with people in power is kind of just noise. I know it's hard even just talking about it, but I think that once you've taken that brave risk, it shouldn't be just "one time I was raped........ and it was awful".

 

[Benn98]

I've heard rumours about Bruce Weber from models and artists that have worked with him in the past. Guys saying that they "did what they had to do to get work with Abercombie", stories of him getting the male models drunk for shoots, him straight up touching and undressing guys on set.

Ha! I knew it, it had to be. I always, and I mean always, regarded his weird homoerotic fascination with suspicion. The thought crossed my mind but I wouldn't dare say it aloud. Years back he shot a bunch of young Swedes for VF, and it was downright pervy from start to end.

This stinks to high heaven and I'd like to hear what those who admired his work and defended his aestehetic think about it this now?? Phuel, Mulletproof.....penny for your thoughts?

Imagine 'doing what you have to' with some Bruce Weber just to get ahead? Just repulsed myself with that thought. I'd rather go on the dole first!

 

[cienne]

Kevin Sorbo Alleges Designer Gianni Versace Sexually Harassed Him.

 

[MulletProof]

This stinks to high heaven and I'd like to hear what those who admired his work and defended his aestehetic think about it this now?? Phuel, Mulletproof.....penny for your thoughts?

Imagine 'doing what you have to' with some Bruce Weber just to get ahead? Just repulsed myself with that thought. I'd rather go on the dole first!

well yeah, cause it's repulsive... and not because he's the physical opposite of what good looks traditionally consist of but I think anyone, no matter how they look, will turn into something disgusting when they come out as abusers.

Thing is, we don't know, see previous post for "insider information". But should it come out, yes, it taints his body of work... just the way it happens with Woody Allen, with Roman Polanski, you know they have good taste or perspectives on art/society, but you can never 'unsee' the biographical elements that are all over his work, and these "biographical elements", by their very nature, depict thoughts, desires (especially in photography) that end up shaping the (debatable and subjective) notion of taste... and I think that anyone that appreciates photography always wonders on the process of creating the image itself, what it took, so that certainly "affects" the experience.. until you ultimately lose interest or reject the image altogether.

On the other hand though, and this is a very complicated topic, I do not have and I doubt I will ever grow that sense of "put that pig in an electrical chair and give him the slowest death" sense of justice... social conditioning is interesting, and I also think someone just doesn't express their darkest and dirtiest fears/ideas but also has had, at some point, the capacity of capturing life in a cleaner form, which I do value, even when I know another chapter of life turned them into pigs.

 

[ThatDudeOverTher]

Ha! I knew it, it had to be. I always, and I mean always, regarded his weird homoerotic fascination with suspicion. The thought crossed my mind but I wouldn't dare say it aloud. Years back he shot a bunch of young Swedes for VF, and it was downright pervy from start to end.

This stinks to high heaven and I'd like to hear what those who admired his work and defended his aestehetic think about it this now?? Phuel, Mulletproof.....penny for your thoughts?

Imagine 'doing what you have to' with some Bruce Weber just to get ahead? Just repulsed myself with that thought. I'd rather go on the dole first!

It's even worse than that. I know of situations where models feel compelled to go out and sleep with their bookers/agents even if they don't want to. They do it because they feel like if they don't, then they won't be promoted for jobs. I know for sure that it has even gone as far as bookers asking for d*ck pics from their male models. And take a look at some of these agents/bookers, I'd sooner engage Weber than some of them. It's a sick and twisted industry and everyone seem to just think of it as "playing the game." Let's not forget that one agency even pimps their models out as escorts... allegedly. These streets are brutal, kids!

 

[cienne]

Diesel Will No Longer Work With Terry Richardson

Diesel will no longer work with the photographer, according to a statement given by the company to The Daily Beast, which reads, "I can confirm to you that we are not collaborating with Terry Richardson for the Diesel campaign, and also that we don't have plans to work with him."

