i'm getting more and more skeeved by this. preaching against censorship and then deleting a story because you may be on the wrong side of it................
i'm VERY disappointed.
because the comments weren't pretty? as far as i can tell they sure as SHITE did. ahhhhhhhh but it's cached so NOT to worry
(well YES to worry. if they took it down because people were attacking JUSTIFIABLY SO AS FAR AS I CAN TELL, a boing boing pet, well then it IS more disturbing than the story itself - almost)
c'mon xeni, grow a set. why the hell take the story down? either terry richardson is a predator or he is NOT. either you were wrong to keep sticking up for him, or you were NOT
oh and i'm the rose bush in the comments section (wonder if i'm going to get banned now???)
i sent xeni an email. if she answers i'll let y'all know
the cache of what's with the terry richardson witchhunt?
What's with the Terry Richardson witchhunt?
"Says one person who's worked with [photographer Terry] Richardson: 'It's just impossible for me to see him as a sexual predator. What he does is completely out in the open.'
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"....everyone in fashion knows Terry Richardson, 44, messes around with the girls he photographs....."
So anyone who works with him should just expect to "mess around", right? I call bullshit. It's ignorant to say that his casting couch mentality is acceptable because - hey! - everyone knows he's a pervert before they walk into a shoot. That also implies a choice to actually working with him, which is a very naive outlook on the lives of models.
He's an overrated photographer to boot.
Wait, so as long as you're shameless about it, you can't be a sexual predator? Does that mean that bosses who pressured their secretaries into sex before the days of sexual harrassment lawsuits weren't sexual predators as long as they bragged about it?
I don't know enough about this guy (and the linked article doesn't say enough) to know exactly what he's accused of or whether he's guilty, but this quote does nothing to exonerate him.
Whether or not he's open about his sexuality, it should be understood that it is not OK to have to touch a naked guy's junk in order to do your job (unless you are a porn star or a medical professional, in which case that is sort-of implied in the contract). Reading the things that the models have said, it is pretty clear that they felt that they had to participate in his sexual fantasies in order to get their photo taken, and subsequently further their career. Apply that to any workplace, and it sounds like extreme sexual harassment.
Back in the 80's there was a movie of the week about an underage girl and a pervy photographer. Terry Richardson uses all the same techniques and THAT makes him a bit suspect.
I mean, the whole "If you have your picture taken by this man he will molest you, and your knowing ahead of time makes it alright for him to do it" defense doesn't hold water.
On the other hand, there don't seem to be many accusations against him. But is that because he's innocent, or because people are afraid of losing their jobs in the industry. Is the woman from 2007 a liar, or is she a whistle-blower?
Yes, guilty until proven innocent...I'm cool with that. But labeling this as a witchhunt?
"He takes girls who are young, manipulates them to take their clothes off and takes pictures of them they will be ashamed of. They are too afraid to say no because their agency booked them on the job and are too young to stand up for themselves."
Sounds like a pretty serious allegation to me.
"Instead of arguing with me, Terry ran out of the bar. Then the next day, he called my agency and complained I called him names in front of clients in Paris. It was the most cowardly thing I have ever seen."
And that explains why so few people complain.
So, you're a young model who gets a job modeling for one of these big names. Tom Ford or whoever. Sounds thrilling. You find out the photographer is going to be Terry Richardson, who has a rep for sleeping with his models. You can a) give up the job, hurting your business reputation, or b) go for it and hope it doesn't go too badly. Then he takes off his clothes to "make you more comfortable," and things go from there. How is that not sexual harassment at best? It's not like these girls get to choose who photographs them, do they?
Much respect, Xeni, but this article seems to be a big ball of victim blaming. They should have known what they were getting into, the accuser was bisexual so she's probably just making things up for attention, the industry is all about this sort of thing (terrible, terrible thing to say - it's true, but it desperately needs fixing)... typical victim blaming. Innocent until proven guilty, sure, but nothing that sounds remotely like a witchhunt.
Don't forget the way those models dress! They are just asking for it.
All the haters don't know what they are talking about. It isn't like he is trolling for young naive girls and then photographing and running around with them. By the time you get to his level you are working with professionals because amateur girls are a pain in the ass to photograph. Will they hurt their career by turning down a Cosmo gig that has Terry as a photographer? Probably, but then so does the architect that turns down that uber-rich client that everyone knows is a pain in the ass to work with, because it's not worth the money.
