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Sunday, 21 March 2010

  • Terry Richardson Wants You to Get Naked



    We've all heard seen movies and TV shows where a beautiful, young girl gets an exciting opportunity to model, only to find herself in an extremely uncomfortable situation with a predatory older photographer.  The sketchy photographer dude is such a easily recognizable figure, he's almost a cliche.  If you had to cast someone in that role, he would probably look something like Terry Richardson.  Which is why it may not come as surprise to you to learn that Terry, who has shot everyone from Jersey Shore's "The Situation" to President Obama, is now facing accusations that he routinely takes advantage of the young girls he photographs.

    It began with an article by Jamie Peck for The Gloss in which she described a shoot with Terry when she was 19 that " left me feeling like I needed to take two showers."  Jamie had modeled nude for Terry once before, and the first shoot had been pretty uneventful, but the second one got off to a strange start:
    [CUT-TAG=""He asked me to take my tampon out for him to play with""]
    "I told him I had my period so I wanted to keep my underwear on, and he asked me to take my tampon out for him to play with. “I love tampons!” he said, in that psychotically upbeat way that temporarily convinces so many girls that what’s fun for Uncle Terry is fun for them."

    After she turned him down on the offer, he decided to get naked:

    Before I could say “whoa, whoa, whoa!” dude was wearing only his tattoos and waggling the biggest dick I’d ever seen dangerously close to my unclothed person (granted, I hadn’t seen very many yet). “Why don’t you take some pictures of me?” he asked. Um, sure.

    While Terry posed for her and name-dropped his famous friends, his assistants watched and took their own photos.  Then, he requested a hand job:

    "This is where I zoom out on the situation. I can remember doing this stuff, but even at the time, it was sort of like watching someone else do it, someone who couldn’t possibly be me because I would never touch a creepy photographer’s penis. The only explanation I can come up with is that he was so darn friendly and happy about it all, and his assistants were so stoked on it as well, that I didn’t want to be the killjoy in the room. My new fake friends would’ve been bummed if I’d said no.

    I must have said something about finals, because he told me, “if you make me come, you get an A.” So I did! Pretty fast, I might add. All over my left hand. His assistant handed me a towel."



    Jamie's payment was supposed to be a signed print, but she was so disturbed afterward she never went back to claim it.   Since then there have been a number of mostly anonymous sources popping up with similar stories.  There have also been a number of models and other people in the industry that have come to his defense, such as model Noot Seear:

    "Terry's a really cool guy. It's not like he pressures you into doing anything you're not comfortable with … Terry is an amazing photographer. All that goes on while shooting is participatory play."

    Just peruse Terry's past work and you'll see that he is known for racy photos and apparently has a knack for getting models naked.  And it's very likely that a lot of those models don't feel bad about that, and had fun working him.  But it also goes without saying that many of those models were also very young, naive, and uncomfortable with what was happening, but they knew Richardson was famous photographer and he had a room full of assistants cheering him on, and were clearly manipulated into doing things they normally wouldn't have.  That is the most disturbing thing-that he has a whole crew of people he works with that stand by and support what he does.

    Do you buy Richardson and his supporters' claims that as long as the girls on his sets "agree" to participate in whatever activities go on-whether it's just taking some racy photos or actually getting him off- or do you think he's taking advantage of his power and celebrity?  Does he need to take personal responsibility to creating an environment that pressures  young, intimidated girls into agreeing to things they normally never would?

  • I've Shoplifted...Have You?

    I've Shoplifted...Have You? 

     

    My story goes like this: I'm a lower-middle-class individual in a top university. I have a good life here; I'm on partial scholarship with work-study to make up for the latter. My parents do not support me financially, but I have their moral support and that's all that matters. I also have two sisters in college, and one younger brothergoing into college soon too. I am involved in sports, clubs, and community service at my school and new community.

    However, with close to no extra money to spend, outings with friends become difficult. Telling them that I don't have the money, nor do I want tohave to spend such large amounts of money (think constant shopping sprees) becomes embarrassing after a while. It's not that they don'tknow that I have a slight financial problem, but that they don't knowhow to fully acknowledge that I am not as socioeconomically advantaged.

    More Here...

  • Style Crush: Imani Coppola

    Imani, a solo artist as well as the voice of the two-person band Little Jackie, is easily my largest girl crush. She's far from the status quo of fashion, ditching major labels in favor of bright colors and loud patterns. Also, as a girl cursed with straight hair, I am more than slightly jealous of her afro. More Here...

  • Would You Wear a Side Part?



    I'm really liking side parts for some reason. I'm thinking the next time I get my haircut (which is soon!) that I want to cut it something like this picture.
    More Here...

  • Lovelyish Style Court

  • Vintage Thrift Shopping.. In My Aunts Closet!


    Image Source

    While at my Aunts place last weekend, it suddenly dawned on me that I could probably get great hand-me-downs from her. We're not the same size in clothes, but bags are a universal size. So I asked if she had any old bags that she didn't wear anymore. My Aunt never had a good fashion sense, but I figured that it wouldn't hurt to try. She led me upstairs to her 4 closets and I remembered what a pack rat she was. Of course she kept everything she used to wear! As she opened her first closet filled with acessories, my heart jumped out as I spotted my very first treasure!

    More Here...

  • Crisp Elegance with Something Extra

     

    Today, I met up with some friends in the Marina, and felt like I should dress the part. I was also inspired by the Neighborhood Challenge on Project Runway last night. One of the neighborhoods chosen to inspire the designers was the Upper East Side. I don’t think I’ve been there (would probably remember if I had), but I felt like this channeled the Upper East Side. This is my take on being a lady who lunches.

    What do you think of my outfit? What would you have worn?

    Guest blog submitted by  fashionistalab

  • I Dare You To Wear Bright Colors.

       

    I live in bright colored dresses, shirts, sweatshirts, coats, and basically anything you can think of. I've recently found out that more people than I expected are reluctant to wear bright colors.More Here...

  • Spring '10 Trends - Polka Dots


    So, today's trend was seen everywhere at the Spring/Summer 2010 NY fashion shows... Polka Dots had me feeling a little dotty, lol. On the left are models at Derek Lam's show and the Altuzarra garment rocks sheer spots down the runway.
    See What I Mean Below...

  • The Hidden Cause Behind Your Cracked Heels


    Cracked heels are not only a fashion faux pas, they can be very painful. Here's how you can solve this pedi-problem...

    The Cause: “The most common cause is open backed shoes,” says accredited podiatrist, Elouise Carmichael. “They offer limited stability and toes are forced to claw to keep the shoe on. This contributes to the foot rolling in which can create callus formation and cracking.”
    “There’s also the theory that continual slapping of the shoe against the heel can contributes to cracking.”
    More Here...

  • How Much Time Do You Spend Looking Into the Mirror?



    I don't consider myself a vain person.  I don't have a HUGE closet with a ton of clothes, shoes, or makeup.  (In fact, my bf has more clothes/shoes than I do.)  But I do try to keep myself neat and presentable on all occasions.  More Here...