It started as one rain drop⌠that turned into a flood of messages, screenshots, comments, and re-shares. This is how I uncovered an active serial rapist in my own hometown. CONFIRMED PâŚ
Another day, another creepy ass photographer exposed.Â
For all the photographers that thought that the original shitmodelmgmt instagram page and list was just a witch hunt hereâs another example where models share information only to realize that they share the same fucked up experience.Â
Get rid of this pedo fuck. http://businessbot.tumblr.com/
CONFIRMED SOCIAL MEDIA OUTLETS:
INSTAGRAM: @businessbot
OTHER IG: @Eliadams2
TWITTER: @eliadamsphoto
FACEBOOK: Marco Malek
2ND FACEBOOK: Eli Adams
FB PAGE: Marco Malek Imagery
FB GROUP HE OWNS: Sac Models, Photographers and MUAH Network
Adam Chin* (@theadamchin)
Adam King* (@kingy_kings & @agameoftones)
Adam Mont
Adam Rose* (photographer)
AJ Day* (ATL, MIA)
Akoni* (@lamparilya) (California)
Alan (@imagedc) (french photog based in DC area)
Alex Turner (NC)
Alexander Heifitz
Alexander Jacob* (LA) (extreme amount of messages about him)
Alexander Neumann*
Alvin Nyguen*
@amejiaphoto*
Amir Kuckovic
Andres Altamirano* (NYC)
Andrew Davis
Andrew Kuykendall*
Angel Armenta
Angelo Casanovic (@spqrphotography)
Angelo Seminara
Anthony Georgis
Anthony Turano*
Anthony Winters
Antoine Verglass
Antonio Gonzalez* (ARIZONA) (@foxymodeling) (used to be @gonzophotos) (had to change his username because he was arrested for child pornography)
Artur Kowallick
Atakan Merdan
Atari Jones
Attilio DâAgostino*
Balthier Corfi
Barry Druxman
Bart Kurela*
Bartlomeij Kurela
@beijobaby*
Beking Joassaint
Bernie Des Belles
Bil Brown
Billy Pissios*
BJ Levin (Former showrunner of #ViceonHBO, now a photographer)
Blaise Beyhan*
Bob Recine (hairstylist)
Brad Brisbin* (âpersonal trainerâ)
Bradley Lloyd Barnes
Brandon Depuma* (@depuma)
Brian Daniel Baker
Brian Hilburn
Brian Keith* (@keithphotographer)
bruce weber*
Bryan Taylor Johnson
@callmemr.jacobs* (CW Jacobs)
Cameron Davis*
Cameron Krone*
@cameronpostforoosh*
Camilo Rios
Carl Grim (UK)
Carlos Nunez* (@nuneztrip)
Carlos Reyes
Carlos Santos (NJ)
@c_arousel
Charlie Himmelstien*
Chris Anthony (@chrisanthonyphoto)
Chris Blaski (@chrisblaskiphoto)
Chris Rout (UK)
Christian Behr*
Christian Benner*
Christian Benoit
Christian Bragg
Christian Rios*
Christian Scott (UK)
Christopher Edward Night
@christoph.night*
@chuck* (Chuck Lang)
@claytonbphotography* (Clayton Branon)
Clayton Nelson*
Clint Padilla* (@clint)
Craig Lawrence
Craig Michael Fleming
Cristian Buitron (@cbtrn)
Corbyn Thomas-Smith (@cravemoore)
Conner Pawlowski (@Pawlowskism)
@creativesmiles*
Dane Darden* (Marston Dane Lockman)
Daniel Adams
Daniel Matallana*
Daniel OG
Daniel Rodrigues (danielrodrigues.it)
Daniel Topic
Darren Tieste*
Darwaysh Onhisown
Dave Fothergill
Dave Glover
Dave Levingston
David Allan Joyce
David Alan Margi (photog assistant in Madrid)
David Bellemere*
David Cruse
David Leslie Anthony
David Mandelberg
David Moser
David Paul Larson*
David Perry (owner of Barneyâs)
David Schulze
Dawidh Orlando*
Daylan Jacob Miller*
@dearingfilm
Derek Heinemann
Derek Warburton (celeb stylist)
@derickg
Devin Blaskovich*
Diego Palomino
Dimitri Theocharis
@dirtbagmark*
Dominique Murchison (@niqko)
Don Poling (Seattle)
Donlee Brussel*
Doug Ochoa
Douglas Mott
Douglas Robert*
@drew.bey
@dricodia (Andrico Reid)
@e.motion
Ed Little
Edgar RenĂŠ (@edgar_vm)
Eduardo Von Garcia
@edward_mag*
Edward Miller (@thecopymachine.co)
Elio Alnetti
Emanuele DâAngelo* (@livincool)
Eric Fischer* (with a c not a k)
Eric Stern*
Eugen Shakir
Eugen Shakir Sela
Evan Roales (London)
Ezra Patchett
Fabio Crovi
Fabio Munich
Fabio Munis*
Fabrizio Del Rincon*
Federico Lecce* (Independent Mgmt Milan)
Federico Pignatelli
Felix Rachor
Fer Torrejon
Fernando Merino*
Fernando Paz*
Francesco Scognamiglio*
Francisco Tavoni* (@tavoni)
Frank B (makeup artist)
Frank Zhen (@zhenmaster)
Gabriel Gutierrez (@gabrielgphotos)
Garreth Barclay
Gary Kirk Brown*
Gavin OâNeill*
Gavriel Maynard
George Brown* (former RED agent) (Jorgie Porgie) (@theagentman_)
@georgelivieratos
@_georgepark_
Gianmaria Cassani (Major Models)
Gilad Sporta*
Giorgio Ammirabile
@goodluckrancel (Rancel)
Greg (@caliexclusive)
Greg Kadel*
greg vaughn*
Gregorio Campos* (@gregoriophotography)
gregory moore
Guerman Aliev
Guido di salle*
Hadar Pitchon*
Hans Staunch
Hans Huylebroeck
Harvey Jackson
hennessy vandheur*
Herve Lewis
Horacio Hamlet*
Ian Pokrief
@imagesbykali
Imran Ciesay
@imruhul*
@imustbedead (AZ)
@inner_beauty_photographyvt
Ivan Arocena (Comas)*
Jack Guy* (@jackguyphotography)
Jack Russell (UK)
Jacob Benjamin Taylor* (@pillsinc / @shootfilmforever / @nightofnoir)
Jake OâDonnell
Jake Rosenberg*
James Fabius (@james1fab) (âPublisherâ of Hellion Magazine)
James Schmeltzer
jamie burke
Jason Acton
Jason Exferd (Chicago)
jason kanner* (@jasonsoul1)
Jason Eugene (@hellojumbo / (@jasonxeugene)
Jaosn Knade* (@smallbatchphoto)
Jason Harynuk* (@jasegraphics)
Jason Haven (DC)
Jason Konrad
Jason Sobe
Jason Treloar*
Jason Wallace* (agent at Factor/Chosen Atlanta, now called MP Management)
Javier Ovalles (Brilliant Moments Photography)
Jay (@liverichmedia)
Jay Marroquin
Jay Mawson
Jay (_mr.nolove_)
Jay (@wtfckjay)
Jeff Cohn (@jeffcohnphoto)
Jeff Johansson* (@tmsproductions)
