The great thing about being an independent blogger, is that I’m not on anyone’s payroll.
I don’t have to be careful about what I say.
I don’t have to be afraid of speaking up for fear that it will damage my career.
In fact, part of my career is teaching sensuality classes to women–many of whom, unfortunately, come to me after being abused, degraded or being taken advantage of, and now want to reclaim their power without shame.
We have to take a hard look at what our culture is teaching us by its actions.
Let’s just start with Names.
Then Words.
Then Actions.
Names:
- Rie Rasmussen
- Coco Rocha
- Sena Cech
- Jamie Peck
- Sarah Ziff
- Charlotte Waters
- Gabriela Johansson
- Frank Lopera
These are just a few of the documented models who have come out against photographer, Terry Richardson and have detailed his predatory behavior over the course of the last 10 years.
Words:
♦ In model Jamie Peck’s 2012 article, “Why Does The Media Continue To Act Like Terry Richardson Isn’t Totally Fucked Up?”, she states: “Richardson is a serial sexual predator who uses his position of power to coerce young models into performing sex acts with/on him.”
♦ In model Sarah Ziff’s words, she felt “pressured to comply because my agent had told me to make a good impression”, and later created The Model Alliance to help models have safe and fair treatment in the workplace and give them a voice.
♦ In model Sena Cech’s words, printed in Buzzfeed, she said, “I believe that Richardson is using his connections and financial power in the industry to sexually harass and abuse vulnerable young women… By telling my story and setting the record straight, I hope that people will take the time to take this issue of sexual abuse of models more seriously. It’s not about creating provocative art, and it’s not all fun and games. Richardson clearly violated my rights.”
♦ In model Coco Rocha’s speech at Columbia Law School, reported by the Daily Mail, she said she will ‘out anyone’ whose interests aren’t aligned with a model’s, added: ‘I don’t work with Terry Richardson. I out things like this. Tell your friends and agency when you work with a creepy photographer. Or else he’ll do the same to another girl.”
If you’re unfamiliar with the documented accusations against Terry Richardson, here is a pretty graphic timeline and a simple google search for “Terry Richardson accusations” pulls up 179,000 articles instantly.
Actions:
Harper’s Bazaar, a women’s fashion magazine who touts themselves as “Sophisticated, elegant and provocative, and a fashion resource for women” hired Terry Richardson, a person accused by many women of sexual abuse, to shoot their last cover.
It doesn’t stop there. Their website recently posted a retrospective of Terry’s photos to celebrate his birthday.
Harper’s is supposedly a magazine for women BY women.
When are we going to start standing up for ourselves?
Harper’s Bazaar isn’t. Editor-in-Chief Glenda Bailey isn’t.
By the actions that Harper’s Bazaar has taken, they are sending a very clear message to the models who came forward:
Harper’s Bazaar doesn’t care about women, not even about the models it depends on to convey its, “sophisticated, elegant” image.
I leave you with a reader reply in an article featured in Jezebel about Richardson’s behavior from FIVE YEARS AGO,
“….guys like this are in fact untouchable. What are you going to do? Your complaints are meaningless. No one is listening.”
Sadly,
it seems this person was right.
Unless we use our voices together to make them listen.
Tweet Harper’s Bazaar and let them know what you think.