Valentino Will No Longer Work With Terry Richardson

Valentino most recently hired Richardson to photograph its resort 2018 campaign ads, which were unveiled on the Italian fashion house's Instagram account last week. Though Richardson was initially given photo credit on the posts, his name has since been removed following online backlash, according to The Cut.

On Tuesday, a Valentino spokesperson issued the following statement to The Hollywood Reporter: "Valentino's last campaign with photographer Terry Richardson was shot in July 2017 — there are no plans on a future campaign and of course take these allegations against Terry Richardson seriously."

 

[cienne]

I wonder if Hollywood Reporter might be reading a bit too much into both Diesel's and Valentino's statement—they didn't state outright that they would never again hire Terry, only that they had no current plans to do so. That said, it's interesting that Valentino reportedly removed Terry's name from the credits to their campaign on Instagram. Now they are only crediting the Creative Director, Pierpaolo Piccioli.

 

[modelista]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5014251/Why-did-fashion-world-worship-Terry-Richardson.html

 

[cienne]

Prabal Gurung's statement on Instagram:

It is important that we hold everyone accountable who worked with Terry Richardson. Not to shame them, but to understand the intention & motive behind their decision to turn a blind eye to his horrific actions. Clearly they cannot say they didn’t know, because we all knew. Every publication who hired him, every stylist who worked with him, every agency who sent models on his shoot, even the UPS delivery man knew.

And I knew too. I have to admit that I heard the stories. I always knew them to be more than just rumours or industry gossip. While I never directly worked with him for one of my own shoots, I knew the truth. I shared it on my Facebook, retweeted some articles and followed the “slactivism” route (of which we all are guilty) but never truly engaged in the conversation. Never spoke up.

So why, when so many of us know the same horrific truth, does it take us so long to get here?

It might give us an insight into this world of fashion, that we love so much. It might teach us something about our hunger for power, money, chasing the cool, our lack of courage and above all human failings.

And while this ban can be masked as a semblance of progress, it does feel too little too late. Too late for the women who felt threatened, violated and scared.

To look forward, and advocate for real change, we need to ask each other and ourselves— How can we build better, stronger communities? How did we foster such a hostile environment, and why do we continue to follow a herd mentality even when we know better?

Once we truly dissect and understand this, only THEN we can possibly be free of repeating the same mistake.

 

[happycanadian]

Man I hate to come across as cynical, cause that's the last thing I am ... I think.

That being said, Prabal's comments seem both heartfelt and perfectly timed to be the "publicly correct" response to the Terry situation.

 

[Phuel]

Benn, I always thought most here were already familiar with the reputation Bruce had with the men (as it was even addressed here some time ago, but more in a casual manner). I don’t endorse, nor will be defending his behavior. Doesn’t change my views towards his body of work, however.

There’s something that’s very important in terms of how different— in general, men and women approach and internalize these sort of assaults (and even amongst women, there will be such a differing of tolerance for these sort of behavior). And men do tend not to be traumatized by it— or at least not to the extend that some women may be in the same situation; of course, there are exceptions. My exes were models, and they would just laugh it off how they were treated inappropriately and prepositioned by some at times.

The unspoken barriers and boundaries that are set up for men and men, are different for men and women. Just like what is tolerable and acceptable for Western society can be different in Eastern society, and vice versa. I can’t treat the Bruce situation the same as Terry’s unless all these men come out to share their story about how violated they've been by Bruce.

Time will tell whether this represents progress.

Remember that newspaper expose about Kate Moss, when various fashion and beauty companies hesitated for a few days, waiting to see what the general reaction was, before deciding to drop her via a big public announcement... and then went back to using her when the moment of outrage had passed and the issue was no longer on the radar.