Jeffrey Mcnolte*
Jeiroh Yanga* (booker in NYC)
Jeremy Kost*
Jeremy Scott*
Jesse Perez (@nydeliveryguy3)
Jim Gormley (UK)
Jimmy Johnston
Joe Dimattia* (@BellaDonnaPhoto)
Joe Harary (also goes by Joe Harray) (@true_image_photo)
Joe Labisi
âŞJoe Lally*âŹ
John Babin* (Red Model Management)
John Everette Perry (California) (charged with sexual assault)
âŞJohn Farrar (UK)âŹ
John Hughes
John Walker
John Walter* (@Johnnycinematic)
Johnny Fadlallah
Johnny Rozier* (@tomorrow.magazine)
Jon Burns
Jon Lorentz
Jon Tan
Jonas Bresnan*
Jordan Craig
Jordan Doner*
Jordan Green*
@joshuaburton_
Josh Stringer (LA, New Orleans, Atlanta)
Joseph Hernandez (@josephcaptures)
Joseph Chen
Josue PeĂąa
June St. Paul
Justin Kercher (@dotheextraordinary)
Justin Murdock*
Juan Carlos Tubilla
Juan Manuel Gaggero
Kai Z Feng
Karim Amatullah
Karl Simone*
Keith Cameron
Kelly Serfos*
Kenn Perry
Kent Avery* (@kentaveryphoto)
Kesler Tran*
Kevin Amato
Kevin Hatt
Khalid (MP Miami)
Khoui Bui (Kook)
Kil Park
Kim Prasanna
@king.brav
Kosal âTrentâ Chau
Kourosh Sootoodeh
Krzysztof Herholdt
Lanny Zenga
Larry Carlson*
Larson Sotelo*
Leonardo âLeoâ Corredor*
Lenin Glass
Leslie Lessin (Billingsly) (stylist and VNY Agent)
Livio Manicelli*
Louie Aguila*
Luc Coiffait* (@luccoiffait)
Luca Erbetta
Luca Giorgio
Lucian Bor*
Lucian Wintrich
Luciano Doria
Luciano Fileti
Luis Monteiro*
Luke Fontana (LA)
@luvgenstudio*
Mani Zarrin* (NY)
Manuel Xabier
Mar (@mamudsny)
Marc Baptiste* (@marcbaptiste007)
marco falcetta*
Marco Macchi* (Boom Models Milan)
Marcus Hyde*
Marcus Lopez
Marianne Tamposi (Florida)
Mario Lomas
Mario Lopez (@aztecphoto)
Mario Sorrenti
Mario Testino*
Mark Avenue*
Mark Del Mar* (@bleeblu)
Mark Velasquez
Marlon Cordero (@marloncordz)
Marvin Henderson*
Massimo Tacchini (mens booker at Major Milan)
Mathias Faltmarsch
Mathieu Vladimir Alliard*
Matt Lian*
Matteo Linguiti (@lazarus_taxon_)
Matteo Montanari*
Matthew J. Ellenberger (@mjellenberger)
Max Weiss (San Diego)
Maxwell Mason (@maxwellmason)
Mauricio Montani
Maxence Orard*
Medi Varvani
Mian Wilson (@agfthegoat) (Texas) (âAction Grind Filmsâ)
Michael (@_taciturnforsale_)
Michael del Buono*
Michael (@fotos_by_doc) (works for Ultraviolet Magazine, based in southern California)
Michael Haase (lead hair stylist for Wella and self proclaimed photog)
Michael Smith London (@smithtownstudios)
michael william paul*
Michael Woodward* (DC area)
Michalis Lavdiotis (Greece)
Micheal Patrick
Michel Nafziger*
Michel Tileri
Mike Matos*
Mikkel Kristensen*
Mohamed Hadid*
@monsieurcoms* (Maxime Comtois)
@montoya
Nash Pitla* (@iamnashnyc)
Nathaniel Dam
Nathaniel Gerdes
Neal Vincent
Neo Tony Lee*
@nelly.king
Nelson Castillo
Nicholas Cambata*
Nicholas Von Thrower* (@flowersdaddy)
Nick Jordan* (@nicovision_photography)
Nick Ramirez*
Nick Rivers
Nick Sabatalo*
Nick Walters*
Niklas Højlund
Nikomen Trunen (London)
Nicola Ranaldi (Milan)
NolĂŠ Marin*
@okayokaymag
Olivier Zahm*
Omar Marcos
Ozzy Calderon
Palle Hansen
Panagiotis Parisis
Parker Fitzgerald*
Pat Blue (@patbluephoto)
Patrick Hoelck
Patrick Simon (Elite Paris)
Patrick Xiong*
Patrik Andersson*
Paul John (@thepauljohn)
Paul Liam R. Du Bois
Paul Marciano*
Paul Thatcher*
Payam Emrani (LA)
Pele Joez
@perdo_rollerjr
Pete Jones (@petejonesphotography)
Peter Beard
Peter Brown
Peter Claussen (@peterclaussen)
Peter Koval*
Phil Struggle (@philstruggle)
Phil Sullivan (@insightphil)
Phillp Raheem
Pink* (@pinkgkf)
QK di Genaro
Ramsey Spencer*
Randall Slavin*
Randy Basso*
Rasmus Mogensen
@rayscorruptedmind*
Reda Rusty*
Ren Lara
Renie Saliba*
Ricardo Seco (@secoricardo)
@riccphoto
Rich Clark (@Richclark_photo ) (changes user often because of people exposing him)
Rich Lieberman
Rich Meade* (Click ATL)
@richphoto305
Rick Day*
RN Productions (Seattle / California)
Robbie Merritt (WA)
Robert Voltaire*
Roberto Irizarry (booker for Element Model Management, Atlanta)
Rodney Ray* (@rrayimages)
Ron Boyd*
Ronald Stewart
Rory DCS*
Roudy Leonard*
Rowan Hamilton
Roy Schwalbach (owner of Jack Studios)
Rupert Kaldor*
Russel Wong
Ryan Colby* (@c0lby)
Ryan Kenny*
Ryan Myers (Athens, GA)
Sam Ijaz
Samuel Ellett
@scottbonniephoto*
Scott Lipps*
Scott Parker Hall
Sean Alonso* (@1shotphoto)
Sean Rosenthal
Sean Watters *
Sebastian Sauve
Sergio Garcia
Seth London*
Seth Sabal*
@shannonvision
Shawn Arrington*
Shawn Negri (BlackKat Photography)
@sheeshotme
@shotbychris
Simon Hadler
Sinisha Necevic
@sirneave*
@slaygodnate
Stefano Bidini
Stephen Desantis
Stephen LaMarche*
Stephen Orso (NYC Promoter)
Steven Badias* (NYC promoter)
Steve Otte* (@stevenotte)
Steve Shaw
@strandmalibuproductions
Suleyman Stella*
Tanner Mennenga
Taseda knight*
Taylor Hendrich
TERRY RICHARDSON*** (ASSHOLE)
Tess Feuilhade
@TFMgirls
@thi_js
Thom Perry
tigre escobar
Tim OâKeefe*
Timur Emek*
Tiziano Lugli*
Todd Barrett
Tom Ford
Tommy Mendes
Tom Ordoyno
Tom Saint Clair*
Tony Duran *
Tracy Russel* (@jackrussel_photo2)
Troy Hodnett
Troy Young
Tyrone Lavigne
Wilbur* (Two Management LA)
William Lords*
Zach Venice* (@zachvenice)
Zsombor Burany (@iamzsombor)
Yannick Kranstauber* (@houseofy) (Alpha Model Managament)
Yu Tsai*
Yvan Rodic (@facehunter)
Zsolt Krakter*
*the names with asterisks have been sent to me 3+ times
The Boston Globe Spotlight Team investigates widespread sexual misconduct in the fashion/modeling industry.
