Fashion photographer Terry Richardson is currently in the midst of a backlash stemming from years of allegations.
While Richardson isn’t a household name, he is one of the most high-profile celebrity photographers working today. He’s worked with countless publications including Vogue, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, GQ and more.
Videos by PopCulture.com
He’s also known for directing music videos for Miley Cyrus and Beyonce, and for working closely with Lady Gaga on a 2011 photography book.
Richardson has been accused of sexual assault and harassment from numerous models over the years, but publications refused to stop hiring him. However, in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, publications are dropping the once-prominent photographer from their stable.
Here’s everything to know about Richardson, the allegations and the recent boycott.
Background
Richardson became a cultural photographer in the early ’90s and broke out thanks to a street fashion photo session of his that that published in Vibe.
From there, Richardson quickly rose to prominence through shooting ad campaigns and high-fashion spreads. Brands including Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford, Yves Saint Laurent and Supreme have hired him for campaigns.
A quick glance of Richardson’s Instagram, which boasts 1.2 million followers, show he’s shot countless celebrities including: Beyonce, James Franco, Miley Cyrus, Bella Hadid, Megan Fox, Kris Jenner, Kate Upton, Jared Leto, Paul Rudd, Alec Baldwin, Emilia Clarke, John Malkovich, Beastie Boys and Gucci Mane.
There’s a even a candid photo of President Barack Obama during his initial election campaign.
He’s also done work on major video work, such as as Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” video and Beyonce’s “XO.” He also directed/released the viral video of Upton demonstrating the “Cat Daddy” dance, which she was unaware was being released online.
As for his personal life, Richardson married his longtime assistant Alexandra “Skinny” Bolotow earlier in 2017. The couple has twin boys together, who were born in March 2016.
Photography Style
Many of Richardson’s photographs focus on sexuality. He’s been praised for keeping high-fashion photography edgy and boundary-pushing.
He claims that anything he asks the models to do, he would do himself. He’s admitted to going to sexually suggestive lengths to get his models comfortable with the vibe of the shoot.
“Everyone has fun on my shoots,” Richardson told The Guardian in 2004. “My rule is that I’d never ask anyone to do anything I wouldn’t do myself. That’s how it’s got to go this far. At first, I’d just want to do a few nude shots, so I’d take off my clothes, too. I’d even give the camera to the model and get her to shoot me for a while.
“It’s about creating a vibe, getting people relaxed and excited. When that happens — you can do anything.”
Allegations
Richardson came under fire for his inappropriate behavior back in 2010, with multiple troubling accounts coming forward. Model Jamie Peck alleged that the photographer asked her to take her tampon out “for him to play with.”
Model Rie Rasmussen accused him of exploiting young models and taking advantage of their desire to break into the business.
“He takes girls who are young, manipulates them to take their clothes off and takes pictures of them they will be ashamed of,” Rasmussen said. “They are too afraid to say no because their agency booked them on the job and are too young to stand up for themselves. I told him what you do is completely degrading to women. I hope you know you only f— girls because you have a camera, lots of fashion contacts and get your pictures in Vogue.”
Allegations of sexual assault perpetrated by the photog went public in 2014. Model Anna del Gaizo was first to come forward in Jezebel.
“Suddenly, I felt a d— pressing into the side of my face,” Gaizo wrote. “He pressed it to my lips. He clearly wanted a blow job and wanted it documented on camera.”
Yet another model, Emma Appleton, also came forward in 2014 and claimed Richardson offered her a spot in Vogue in exchange for sex.
Richardson’s Response
Richardson has adamantly denied that he committed sexual assault, and says the attacks against him are the equivalent of a “witch hunt.”
“When these allegations resurfaced over the past few months, they seemed especially vicious and distorted, moving outside the realm of critical dialogue and becoming nothing more than an emotionally-charged witch hunt,” Richardson wrote in The Huffington Post. “People will always have strong opinions about challenging images, and the dichotomy of sex is that it is both the most natural and universal of human behaviors and also one of the most sensitive and divisive.
“Over the course of my career, I have come to accept that some of my more provocative work courts controversy, and as an artist, I value the discourse that arises from this. I can only hope for this discourse to be informed by fact, so that whether you love my work or hate it, you give it, and me, the benefit of the truth.”
As for the Appleton accusation, his representatives claimed he was not the one who sent the sex offer.
“Terry Richardson did not reach out to this woman,” they said. “It was sent from a Facebook page that is fake. Terry has no knowledge of who sent this.”
Current Backlash
Richardson’s recently been blacklisted from numerous magazines in the wake the numerous sexual predator outings coming from Hollywood industries.
Condé Nast International’s James Woolhouse, the company’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, sent a memo to employees saying that Richardson was no longer allowed to be hired for projects. All currently in progress work by him was said to be should be “killed or substituted with other material.”
GQ, Vogue, Glamour, Allure, Wired, Self and all their international branches fall under Condé Nast International’s umbrella. Vogue‘s U.S. branch severed ties with Richardson nearly eight years ago amidst previous allegations.
Richardson once again denied any wrongdoing, and claimed all subjects willingly participate in his art.
“Terry is disappointed to hear about this email especially because he has previously addressed these old stories,” a rep told PEOPLEe. “He is an artist who has been known for his sexually explicit work so many of his professional interactions with subjects were sexual and explicit in nature but all of the subjects of his work participated consensually.”