Being self-destructive and supposedly rehabilitated is a tad different from being a predator for nearly a decade LOL

If Terry never shot again, no one would miss him— I mean, except for his buddies in important roles in the industry. He’s been a creative black hole for at least a decade— if I’m being extremely generous. But looking back at his work from the mid-90s to the early-2000s, he did contribute strongly with a certain flair to fashion photography. That however, seems all in the past.

Just as an aside, people get caught up in brand names so much, rather than actual talent. It’s not just industry people— just look at the posts on TFS swooning over which designer should lead which name brand; when shouldn’t we be supporting and encouraging young/new designers to commit to evolving independently, rather than pursue being a lead in a giant brand? Terry has become nothing more than a tarnished brand name attached to a bland product. Even if he wasn’t a predator, I wouldn’t miss him the least if he never shot again based on his work this decade.

 

[Benn98]

There’s something that’s very important in terms of how different— in general, men and women approach and internalize these sort of assaults (and even amongst women, there will be such a differing of tolerance for these sort of behavior). And men do tend not to be traumatized by it— or at least not to the extend that some women may be in the same situation; of course, there are exceptions. My exes were models, and they would just laugh it off how they were treated inappropriately and prepositioned by some at times.

The unspoken barriers and boundaries that are set up for men and men, are different for men and women. Just like what is tolerable and acceptable for Western society can be different in Eastern society, and vice versa. I can’t treat the Bruce situation the same as Terry’s unless all these men come out to share their story about how violated they've been by Bruce.

I'll certainly agree re your first point. This morning I read the Versace/Hercules link someone posted a while back and I must say it didn't make any impact or elicit much of a response. For me it just seemed like the classic tale of some old and thirsty gay geezer trying his luck with a straight guy who was way out of his league - which I assume was common practice then. But not only that, the way Hercules (his real name escapes me) recounted the tale, in such a matter-of-fact tone and without much reflection, made it perhaps easier to somewhat dismiss it. Add to the fact that he was physically more imposing and as such able to defend himself should push comes to shove. But I agree, it's just different. And I think people should be a bit wary to bracket his experience alongside that of Rose or Paltrow's.

With Weber, I dunno, I think it should be approached entirely different. What leaves such a bad aftertaste is that his work correlates so much with the accusations (should it be true), it's simply not that easy to dismiss. It's for me like the charges against Richardson and his glossy p*rn chic aestetic. There's no way to look at his sexually provocative women and NOT think of what he's accused of (I expect this may be the reason why he changed his photo style recently.) So ultimately it just looks like one elongated manifestation of perversity - first the fictional segment with the photoshoot, then realised with an unwilling participant. It's also different because Versace randomly groping Hercules' inner thigh is less psychologically taxing than Richardson sexing models up figuratively for Harper's Bazaar, and later in a more literal sense. Or Weber setting a bunch of guys up to straddle each other in his signature homoerotic setting, then expecting the real deal much later. There's a form of conditioning here of the victim which could result in them feeling somewhat guilty for exposing themselves to a situation like this, to being assaulted after a series of topless, and provocative open-legged poses. That psychological damage coupled with the physical variety is just, well it's disgusting!

I'm convinced that we all have perverse thoughts, it becomes immoral when you abuse your power to realise such thoughts with someone unwilling.

 

[fashionista-ta]

Men are, and definitely can be victims of these same harassments and assaults. But for a variety of reasons that are complex and ingrained in society— along with an accepted bias from both women and men, men are likely not encouraged to speak up nor will they get the support to speak up. So they just brush it off.

There have been a lot of men who've spoken out against the abuse in the Catholic church. I'm not actually sure whether that cohort was predominantly male or not.

But it's true, I've had men tell me about workplace harassment. I've heard this in a restaurant-type context more than in the kind of (business) environment I work in.

I hope that this changes. Everyone should feel empowered to speak up against abusive behavior.

One difference is physical strength. I noticed a common theme in the Weinstein stories was the women talking about having to really exert themselves to fight him off. (Maybe this is why workouts are so important in Hollywood )