For adolescents blessed with willowy good looks, the fashion world offers the prospect of glamour, celebrity, and wealth. But this, for many, is what the beginning of a modeling career can actually look like:
On her first test shoot as a 15-year-old, Dasha Alexander said, a photographer held a camera in one hand and digitally penetrated her with his other â a move, he explained, that would make the pictures more ârawâ and âsensual.â
When Coco Rocha refused to get naked on set as a 16-year-old, she said, the photographer replaced her with a girl who was younger and more obedient. Months later, a famous photographer simulated an orgasm as he took Rochaâs picture.
By the time Lenka Chubuklieva was 17, she said, an agent had repeatedly groped her, a photographer had thrown her on a bed and kissed her, and another photographer had masturbated in front of her and threatened to ruin her family in Ukraine if she told anyone.
âIf people really understood what goes on behind the glamour of the industry, they would be mortified,â said Abbey Lee, an Australian model who, despite having been fondled on sets, describes herself as âone of the lucky ones.â
Emboldened by the #MeToo movement, more than 50 models spoke to the Globe Spotlight Team about sexual misconduct they experienced on the job, from inappropriate touching to assaults. Some are seeking to expose serial predators and those who enable them. Others are demanding new legal protections and calling for radical reform of a youth-obsessed industry they say has left them feeling exploited, treated like âmeatâ and âclothes hangers,â and, in the words of one model, âpimped outâ by their agents.
Collectively, these models â predominantly females, although also males â made credible allegations of sexual misconduct against at least 25 photographers, agents, stylists, casting directors, and other industry professionals. In many instances, Spotlight reporters verified the accounts with third parties or examined records such as e-mails.
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Some of the alleged victims were willing to talk publicly, but others spoke on condition of anonymity because they still work in fashion and fear reprisal. The Globe does not identify alleged victims of sexual misconduct without their consent.
The accused men include some of the most well-known powerbrokers in the multibillion-dollar fashion industry and were often named by multiple women â in one case, seven â for alleged sexual misconduct.
Among them: Patrick Demarchelier, who was Princess Dianaâs personal photographer; David Bellemere, whose photos have appeared on the covers of Elle and Marie Claire Italy; and Greg Kadel, who has shot for mega brands like Victoriaâs Secret and Vogue.
Models also identified photographers Andre Passos and Seth Sabal, who often did test shoots that models usually pay for themselves to build their portfolios, and Karl Templer, who, as one of the worldâs most powerful stylists, has worked with Coach, Zara, and Tommy Hilfiger.
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All of the accused men denied the allegations against them, and many complained that they canât fully defend themselves when the Globe protects the identities of alleged victims, including by not always disclosing names, dates, and locations to them.
One photographer insisted some sexual encounters were consensual, and others said models may have misunderstood the touching and positioning that can be part of their jobs. But models say these are merely justifications for widespread abuses that have been part of the business for decades.
After Globe inquiries last week, Conde Nast, a media conglomerate that includes Vogue, Glamour, and GQ, said it has stopped working for now with Demarchelier and Kadel, and Victoriaâs Secret said it has suspended its relationship with Kadel.
The fashion world, according to industry veterans, is rife with sexual misconduct for reasons built into the business. Models are usually minors when they enter the field, a highly sexualized adult world with little supervision and no job protections. Many Hollywood actresses, who helped start last fallâs #MeToo movement, at least have the option to join a union.
And the very nature of modelsâ work involves the marketing of seduction. At times, they are asked to dramatize sexual behavior they may not yet have experienced in real life. They regularly undress in front of colleagues and often appear scantily clad, sometimes with no clothes at all, to sell everything from watches to lingerie.
It is an industry, the models told the Spotlight Team, where the sexual and financial exploitation of teenagers is almost routine. Nearly 60 percent of models interviewed by the Globe said they had been touched inappropriately during work-related situations, the violations ranging from unwanted kissing to rape. Yet, for decades, victims of sexual misconduct in the fashion world have struggled to be heard and taken seriously.
Modeling, they say, may be work that accentuates their beauty and sensuality, but it is still work. âItâs a job, and just because you see a picture of me in underwear, thatâs not an invitation to come to my bedroom,â said Chloe Hayward, a British model who said fending off propositions by photographers is common for her and many of her peers, especially early in their careers.
But models say they rarely complain, since doing so could get them labeled âdifficultâ and derail their professional aspirations. Still, spurred by the ongoing uprising over sexual harassment, more models are speaking out in hopes that change will finally come to their industry.
In recent weeks, model Kate Upton, famous for her appearances in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, and model Miranda Vee accused Guess cofounder Paul Marciano of sexual assault, allegations that have rocked the company. He denies the accusations.
Under growing public pressure, designers and brands pledged greater protections against sexual harassment in the days leading up to New York Fashion Week, a high-profile event that ran through Friday. But the basic safeguards put into place, such as private dressing rooms so models donât have to get naked in public, only underscore how vulnerable the models have been.
In the immediate aftermath of the Harvey Weinstein scandal last fall, Cameron Russell, a model who grew up in Cambridge, Mass., took to Instagram to protest the widespread mistreatment of models with the hashtag #myjobshouldnotincludeabuse.
Within two days, Russell had collected hundreds of accounts of sexual misconduct. Some of the alleged predators were painfully familiar to Russell: They had victimized her in the early years of her career. Russell began posting modelsâ accounts on her Instagram page â keeping victims anonymous and redacting the names of the accused â and asked others to share their stories.
âThe last 48 hours has been devastating,â Russell wrote on Instagram at the time. âWe know what is happening in fashion. We tolerate it and ignore it and excuse it every day. We all know who the perpetrators are and we continue to work with them. STOP. Advertisers and magazines, stop hiring these people. Agencies, stop sending them talent. Stop today. Do not wait until lawyers get involved. Do the right thing because the wrong thing is horrific.â
Two weeks later, Vogue and its parent company, Conde Nast, banned Terry Richardson â a prominent photographer who had been dogged in the media for years by misconduct allegations, including exposing himself to models and pressing his genitals on a modelâs face â from shooting for its magazines. Richardson, who is under investigation by the New York City Police Department, has denied any wrongdoing.
âItâs interesting and frustrating that now people want to finally pay attention,â said Rocha, a Canadian model who began speaking out about Richardsonâs behavior roughly a decade ago after, she says, he pretended to have an orgasm as he photographed her. There are âpeople at the top who no doubt have heard these stories for the last 20 years,â she added, âand havenât done anything.â
Consider the case of photographer Patrick Demarchelier, who has maintained superstar status despite allegations that he has long preyed on young women.
Russellâs Instagram posts led one of Demarchelierâs former photo assistants to write in October to Vogue editor Anna Wintour about relentless advances by Demarchelier beginning when she was a 19-year-old intern, according to an e-mail reviewed by the Globe.
As his subordinate, she told the Globe, she eventually gave in to his sexual demands, feeling that she could not continue to reject him without endangering her position. When she did resist, she said, he would later berate her on the job.
The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, urged Wintour to prevent Demarchelier from having access to other young women.
âIt hurts my heart so much to think of how many girls, many my own daughterâs age who have had to fend off or give in to his advances because I didnât speak up at the time,â the woman wrote in another e-mail that was circulated to a modeling group. âI remember many test shoots with teenage girls where Patrickâs team of assistants (including me) was dismissed for the day only to find naked photos of the girl in the darkroom the next day.â
The Globe interviewed six other women who accused Demarchelier of unwanted sexual advances, including thrusting a modelâs hands onto her genitals and grabbing another modelâs breasts, as well as making vulgar propositions. Most spoke on the condition of anonymity because they fear career repercussions for speaking out against people with so much clout in the fashion world.