I have friends who've worked with Mr. Richardson (and modeled for him), and their experience was nothing like that of the former Suicide Girls model whose blog post is the basis for these accusations.
They're serious accusations, and I hope more sober, methodical reporting is done. I'm familiar with how a rush to condemnation on certain blog networks can be hurtful and unfair, even when the story appears to be simple to outsiders, on the basis of a blog post.
Richardson's lifestyle and work are unorthodox, and overtly (and for some, shockingly) sexual. None of this is news, and none of this has been in the closet. Richardson is open about his lifestyle, and how that overlaps with his work. It ain't how I roll, but nobody is forcing me, or you, to do so.
I've never before heard allegations that any of this was non-consensual. Sometimes stories are simple, sometimes they're more complicated. I'd like to hear from Richardson, and others, on the matter.
I don't understand why the fashion mags aren't getting some hate?
When they decide they have to sexy it up and call in Mr. Douchebag to be their official photographer, they are the predators, too? I mean, if the models should know his rep... let's just connect the rest of the dots.
Given that he works with companies that tend to use underage models, I do wonder how this is going to play out.
I do agree that him offering to strip naked when someone says no to modeling in the nude is over the line. I realize he is a fashion photographer, but most fashion shots are not nude. And certainly none show the penis.
Let's be clear here, and not condemn unfairly. I am not aware of any allegations that Terry Richardson coerced underage models into sexual activity.
The reason he offers to get nude is so that the model isn't the only one who is nude. Being nude in front of a room full of clothed people can be very intimidating. When other people in the room are like, "well, how about if we get nude too," it becomes more like skinny dipping than exploitation.
I understand, and share, your concern that more thorough information is needed. I'd respectfully mention that calling previous coverage a 'witchhunt' does a bit of disservice to the women whose stories have been shared so far. One of the hardest forces to deal with when reporting any sort of abuse is the pernicious belief that no-one will listen, or that you'll be blamed for messing up everyone's good time. 'Witchhunt' is a very charged word, and especially in the US, has some pretty specific (negative) connotations about girls 'telling tales' to get back at someone who has spurned or wronged them.
It could be that other media outlets are blowing this out of proportion, or that these are very unsubstantiated, or isolated claims. Until Mr. Richardson, or other parties contribute more information, I feel like neither party should be demonized.
I am not demonizing the young woman whose blog post is at the heart of this very viral story.
I do, however, think it's very fair to characterize some of the activity by traffic-hungry tabloids and tabloid blogs as a witchhunt.
Richardson works in an area, creatively, that makes a lot of people feel uncomfortable. Sometimes, me. His lifestyle is not my own. But I suspect that the story is more complicated than Page Six, or some of their blog imitators, would have us believe.
This does not resolve the story, either, but I will add a link here to personal observations on this matter by a photographer who is a friend of mine, and who has worked with Richardson, and for whom the personal, sexual, and creative realms also sometimes overlap. No, this friend does not coerce models into engaging in sexual activity. There is a difference between "unorthodox sexual lifestyle" and "exploitative skeeve." I cannot testify from first-hand observation on which side Mr. Richardson falls, but much of what Clayton says in this post rings familiar to me, and the rush to condemnation from the tabloid world disturbs me.
@Xeni - Are you referring to Rie Rasmussen, who is quoted at the end of the news article? I knew of Rie first as an actress in Luc Besson's wonderful low-budget film "Angel-A", in which she and Besson echoed elements of Wim Wenders' "Wings of Desire" -- in a more "crazy b*tch" mode (as her character describes herself in the film). An absolutely perfect minor film by a previously major director, well worth checking out.
I'm tracking down the art book she produced right now.
Her credibility is substantial in my eyes, simply based on her work -- the diversity of her work -- which suggests a capable mind at work.
Does anyone remember the episode of Newhart (the series with "Hi, I'm Larry, this is my brother Darryl, and this is my other brother Darryl") in which Newhart had to explain to his ex-wife why he also got naked when he photographed her nude back in college?
It's an old story, and has never been plausible, from the start.
Has anyone ever seen Dov Charney and Terri Richardson in a room at the same time?
"I have friends who've worked with Mr. Richardson (and modeled for him), and their experience was nothing like that of the former Suicide Girls model whose blog post is the basis for these accusations."
perhaps they were not his type? or perhaps he was not in the mood? i clearly have no evidence one way or the other, but pointing to friends that haven't been harassed is not very useful. if my coworker carried claims of harassment against a mutual boss, my first thought isn't going to be, "can this be true? i mean i've worked with him for years and he never sexually harassed me."
