there are two things i have to say: MORE PLUMBING LESS LAUGHING and jerry falwell and i together say: blow 'em all away in the name of the lord!!! -lady rose of hartfordshire
"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.'
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
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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Uber Creepy Tour: Abandoned Six Flags New OrleansJohn Sheehan, a former NATO commander and senior Marine officer, made the remarks at a senate hearing where he argued against plans by President Barack Obama to end a ban on allowing gays to serve openly in the US military.
Sheehan said that after the end of the Cold War, European militaries changed and concluded "there was no longer a need for an active combat capability."
He said this "socialization" process "included open homosexuality" and led to "a focus on peacekeeping operations because they did not believe the Germans were going to attack again or the Soviets were coming back."..............
“I said, ‘For God’s sake, he desperately has to be kept away from working with children,’ ” the psychiatrist, Dr. Werner Huth, said in a telephone interview from Munich. “I was very unhappy about the entire story.”
Dr. Huth said he was concerned enough that he set three conditions for treating the priest, the Rev. Peter Hullermann: that he stay away from young people and alcohol and be supervised by another priest at all times.
Dr. Huth said he issued the explicit warnings — both written and oral — before the future pope, then Joseph Ratzinger, archbishop of Munich and Freising, left Germany for a position in the Vatican in 1982..............
Underscoring the deep divisions rending America as a vote apparently nears on historic health-care legislation, hundreds of supporters and opponents chanted, waved signs and sought honks from passing motorists at competing lunchtime rallies yesterday on the Northwest Side.
The activists converged outside the district office of U.S. Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy, D-Columbus, for dueling campaign-style demonstrations aimed at influencing wavering lawmakers.
Kilroy, who was in Washington yesterday, says she will not decide how she will vote until she has a chance to review the final package. The congresswoman's offices in Washington and Columbus logged more than 1,500 calls on the issue Monday.
Police on foot and bicycles kept a close eye on the crowd that stretched along Olentangy River Road. Several loud exchanges occurred as some protesters got in each other's faces, but no physical clashes were reported..........
Political Darwin Award: Anti-Healthcare Protesters Ridicule Parkinson’s Victim
For many Americans, what happened in Columbus is what the healthcare issue is all about and the disdainful way in which the anti-healthcare protesters fling a few bills at the subject of their derision is a perfect illustration of everything that is wrong with the small-government narrative.
If this is what Conservative opposition to healthcare reform looks like, the Democrats have already won.............
Alex Chilton, the pop hitmaker, cult icon and Memphis rock iconoclast best known as a member of 1960s pop-soul act the Box Tops and the 1970s power-pop act Big Star, died Wednesday at a hospital in New Orleans.
The singer, songwriter and guitarist was 59.
"I'm crushed. We're all just crushed," said John Fry, owner of Memphis' Ardent Studios and a longtime friend of Chilton's. "This sudden death experience is never something that you're prepared for. And yet it occurs."...........
pic:
Photo by The Commercial Appeal files
Alex Chilton in an undated early photograph. For nearly a decade starting in 1962, American Sound Studios in Memphis churned out hit after hit: including The Letter and Cry Like a Baby by the Box Tops (with a young Alex Chilton). By the 1980's, Chilton and Big Star, would foster a generation of rock bands. Chilton died Wednesday, March 17, 2010, in New Orleans.
State lawmakers are paying especially close attention to animal hoarders — people who keep large numbers of pets without providing for their most basic needs — because these offenders are prone to recidivism and can cost counties huge sums for cleanup costs and the care of rescued animals.
At least 27 states now allow courts to bar convicted animal abusers from owning or coming into contact with pets, nearly double the number from a decade ago, and 3 other states are considering similar measures this year. Tennessee and California are considering bills to create online registries of animal abusers...........
.............One study found that in 88 percent of homes where children were physically abused, pets were mistreated too. A 2007 study found that women abused by their intimate partner were 10 times more likely to report that their partner had hurt or killed one or more of their pets than women who were not abused................
The terms "torture" and "solitary confinement" have surfaced over and over again in articles and commentaries about Tilikum, the captive killer whale who drowned his trainer at Florida's SeaWorld last month. For the most part, the authors of these pieces have sought mercy for Tilikum. While the six-ton orca had been implicated in two previous human deaths, they argue, Tilikum's torturous life in capitivity rendered his behavior understandable, however horrific its results may have been.
Many of Tilikum's defenders highlight the rare intelligence and sensitivity of orcas and other dolphin species. And by way of mitigating circumstances, they point to his tragic youth, in which he was forcibly ripped from his family and community, and to the lonely and restricted life he has lived ever since, released from isolation in his tank only to perform or to breed. ............
...................Even legendary marine explorer Jacques Cousteau weighed in years ago, stating "There’s about as much educational benefit studying dolphins in captivity as there would be studying mankind by only observing prisoners held in solitary...................
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
L/Cpl Craig Lundberg has become the first soldier to test the glasses
A Merseyside soldier blinded by a grenade in Iraq has said his life has been turned around by technology that allows him to "see" with his tongue.
L/Cpl Craig Lundberg, 24, from Walton, Merseyside, can read words, identify shapes and walk unaided using the BrainPort device.
The machine converts visual images into a series of electrical pulses which are sent to his tongue.
The soldier said the device gives off "a pins and needles sensation".
L/Cpl Lundberg lost his sight while serving with the King's Regiment after being hit by a rocket propelled grenade in 2007.............
In a question-and-answer session, audio of which was obtained by the Virginia blog Not Larry Sabato, Cuccinelli outlines a strategy for how Obama's citizenship can be challenged in the courts.
(Audio follows below.)
"What can we do about Obama and the birth certificate thing?" an unidentified questioner asks................
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At first glance, Hunter might not seem like the best relationship expert. After all, while involved in an illicit affair with a married presidential candidate, and pregnant with his child, she filmed a sex tape that, according to the Daily Beast, looks like this:
On the video, both participants are naked. Hunter is propped up against the hotel bed headboard, with John Edwards belly-down on the bed between her legs. As Hunter, the campaign's official videographer, holds the camera, a smiling Edwards performs oral sex. Because of the camera angle, Hunter's face is not visible, but her distinctive jewelry is. Not only does candidate Edwards know he's being filmed, one source says, he's also clowning around and "graphically performing for the camera."...........
Judge Robert Benjamin, in the Family Court's Hobart branch, ruled that the girls "need some protection from (their father), particularly at night".
However, the risk of sexual abuse was "diminished when they are awake and alert".
Judge Benjamin said that the father, who was convicted of downloading child pornography, must have an "adult friend" stay with him when the girls stayed overnight.
He added that until the youngest turned 14, the girls must "share the same room so they can have the mutual support of one another".
A Family Court counsellor said that the girls, aged ten and eight, "are at an age and maturity when awake, dressed and together it would be unlikely the father would act inappropriately toward them"............
from dark roasted blend (and national geo of course)Joseph Casias, 29, has sinus cancer and an inoperable brain tumor.
Despite his condition, he has dutifully gone to work every day for the last five years at a Walmart in Battle Creek, Michigan, where in 2008 he was named Associate of the Year.Casias is also a legal medical marijuana patient under Michigan state law. He uses marijuana with the recommendation of his doctor to relieve the effects of cancer.
But Walmart, the world’s largest public corporation, has no sympathy for his condition or regard for Michigan’s state law. Last November,Walmart fired Casias because he tested positive for marijuana during a routine drug screening.............
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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.