Four years ago, Demarchelier allegedly asked a teenage model, âCan I lick your pussy?â and indicated he could make her famous if she said yes. Shocked, the model, who detailed the exchange to the Spotlight Team, said no and left the Paris hotel where the shoot was supposed to take place.
âI wasnât sure even if I understood his English correctly,â she recalled in an interview with the Globe, but then he repeated the question verbatim. âI said, âYou should be ashamed, and I will never see you again.âââ
About two years later, she said, she was sent to a New York City shoot with Demarchelier, despite having told her agents she no longer wanted to work with him. There, she said, he again posed the same crude question. The Globe corroborated her account with a subsequent agent.
âEveryone is trying to take advantage of you,â the model said. âAt one point I was like, do I really have to do this to succeed? Do anything?â
Asked by the Globe about the various sexual misconduct allegations, Demarchelier said it was âimpossibleâ that the multiple complaints against him were true. âPeople lie and they tell stories,â he said. âItâs ridiculous.â Demarchelier said he has ânever, never, neverâ touched a model inappropriately. Noting that he is married, he called the accusations âpure lyingâ by models who âget frustrated if they donât work.â
On Feb. 2, Demarchelier told a Spotlight reporter he still worked for Conde Nast. âI shoot for everybody,â he said. Conde Nast said that although the company decided in December to stop commissioning new work with Demarchelier, it didnât officially notify him until recently. In a Feb. 10 statement, two days after being contacted by the Globe, Conde Nast said: âWe have informed Patrick we will not be working with him for the foreseeable future.â
Photographers like Demarchelier wield enormous influence because they not only take pictures, but also often select which models will appear in magazines. As a result, models desperate to make money, or at least make a name for themselves, can become easy targets for men with connections to prestigious brands.
For some teenage models, itâs a traumatizing rite of passage to be sent alone to a photo shoot at the home or studio of an adult male photographer who pressures them to undress or perform a sex act. If I say no, they often wonder, is this the end of my modeling days?
Seth Sabal and Andre Passos are two of the photographers who models said exploited them when they were teenagers.
Three models have accused Sabal of sexual harassment during the mid-2000s. One of them, who asked to be identified only by her middle name, Teresa, said she was 17 when she was given alcohol and asked to take off her underwear as Sabal allegedly shot up her skirt.
An attorney for Sabal denied all the allegations and said, âAt no point in time did he ever ask or force a model to do anything she was uncomfortable with, or certainly that was not his intention.â The attorney added: âSeth agrees and feels the industry is rampant with drugs, sex, and abuses of power, discrimination.â
In the case of Passos, former model Dasha Alexander said she was 15 when he inserted his fingers in her vagina while taking her picture about 20 years ago, saying it would give the photos âmore emotion.â
Passos, who is living in Brazil, texted a response to a Globe reporter: âI have already suffered enough consequences out of this absurd story. . . . I was a victim as well as the model was a victim of her parents and agency to send her out in the world in such a tender age in the hands of an evil industry. An industry that never knew how [to] educate [these] girls, that only looked at profit and fame no matter what.â
Passos said he has never engaged in a sex act with a model involving his fingers. He also volunteered that he has faced charges of misconduct in the past: âI went to court for this and was not guilty,â he wrote.
Passos did not respond to questions asking what court he appeared in and the name of the victim, and the Globe could not locate any records. According to Alexander, she never told her parents about Passosâ alleged assault or went to court over it. So it is unclear whether his text message refers to a separate incident with a different model.
Male models said they have also been subjected to sexual misconduct by some of the industryâs top photographers, including Mario Testino and Bruce Weber. Several brands and magazines, including Conde Nast, Burberry, Michael Kors, and Stuart Weitzman, severed ties with one or both of the men after a New York Times story in January identified them as alleged sexual predators.
When model RJ King was 18, he said, he was sent by his former agency to a photographerâs Manhattan apartment to be considered for an upcoming job. There, with no one else present, the photographer casually offered him beer and drugs and then sexually assaulted him while he was changing his clothes, King said.
âWhen he finished,â King said, âit was the lowest I probably have ever felt.â
The incident, King said, left him wondering: âIs this what the industry is like? Is this what Iâm going to continue to have to face?â
For many models, the answer is an emphatic and devastating yes.
Abuses can also occur when models are posing for major brands and magazines. One model said that during a shoot she was called a âwhoreâ and âhookerâ by a Dior executive, and a teenager who resisted going topless for German Vogue said the photographer suggested that a male model forcibly have sex with her to âloosen her up.â
Both companies denied any knowledge of these incidents and said they donât tolerate sexual harassment.
Former Calvin Klein chief marketing officer Kim Vernon spoke generally about sexual misconduct: âIâm aware that it has happened in the industry and I believe all these recent measures to discuss and expose and correct the behavior are extremely important. . . . I donât think brands have knowingly turned their head the other way.â
Ostensibly, modeling agents have a duty to safeguard their young clients from such situations. But many models say their professional shelf lives are so short that agents are more loyal to photographers and companies, forcing them to navigate troubling encounters on their own.
âModeling agencies arenât protecting these girls; they care more about the money,â said Carolyn Kramer, a former codirector of the Marilyn Agency in New York who now owns a Provincetown art gallery. âIf youâve got a $30 million exclusive Ralph Lauren worldwide contract available to you as a model agent, but youâve heard rumors about the photographer being a scumbag, youâre taking a booking. You donât care about the model. . . . I was complicit. I own up to it.â
Many models told the Globe that agents frequently remind them that legions of other attractive young people are available to take their places, including from overseas. About 20 of the models interviewed described highly exploitative relationships with their agents, who work for many of the top New York firms.
Some said their agents gave them drugs and alcohol, withheld earnings, coerced them into sexual relationships as teenagers, failed to inform them that photo shoots would require nudity, encouraged them to sleep with photographers to advance their careers, and sent them to sets with known predators, among other transgressions.
âEveryone knew the names of photographers making advances and using their power against young women,â said Trudi Tapscott, a former agent for Elite Model Management and DNA Model Management.
Tapscott said she used to warn models about certain men, but she now acknowledges thatâs not as effective as saying to photographers: âââWeâre not going to work with you ever again.â . . . What makes it better is getting that photographer out of the equation.â
Greg Kadel was one of the photographers whom Tapscott said she heard complaints about because he allegedly insisted that models pose nude or topless, and treated his shoots like a âpersonal playground.â Some models described far more extreme behavior.
One model said she hadnât yet finished high school when her agent took her to a fashion party in New York City where adults gave her cocaine and alcohol â a vodka soda, her agent specified, because âthat wouldnât make me fat.â
At the end of the night, the modelâs agent allegedly asked Kadel to put the stumbling teenager in a cab. Kadel did, but he jumped in the car, too, and directed the driver to a hotel. Once there, the model said, he pushed her against a wall, pulled off her clothes, and had sex with her. She spoke to her agent the next day.
âI told her what happened, and I was crying and upset,â the model recalled. âShe convinced me that what happened was a good thing and hopefully my career would benefit from it.â
The agent also instructed her not to tell anyone because, she said, Kadel worked with major brands and magazines and complaining about him would hurt her chances of making it big.
