Since the beginning of March, the New York based fashion photographer and artist Terry Richardson has found himself the subject of serious controversy. It began on March 8, when the fashion model Rie Rasmussen accused Richardson at a Paris fashion event of abusing his power by exploiting young models for his overtly sexual images. Granted, many of Richardson’s photographs that are not made for more mainstream commercial assignments, blur the line between pornography and art. His monograph Terryworld, which was published by Taschen in 2008, for example, features a wide range of little and undressed souls, ranging from porn stars, supermodels, transsexuals, hillbillies, friends, and pets to celebrities.
Richardson’s work reveals him to be a life- and love-embracing exhibitionist, to whom taboos are non-existent. Is there abuse or misuse on his sets? He sure has power, especially in the fashion world, and to be photographed by him certainly makes a dent in any young fashion model’s portfolio. Who knows, but one thing is clear, Richardson neither hides what he is, nor does his work take great pains to conceal what his main interests are.
So what is interesting about this case, is the way the story trickles down and is covered by the press. On March 11, The New York Post cited Rasmussen as saying: "I told him what you do is completely degrading to women. I hope you know you only [bleep] girls because you have a camera, lots of fashion contacts and get your pictures in Vogue.” Various web sites and blogs have been buzzing with anonymous accusations. A typical example can be found on The Fash Pack, which stated on March 20 (without naming names) that “an increasing number of members from all levels of the fashion industry are coming forward to say they've felt violated by the photographer, or that they know someone who has.”
Richardson himself made a statement on March 20 on his own website. Writing that he was “really hurt by the recent and false allegations of insensitivity and misconduct,” he stressed: “I’ve always been considerate and respectful of the people I photograph and I view what I do as a real collaboration between myself and the people in front of the camera.”
How much flawed reportage can twist your arm and how scary it can be for the image of the accused can be seen in the case of the Wall Street Journal. On March 23, Elva Ramirez in the context of an interview review involving Fashion designer Marc Jacobs, falsely labeled Richardson’s statement above as an outright "apology." Only those who bothered to click the indicated link to Richardson's statement were able to identify what it was: a defense of his character and in no way an "apology".
As soon as art addresses sex or religion in radically explicit ways it is bound for controversy (think of Rudy Giuliani taking offense at Chris Ofili’s depiction of the Virgin Mary with elephant dung when it was exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum of Art in 1999). However, mental and physical abuse are serious crimes and very different accusations. These matters should be investigated thoroughly before spreading the word like a disease on the internet and through the pages of various newspapers with conjecture and anonymous judgment.
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