Regarding the ongoing Terry Richardson drama, I really needed to finally sound off on this profoundly distasteful matter. You should know, that I waited till what I felt was enough corroborating evidence to come in before stating my viewpoint, as I have always given the benefit of the doubt before passing judgement. If you are not familiar with the on going story behind the Terry Richardson scandal, just Google Terry Richardson and that should get you up to speed on what it is I am talking about. Nonetheless here it goes.
First off, what I find incredible is that nothing of any consequence has been done to stop “his” predatory behaviour. In any other business and in most cases, there would be charges filed against him and he would have to answer to a court of law. But as most people in my industry are followers and don’t have the intestinal fortitude to do anything about his actions, there is a discomforting silence that exists. Up until this juncture in time Terry Richardson goes on with very little to no legal challenges of consequence for his actions.
Now try to put yourself in the shoes of the model. In most cases between 15-20 years old. They want to succeed in this highly competitive marketplace. They are easily influenced by image and the lure of fame. Most have come from environments that give zero advice regarding the metier and if they do get advice in general it is inconsequential. They are told that they have a casting with a very highly regarded photographer. Perhaps they are told that he is a bit quirky, but don’t worry about it, as he is quite harmless.
They show up at the studio and in due course are told to disrobe and bare their breasts. In most cases they do so, because if they don’t they are considered “uncool”. One thing leads to another and the rest is history. In fear of never working again, the model goes home in silence, like rape victims often do and say nothing. They don’t want any problems and chalk it up to a bitter experience.
Being a Father, if any of those girls (who could easily be the age of my daughters) were coerced in to what has been so vehemently claimed by so many, this repugnant example of humanity would not be able to lift a disposable cardboard camera let alone a point and shoot. (As he would be too ashamed to use it again). Consent is one thing, but using false pretence to coerce his prey must be dealt with harshly and NOW! Look Terry, if you want to do porn, do porn. But call it for what it is and don’t use the Fashion Industry as a pretext to add credibility to what you are doing. Fashion is a reflection of society at large and society at large is not a cesspool. The Buck Must Stop Here!
The sad, gross tale of Terry Richardson continued over the weekend, with yet another allegation of inappropriate sexual behavior from the photographer surfacing. Model Emma Appleton shared what she claimed to be a Facebook message from Richardson offering an appearance in Vogue in exchange for sex. She soon deleted the post, but it can be seen here.A spokesperson for Richardson told Buzzfeed it was a fake, and Appleton later deleted her Twitter account. We still don’t know whether or not the message was the genuine article, but apparently enough of these sorts of stories have emerged for Vogue to release a statement regarding Richardson. “The last assignment Terry Richardson had for US Vogue appeared in the July 2010 issue and we have no plans to work with him in the future,” the magazine’s PR rep Hildy Kuryk, said on Sunday to The Wrap.