Indeed, Kadel helped the teenager land gig after gig with Victoriaâs Secret, all while subjecting her to ongoing harassment, she said, until she refused to work with him â a move that she says effectively ended her relationship with the lingerie empire.
The model, who asked that her name be withheld, confided in her boyfriend at the time about Kadelâs unwanted sexual advances, warned a modeling friend about Kadelâs behavior, and told a subsequent agent she was uncomfortable working with Kadel. All three corroborated her account, and the Globe reviewed e-mail exchanges between the model and Kadel, as well as topless photographs Kadel took of her when she was a minor.
Victoriaâs Secret said it is conducting a âfull third-party investigation of the allegationsâ and added: âWe are a company that celebrates and serves women, so this behavior could not be more contrary to who we are.â
The modelâs friend told the Spotlight Team that when she was a teenager she was accosted by Kadel, as well. After he photographed her for one of Vogueâs European editions at a private home, she said, she woke up in the middle of the night to find him lying on top of her, his tongue in her mouth, his hand holding hers.
The Globe interviewed two other models who requested anonymity and said Kadel made unwanted sexual advances, including kissing, when they were teenagers. A fifth model said Kadel asked her to do a private photo shoot and then pressured her to get nude, repeatedly asking her to take off her underwear during the hours-long session. All of the alleged incidents took place within the past dozen years.
Ernesto Qualizza, an agent for Kadel, vigorously denied the allegations. âGreg has never done that. Heâs dated some girls and thatâs happened. Itâs all consensual between adults. Heâs never used his power in any way that is unbecoming,â Qualizza said.
Kadel believes the encounters described to him by the Globe were consensual or âhe misinterpreted a social situationâ when he made a pass, according to Kadelâs attorney. The lawyer also said Kadel was working on a book and exhibition about photography and shot in hotels and private homes because they provided the atmosphere he was seeking.
A spokeswoman hired by Kadel provided additional comments, saying that Kadel ânever sexually coerced or assaulted anyone in his life. As a creative professional for many years, Mr. Kadel has always accurately represented the intention or scope of his work and has always worked through a modelâs agent and made sure that each model was fully aware and comfortable with the creative vision being pursued in any project before they signed on to participate.â
Then thereâs David Bellemere, who gained international fame shooting for top fashion magazines. Madisyn Ritland was 19 years old and living in Paris when she wound up alone at his home for a photo shoot.
At the end of the session, she said, Bellemere grabbed her by the waist and stuck his tongue deep into her mouth. She dipped beneath his arms to escape his embrace, she recalled, but didnât tell her agent at the time because, she said, he had made his own sexual advances.
Ritland said she was reluctant to continue working with Bellemere, but he was a gatekeeper for brands and magazines she aspired to be featured in. At an audition a month later, she said, he positioned her on her back on a couch, topless, then crouched on top of her with his camera, his knees clamping her ribs and his crotch hovering above her head.
âI felt like I had no choices,â Ritland said. âI didnât feel like I had permission to have thoughts. I just felt like, OK, this is how it works.â
The Globe reviewed photos from the first test shoot and spoke with two of Ritlandâs friends who corroborated her account.
Bellemereâs behavior is so well-known that two agents told the Spotlight Team they stopped sending models to shoot with him years ago. But only in the fall of 2016 did Victoriaâs Secret cut ties with him. That move came after several of its highly paid contract models, known as âAngels,â complained about his inappropriate touching and kissing.
Bellemere said Victoriaâs Secret never explained the decision to him. Any physical contact with models was the result of âpushing the girl to pose, directing,â he explained. âI do it to get the best picture. Itâs not harassment.â
Myla Dalbesioâs uncomfortable encounter with Bellemere happened during a lingerie shoot in Paris for Lord & Taylor in 2015, as he pressed his body against hers and wagged his tongue at her to mimic oral sex, she said.
âI was really shocked,â Dalbesio recalled. âIt felt really sexually charged and inappropriate.â
After the shoot, she said, Bellemere contacted her on Instagram with a photo of a naked woman with bondage marks and an accompanying message that said, âLetâs shoot private next time.â The Globe saw the message and photo and corroborated Dalbesioâs account with her fiance, in whom she confided at the time, as well as with an individual present at the Paris photo shoot.
A spokeswoman for Lord & Taylor said, âWhile we were not made aware of misconduct during that photo shoot, information about aspects of Mr. Bellemereâs behavior came to light recently.â The company also said it has not hired Bellemere since February 2016.
In an interview with the Globe, Bellemere said it was âsurprising to hearâ that models had complained about him and âthere is nothing creepyâ about his interactions with them on set.
âIâve never been taking advantage [of models],â he said. âThis is not true. Iâve never done anything like this in my life.â
Seasoned models say they are accustomed to the inevitable physical contact that results from working with photographers and stylists, such as having their clothing adjusted and being helped into different outfits.
But some models described experiences to the Spotlight Team that they say crossed the line of professionalism.
In interviews with the Globe, three female models who asked not to be identified accused Karl Templer, a top stylist, of yanking their breasts, touching their crotches, or aggressively pulling down their underwear without asking them during shoots.
One model described a shoot within the last several years in which Templer approached her while she was against a wall, topless.
âKarl comes up to me,â she recalled, âand gets down on his knees and yanks my underwear and my shorts down . . . really fast. I remember Iâm gripping onto it with my finger and heâs still pulling.â
âHe was trying to get me naked,â she said. âHe was trying to pull off my clothes without my permission.â
The Globe corroborated her account with two friends and reviewed an e-mail she wrote to her agent before the shoot specifying she would not be comfortable with frontal nudity below the waist.
Templer, in a statement, said, âI deny these vague and anonymous allegations. If Iâve ever inadvertently made anyone feel uncomfortable, Iâm truly sorry. Although physical interactions with models is a necessary aspect of my job as a fashion stylist, Iâve never touched anyone in an inappropriate way nor ever with any sexual intent. Iâm always respectful of models, remain deeply committed to creating a safe and professional working environment and embrace the systematic changes that our industry is implementing.â
In addition, Templerâs lawyer referred the Globe to three former and current colleagues of Templer, all of whom said they have never seen him behave inappropriately and asked that their names not be published.
Numerous models said they have felt pressured to take topless or nude photos by people who could make or break careers. Declining such requests, or rebuffing sexual advances, can harm a modelâs prospects.
During a shoot for a lingerie brand, model Alison Nix said, a photographer stuffed a $20 bill in her bra and asked how much he would have to pay to have sex with her. When Nix complained about his behavior, the client dropped her.
âItâs really difficult because you get punished,â Nix said. âAt the end of the day, Iâd rather lose clients than do things that are emotionally traumatic. But itâs a shame to have to choose between the two.â
Over the years, there have been various efforts to protect young models. New York, for example, passed a law in 2014 that classifies models under 18 as âchild performers,â raising the bar for how often they can work and in what circumstances.
But industry insiders, and a report last summer from the New York State comptroller, say there is little enforcement of the law, and no similar national or international regulations. As a result, New Yorkâs law would not have helped models like Ritland, who at age 16, while working overseas, found herself in a disturbing photo shoot for an Italian brand.
âI was a virgin, never had a boyfriend, never been kissed, and I was topless, rolling around with another male model, simulating â I have really no idea, but it was supposed to be sex,â she recalled. âVery young girls are meant to be simulating something that they have never experienced, and itâs just kind of strange to me that thatâs a culture that exists.â
In December, several models testified about sexual harassment and financial exploitation before the New York City Commission on Human Rights, which is expected to release a report in March addressing their concerns.
