THE WEEKEND SPREE: Photographer Terry Richardson In An Unflattering Light

We haven't done a link post in a while, but no fashion story has fascinated us more this week than the continuing coverage of photographer Terry Richardson in Jezebel and other blogs. It started with a report that model Rie Rassmussen, a favorite of the early '00s, confronted Richardson in Paris and accused him of exploiting vulnerable, young women to pose for sexually explicit pictures. Richardson, known as commercial powerhouse who regularly works for Vogue, GQ, Harper's Bazaar and V magazines among many others as well as for enviable clients like Pirelli, Tom Ford, Miu Miu, reportedly slunk away in embarrassment. People who are a bit more familiar with his work will also know that he has a penchant for more graphic nudes that unapologetically cross over into the realm of pornography, many of them featuring himself and even more explicit than what is collected in his book Terryworld (completely NSFW). The man has few, if any boundaries, to put it lightly.
The report on Rassmussen was followed by The Gloss with a firsthand account by a young, non-professional model who immediately regretted posing for the photographer after a session that became uncomfortably sexual. That opened the floodgates for more stories and comments in Jezebel, many firsthand, featuring alleged sleazy behavior not only from Richardson but also from his team of assistants who are said to take sophomoric glee in separating young women from their clothes in order to be photographed by their boss in ways that most would find compromising.
Responses included a surprising piece in Tina Brown's The Daily Beast by Jacob Bernstein that defended Richardson and aimed to discredit Rassmussen. Among its claims were that the photographer was open enough about his own proclivities that his behavior couldn't be seen as predatory, a highly debatable point.
The stories keep coming on Jezebel, and we are wondering when this topic will hit more major media (we're betting on next week since New York Magazine's The Cut blog has been eagerly following the stories) and if the fallout will affect Richardson's relationship with his high profile clients. Will the eminently respectable Condé Nast continue to associate itself with such a person? One rumor has it that W has been quietly boycotting Richardson since the mid-1990s. Will anyone else follow suit?
Model Calls Out Photographer for Sexual Harrassment (Jezebel)
Terry Richardson Is Really Creepy: One Model's Story By Jamie Peck (The Gloss)
Meet Terry Richardson, The World's Most F—ked Up Fashion Photographer (Jezebel)
Fashion's Raunchiest Photog by Jacob Bernstein (The Daily Beast)
Model Noot Seear Defends Terry Richardson (The Cut)
Terry Richardson (Official Site-NSFW)