You know, even trial judges allow character witnesses.
I don't trust the New York Post as far as I can throw it. I highly doubt they're doing this for great justice -- more because sex sells.
That said, I'm really uncomfortable with the tone of the Daily Beast article, best summed up in the line "This may be why so few people in fashion can muster any outrage as the New York Post embarks on a search for the women who got naked for Richardson and now claim not to have wanted to." Really heavy overtones of victim-blaming, there.
And the article's conclusion -- the quote "It’s not IBM, it’s a business with beautiful girls, sex, and malfeasance. To single out one person as some sort of ringleader is absurd. We traffic in women’s bodies.” -- is that the "Everyone does it, therefore it's okay" defense?
It doesn't really sound like anyone's denying that stuff happened, and happens, that walks the line of sexual harassment and sometimes crosses it. The argument seems to be "Well, that's just how it is in fashion. Suck it up."
I find that problematic. To say the least.
I've been thinking about all of that, and about the story as a whole, all day. I think I'll refrain from making further comment here right now, because the discussion seems so charged. I'd like to know more, too.
I'm not the guy's self-appointed defense squad, nor am I condemning the former Suicide Girls model who blogged about her personal experience modeling for him -- or others whose comments I may not have not read yet.
Some of the people responding to this thread have brought up words like "rape" and "workplace sexual harassment." These are concepts with which I am personally familiar.
I would like to note here, to ground this discussion in fact where it belongs, that I am not aware of any such charges having been filed against Mr. Richardson regarding his conduct.
fuck the girls that profit on their sexuality, except when they decide its not OK
fuck Richardson and his shitty photos
fuck the fashion industry that manipulates both of them to their own ends; and for perpetrating this lame paradigm of skinny, boyish women as the standard of female beauty when the opposite is true
fuck cocaine
fuck this thread
Hmm... I never heard the names of anyone involve,ed, have no real interest in the world of photography, much less fashion photography.
However, I wonder why Xeni feels that adding "former suicide girl" to the description of the blogger. It's as tacky as "former alcoholic" when referring to George W. Bush or "former Hitler Youth member" when referring to Pope Benedict. And I despise what they do and stand for.
just because no sexual harassment charges were 'filed' doesn't mean it didn't happen. it's ALL in the perception. if some of the models believe they were sexually harassed, then they WERE. period. if my boss (who is now male) or my previous bosses (who were female) got naked in front of me at work to make me feel more comfortable, i'd be all over filing charges in an instant. unless i ask you to drop trou you better damn well keep your junk outta my face if you don't want it bitten off (she said with a wry grin on her face)
being a woman (or a grrrl in some of these cases) in the fashion industry doesn't negate one's feelings about having a naked male (who was not asked by YOU to be naked) shouting commands at you.
the photographer is in the power position here. the model is not.
one last thing. just because someone is deemed cool by the likes of boing boing or dangerous minds or other hep happenin' websites doesn't mean that the 'cool' person is sin-less.
I know nothing about this world, not even from the outside. But from what I'm reading, I'm thinking sometimes it might actually be a good idea to go hunt a few witches.
there are a TON of articles on terry richardson, before this story broke and after. here's one from yesterday
More of Terry Richardson’s Former Subjects Come Forward With Disturbing Allegations
After two models spoke out about Terry Richardson's alleged sexual misconduct on shoots, Jezebel asked readers to write in with any stories they may have about the prolific photographer. Jenna Sauers writes that people from all facets of the industry contacted her, including current and former modeling-agency bookers, photographers, writers, editors, models, and stylists, among others. Everyone spoke to Sauers anonymously out of fear of losing their jobs.
One fashion insider says agencies "know full well Richardson's predatory behavior," but that he "is tolerated because the industry folk are just sheep. There are only a handful of photographers who have the power, a handful of editors who have the power, and a handful of clients who have the power. Everyone else just follows this small group of people." Because Richardson carries the dual stamp of editorial approval of Anna Wintour and her French counterpart Carine Roitfeld, and because he also shoots for behemoth commercial clients like H&M, his entrenchment in the fashion pantheon is virtually complete. And that, says the source, makes him practically untouchable. "Those people in power, the women, need to take their responsibility for what happens to the girls because by booking him, they are tacitly giving their approval that whatever he does is OK."
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