Because models are independent contractors, they are exempt from workplace protections that cover most other employees. As a result, modeling can be tantamount to indentured servitude, with young men and women going into debt because their agencies charge them for rent, travel, copies of photos, and even the privilege of being listed on the agencyâs website.
âModels are in a loophole area where theyâre not protected by any of the laws carved out to help artists,â said Shivani Honwad, an attorney who works with a firm, Law on the Runway, that represents numerous models. âModeling agencies are dictating if and when to pay models.â
Many models hope the time has come for the industry to acknowledge its deep-rooted problems and institute widespread reform. Baby steps have already begun.
In January, Conde Nast, which also publishes Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, created a new code of conduct that, among other reforms, bans drugs and alcohol from sets, prohibits work by models under 18, and says no model âshould be pressured to expose themselves more than they feel comfortable.â
An official for Calvin Klein told the Globe that in coming weeks the company will roll out new policies âfor safeguarding the well-being of fashion models,â such as requiring prior written consent for any photography that includes nudity or semi-nudity and creating a process for reporting misconduct.
âPolicy changes alone will not change the industryâs culture or empower vulnerable individuals to come forward with complaints. We have seen codes of conduct come and go,â said Sara Ziff, founder of the nonprofit Model Alliance, which recently helped introduce a proposed bill called the Modelsâ Harassment Protection Act in New York. âVoluntary standards without meaningful education, proper complaint mechanisms, and independent enforcement are not going to work.â
Meanwhile, a New York organization called Model Mafia is encouraging models to create their own reforms. At a December meeting, models discussed having Uber-like reviews of photographers, writing scripts of âfriendly one-linersâ they could use to firmly rebuff photographers who proposition them, and creating a âbuddy systemâ that would allow inexperienced models in uncomfortable situations to call more seasoned models for advice.
âYes, we need high-profile perpetrators to be held accountable,â Russell, the model who started the #myjobshouldnotincludeabuse campaign, told the Globe. But whatâs also needed, she said, is ârecognition that many of us play a part in maintaining a work environment where abuse of power is acceptable.â
Zuzanna Krzatala, a Model Mafia member, said the fashion business needs to change âthe twisted rules of the game.â
âIf I quit, then someone else is going to take my job, take my space. Theyâre going to endure the same sort of harassment, disrespect,â Krzatala added. âItâs about changing the culture, once and for all.â
As five more fashion photographers and a well-established stylist have come under fire for alleged sexual misconduct, the accused and some of the clients they work with are proceeding with caution.
Fashion executives and designers continued to reel Monday from the bombshell exposĂŠ by The Boston Globeâs Spotlight investigative team last week that highlighted allegations against photographers Patrick Demarchelier, David Bellemere, Greg Kadel, Seth Sabal and Andre Passos and stylist Karl Templer. The Globeâs reporters interviewed more than 50 models â mostly female â who âmade credible allegations of sexual misconduct against at least 25 photographers, agents, stylists, casting directors and other industry professionals,â the story stated. The article only identified the six men, however.
Each of the accused denied the claims in the Globe article, while the brands and magazines they have worked with have adopted different strategies. Many brands declined to comment at all about what actions they might take. But following inquiries from the Globe, CondĂŠ Nast said it had severed ties with Demarchelier and CondĂŠ Nast International has done the same with Kadel âfor the foreseeable future.â
Bellemere repeatedly insisted his innocence in an interview with WWD on Sunday. Templer also stated his case in a letter to WWD issued Monday: âOver nearly 30 years, working with thousands of models, always in public settings, I have never engaged in (and it has never before been suggested that I have engaged in) inappropriate behavior of any kind with models. A stylistâs movement of clothes multiple times â over three decades and possibly tens of thousands of interactions â is not the same as sexual predation or sexual harassment or touching with the intent of self-gratification,â he wrote.
In the letter to WWD, Templer said, âItâs impossible for me to defend myself as Iâve been given no information to which I can respond. I understand the Globeâs policy but, in this matter, how can I prove myself when I have been refused dates (even approximate years) or locations, which would have given me the chance to offer other witnesses to give their perspective? I havenât been told whether this was supposed to have happened 25 years ago or 10 or five or last year. That makes it almost impossible for me to clear my name, as I find myself judged and publicly shamed.â
He continued, âInteractions such as the ones alleged would have been observed by at least 10 people, closely scrutinizing every move: the photographer instructing on adjustments that they would like made to clothes; a makeup person who would be less than a couple of feet away making adjustments to body makeup the minute that any clothing is moved, even by a millimeter; the hair stylist would be present; the photographerâs assistants who would be adjusting lighting; assorted production people, and the art director. All of these people watch every detail of the shot being set up. Itâs their job to do that; theyâre not in the background. There would also be my team, which is made up of at least three to four women, standing within a few feet of me and the model. In fact, I made it a practice, of my own volition, over a decade ago, to have only my female team members dress models in the changing area, the only private area on set. I work on large-scale, elaborate sets, never in small, private environments. With the exception of my team, none of these individuals are hired by me, and I am not the ultimate decision maker on who is booked nor which model is chosen.â
Demarchelier, Sabal and Passos did not respond to WWD requests for further comment. A representative for Kadel would only reiterate what had been stated in the Globe story, in relation to claims of unwanted sexual advances, saying, âMr. Kadel never sexually coerced or assaulted anyone in his lifeâŚâ
In this post-Weinstein era, this latest round of allegations only magnifies recent reports of alleged mistreatment in an industry that relies on attractive, sometimes teenage, models to connect with consumers. Executives at Hearst did not respond to requests for comment regarding their working status with the six individuals highlighted in the Globe story.
Executives at Dior and Moncler declined comment Monday regarding their working status with Templer. Fabien Baron, who also has worked with Templer, did not respond to a request for comment. Representatives at Valentino declined comment Tuesday. Other brands that have or planned to worked with any of the accused â Zara, Dior, Tommy Hilfiger, Coach, Clinique and Maybelline among them â did not respond to requests for comment. Executives at Dior also declined comment regarding the Globeâs reference that one model said that during a shoot she was called âa whoreâ and a âhookerâ by a Dior executive.
Calvin Klein, meanwhile, is trying to be proactive by creating its own policy, as reported in the Globe story. That is expected to be unveiled in the next few weeks, a company spokeswoman told WWD last week. Before this monthâs New York Fashion Week, the Council of Fashion Designers of America made safety more of a priority. In her pre-fashion week e-mail to members, CFDA chairman Diane von Furstenberg emphasized the importance of creating a safe environment, and asking designers, show producers and photographers to consider using venues for shoots and runway shows that have areas where models had the option of changing in privacy. The industryâs issue with sexual misconduct isnât limited to photographers. Sexual misconduct-related allegations and lawsuits have been filed against Russell Simmons and Guessâ Paul Marciano. Both executives have denied any wrongdoing.
Last fall, CondĂŠ Nast axed Terry Richardson from its roster and in January the publishing giant cut ties with Mario Testino and Bruce Weber after a front-page story in The New York Times alleged the two photographers had harassed male models for years. When the Times article appeared, CondĂŠ Nast happened to issue a code of conduct to protect models.
In many instances, Spotlight reporters verified the accounts with third parties or examined records such as e-mails. Nearly 60 percent of models interviewed by the Globe said âthey had been touched inappropriately during work-related situations, the violations ranging from unwanted kissing to rape,â according to the story. The story noted âmany complained that they canât fully defend themselves when the Globe protects the identities of alleged victims, including by not always disclosing names, dates and locations to them.â
Victoriaâs Secret, which dropped Bellemere for alleged âinappropriate kissing and touching,â is conducting a third-party investigation into the allegations detailed in the Globe story. A company spokeswoman said, âWe are a company that celebrates and serves women, so this behavior could not be more contrary to who we are. We do not tolerate harassment of any kind. We have not hesitated to investigate allegations of inappropriate behavior and to terminate employment with those accused â including freelance photographers â where appropriate.â
But Bellemere vehemently denied any wrongdoing, insisting Victoriaâs Secret never gave him specifics about what he allegedly has done. In the interview with WWD, he suggested that an on-set tiff with hairstylist Danielle Priano â whose sister, Michelle, is the companyâs director of photo production â may have been a factor. Bellemere also said a police investigation is underway in Lyon, France, into the model Yann Labrosse for allegedly impersonating him with a fake Instagram account and soliciting models for a phony Victoriaâs Secret casting. Police officials confirmed an investigation is ongoing. Representatives for Labrosse at Mademoiselle Agency did not respond to requests for comment.
Regardless of the reason for dropping him a while ago, Bellemere is no longer working with Victoriaâs Secret. He said his bookings through June, including an $80,000 job with Maybelline, have been postponed or suspended due to the Globeâs story. Maybelline did not respond to requests for comment.
Bellemere plans to meet this week with some modeling agents, designers and other people in the industry who still support him to see where things might go from here. âIâve always been clear. I always talk from my heart. But I will understand if all my friends canât work with me because they will lose business, I wonât lose them as friends. I love them so I want the best for them,â he said. âI donât want to destroy their lives and be the dirty thing on their jobs.âŚBut it should not happen. Everything has to be fixed.â
His suggestions included creating industrywide standards; requiring that models have chaperones or agents on sets; having models and photographers sign off on a report after each shoot to ensure safe working conditions were upheld; arranging for boarding for young models; training them about drug prevention and social media protocol, and a help line for individuals to report any problems and get guidance.
Just as Testino and Weber lost Burberry and Michael Kors as clients for their alleged actions, Bellemere understands whatâs at stake. âIâm destroyed. Iâm receiving messages on Instagram all day. Itâs awful to wake up to every morning. They want to drop me. [Theyâre saying,] âBurn in hell.â âYouâre a piece of sât.â âYour career is done.â Itâs too much,â he said. âIâve given my best all my life for the industry â for all those girlsâŚ.They are destroying people. They are destroying lives. My daughter is crying. Itâs too much. Iâm going to lose everything.â
Templer also addressed a need for change in the industry. âI donât want to come across as a complainer. I love my job. I love fashion. Iâm proud of my work, and Iâm lucky to have had the opportunity to work with many of my heroes. Unfortunately, there are unscrupulous individuals in our industry who wrongfully exploit their position of power, as there are in many industries. Those people deserve to be exposed, to face justice and to be prevented from working.
âBut I am not one of them. I do believe that itâs right and proper that everyone should be held to account for their behavior, in every walk of life. I believe passionately that models should all be treated with the utmost respect, as should any woman or any person in the workplace. I accept being part of an industry that can sometimes treat models as a commodity and thatâs wrong. All of us who work in fashion have a duty of care to address this. I am determined to clear my name. I want only the opportunity to be heard and to counter allegations that I â and the hundreds of individuals whoâve worked with me â know to be implausible and untrue,â Templer said.
Can nudity be artistic? Watch the official Red Band Trailer for Nude, a STARZ Original Documentary that takes you behind-the-scenes of a nude calendar projec...
Wanna see a perv at work? Watch this doc on a failed calendar âart projectâ produced by Steve Shaw. Bellemere insists that thereâs no way he could have done anything bad because heâs always surrounded by ten people on a shoot.Â
Watch a perv in action. You can see the creepiness coming off him like Pig Pen shows dust.Â
Male Models Say Mario Testino and Bruce Weber Sexually Exploited Them
For a fashion model, success is the ability to incite desire. The job requirements often include nudity and feigning seduction; provocation is a lever for sales. In the industry, boundaries between the acceptable and the unacceptable treatment of models have been etched in shades of gray.
This has allowed prominent photographers to cross the line with impunity for decades, sexually exploiting models and assistants. The experience, once seen as the price models had to pay for their careers, is now being called something else: abuse of power and sexual harassment.
Fifteen current and former male models who worked with Bruce Weber, whose racy advertisements for companies like Calvin Klein and Abercrombie & Fitch helped turn him into one of the foremost commercial and fine art photographers, have described to The New York Times a pattern of what they said was unnecessary nudity and coercive sexual behavior, often during photo shoots.
The men recalled, with remarkable consistency, private sessions with Mr. Weber in which he asked them to undress and led them through breathing and âenergyâ exercises. Models were asked to breathe and to touch both themselves and Mr. Weber, moving their hands wherever they felt their âenergy.â Often, Mr. Weber guided their hands with his own.
âI remember him putting his fingers in my mouth, and him grabbing my privates,â said the model Robyn Sinclair. âWe never had sex or anything, but a lot of things happened. A lot of touching. A lot of molestation.â
In accounts going back to the mid-1990s, 13 male assistants and models who have worked with the photographer Mario Testino, a favorite of the English royal family and Vogue, told The Times that he subjected them to sexual advances that in some cases included groping and masturbation.
Representatives for both photographers said they were dismayed and surprised by the allegations.
âIâm completely shocked and saddened by the outrageous claims being made against me, which I absolutely deny,â Mr. Weber said in a statement from his lawyer.
Lavely & Singer, a law firm that represents Mr. Testino, challenged the characters and credibility of people who complained of harassment, and also wrote that it had spoken to several former employees who were âshocked by the allegationsâ and that those employees âcould not confirm any of the claims.â
Those who said they were on the receiving end of unwanted attention felt the choice was clear: acquiesce and be rewarded with lucrative ad campaign work, or reject the approach and risk hobbling, or destroying, a career. Many said they still would not speak publicly.
In fashion, young men are particularly vulnerable to exploitation. Male models are âthe least respected and most disposable,â said the former model Trish Goff.
âIt was general practice to give a model a heads-up about a specific photographer who we knew had a certain reputation,â said Gene Kogan of his time working as an agent at Next Management between 1996 and 2002.
But, he said, âIf you said you were not going to work with someone like Bruce Weber or Mario Testino, you might as well just pack it in and go work in another industry.â
As in Hollywood, allegations of harassment and assault have been aired periodically over the decades with little lasting effect. From agents to stylists to fashion brands, the system has traditionally seemed more invested in preserving its image of perfection and glamour than in recognizing its bad actors.
Regular revelations of abuse of female models â as far back as a â60 Minutesâ investigation of modeling agencies in Paris in 1988 â faded away. Agents accused of raping young models in their charge continued to work. The photographer Terry Richardson, after being accused in one documentary of sexual assault of female models, continued to work for major fashion brands until reporting on the producer Harvey Weinsteinchanged the landscape.
The Mentor
When Madonna had her first daughter, the person who photographed her baby pictures for Vanity Fair was Mr. Testino, 63. He was also the man who immortalized the engagement of Prince William and Kate Middleton. In 2014 he received an OBE. He recently photographed the February cover of Vogue, featuring Serena Williams and her daughter. Known for his ebullience and charm, he is adored by celebrities, and has worked with such brands as Michael Kors, Burberry and Dolce & Gabbana.
Two models have also complained about his behavior in the course of photographing Gucci campaigns in the â90s.
âIf you wanted to work with Mario, you needed to do a nude shoot at the Chateau Marmont,â said Jason Fedele, who appeared in those campaigns. âAll the agents knew that this was the thing to excel or advance your career.â
The nude work bothered him less than what he believed were sexual come-ons. It was as if Mr. Testino were gauging which âmovesâ might work, Mr. Fedele said â âwhether it was a comment or a reach for the towel, and he definitely reached.â
âHe was a sexual predator,â said Ryan Locke, who succeeded Mr. Fedele with Gucci.
Mr. Locke said that when he told other models that he was going to meet Mr. Testino, âeveryone started making these jokes â they said he was notorious, and âtighten your belt.ââ
The casting took place at Mr. Testinoâs hotel. Instead of greeting Mr. Locke in the lobby, Mr. Testino was in his room, where he opened the door in a loose robe, Mr. Locke said. Then they got into a stalemate about whether the model needed to go fully nude for test pictures.
After Gucci hired Mr. Locke for an ad campaign, Mr. Testino was aggressive and flirtatious throughout, Mr. Locke said. On the last day of the shoot, as they were taking photographs on a bed, Mr. Testino said, âI donât think heâs feeling it. Everybody out,â Mr. Locke recalled.
âHe shuts the door and locks it. Then he crawls on the bed, climbs on top of me and says, âIâm the girl, youâre the boy.â I went at him, like, you better get away. I threw the towel on him, put my clothes on and walked out,â Mr. Locke said.
Tom Ford, then the designer for Gucci, said he had not been present and could not know what happened. He said he was sympathetic to anyone who had been harassed, but also cautioned that if a photographer needs a shot of a modelâs face on a bed, there are very few angles to get it from.
Former assistants said that Mr. Testino had a pattern of hiring young, usually heterosexual men and subjecting them to increasingly aggressive advances.
Hugo Tillman was not long out of Occidental College when he started freelancing as a photo assistant for Mr. Testino in 1996. Mr. Testino took him and his mother to lunch and told them he wanted to mentor him. âI really liked him â I really looked up to him,â Mr. Tillman said.
He moved to Paris and began working full time as Mr. Testinoâs fourth assistant, and was soon promoted to third. âIt seemed like what Robert Altman would show, a fantasy of fashion.â But, he said, âI was often made to feel uncomfortable on shoots, asked to massage Mario in front of other assistants, models and fashion editors.â
One night after a dinner, Mr. Tillman said the photographer grabbed him on the street and tried to kiss him. A few weeks later, while on a business trip, Mr. Tillman met Mr. Testino in his hotel room. Mr. Testino demanded that the assistant roll him a joint, then threw him down on a bed, climbed on top of him and pinned down his arms, Mr. Tillman said. Mr. Testinoâs brother came into the room and made the photographer get off Mr. Tillman.
Lawyers for Mr. Testino said Mr. Testinoâs brother âis adamant that no such incident ever took place.â Mr. Tillmanâs former girlfriend confirmed in an interview that he relayed this story to her at the time. He also submitted testimony regarding the experience to the New York City Commission on Human Rights last December.
âI was scared,â he said of the hotel room experience. âI didnât know what was going to happen.â Mr. Tillman quit the next weekend, and is now a fine art photographer, who has been exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in London and the Shanghai Biennale.
Taber, a model who worked with Mr. Testino for much of the late â90s and early 2000s (he used only his first name professionally), described Mr. Testino as a friend until he stuck his hand down the back of Taberâs pants, and showed up at his hotel room asking for sex. âHe was a mentor who took it a step too far,â he said.
âSexual harassment was a constant reality,â said Roman Barrett, an assistant to Mr. Testino in the late â90s who said the photographer rubbed up against his leg with an erection and masturbated in front of him.
âHe misbehaved in hotel rooms, the backs of cars and on first-class flights,â he said. âThen things would go back to normal, and that made you feel gaslighted.â
Another assistant to Mr. Testino, a decade later, said he had his pants pulled down and buttocks fondled while on the job. Yet another said that Mr. Testino masturbated on him during a business trip. Both were granted anonymity because they feared career repercussions.
Even those who worked for Mr. Testino without experiencing the most direct harassment were affected. âI saw him with his hands down peopleâs pants at least 10 times,â said Thomas Hargreave, a shoot producer who worked frequently with Mr. Testino between 2008 and 2016. âMario behaved often as if it was all a big joke. But it wasnât funny. And the guys being placed in these situations wouldnât know how to react. They would look at me, like, âWhatâs going on? How do I deal with this?â It was terrible.â
Lavely & Singer, the law firm that represents Mr. Testino, said in a letter in response to these accounts that the individuals who spoke with The Times âcannot be considered reliable sources.â They wrote that Mr. Tillman had spoken well of Mr. Testino before, and called his mental health into question, so it âwould be extremely recklessâ to rely on him as a source. Regarding Mr. Fedele, who complained about private nude shoots, Mr. Testinoâs lawyers said that the model had been photographed nude by others and had posted a nude picture of himself, taken by Herb Ritts, to Instagram in 2015. They also wrote that Mr. Hargreave and Mr. Barrett were disgruntled former employees.
âI was pushed around, overworked, underpaid and sexually harassed daily,â Mr. Barrett said. âThatâs why I was disgruntled.â
âIâm telling the truth because this needs to stop now,â Mr. Hargreave said.
Selling Sex
As Calvin Klein, who created a hypersexual image for his brand with the help of Mr. Weber, recently told The Times, âI picked the images the same way I always did: what got my heart racing.â (Mr. Weber has not worked with the brand that bears Mr. Kleinâs name since 2008.) Whatever it takes to get that shot has been acceptable.
âWe sell sex,â Mr. Ford said.
Jessie English, a female photographer who spent three years as an assistant primarily to male photographers before going out on her own, described the attitude she saw on fashion shoots this way: âIf I need to touch you between your legs or grab your breasts so you get the right look on your face, thatâs just the way it is.â
Fashion and media brands say it is up to agencies to protect models, while the agencies say it is up to the brands not to hire photographers with bad reputations. For their part, the photographers say they do what they do to get the best picture â which is what the clients want.
And no union exists for models, whose youth and eagerness for a measure of stardom make them disinclined to complain.
âModels are not educated about what is or is not acceptable behavior, and often donât even have the vocabulary to express their experiences,â said Edward Siddons, a model turned journalist.
âMale models are paid much less and they do not become icons, because the culture is about objectifying women to sell things, and people are deeply uncomfortable with that happening to men,â Mr. Ford said.
âI knew that if people didnât want to have sex with you and people didnât find you beautiful, you werenât much inspiration,â Taber said. âThe models that got jobs are the ones stylists and photographers are into. I also wanted people to like me, especially the most powerful people in the business. I would almost get offended if they didnât want to have sex with me. Thatâs how I got groomed. Thatâs how it worked in my mind.â
Advances often take place in casting sessions and private photo shoots, Mr. Fedele said, reflecting partly on his experience with Mr. Testino. âThose are the pivot points for photographers to test the waters on whether or not itâs going to be a challenge for them to get to you,â he said. âBecause if you do get the job, the majority of the time youâre not naked and youâre not in a swimsuit. So whatâs really happening is that these guys are gauging whether youâre open or shy or close-minded or, quite frankly, whether youâre gay or hetero and willing either to flirt with them or to submit to an advance.â
Breathing Exercises
Since the 1970s, Mr. Weber, 71, has been one of the most important commercial and fine art photographers. His name has become âsynonymous with erotically charged depictions of good-looking young men,â The Times wrote in 1999.
In 2005, he photographed the model Robyn Sinclair for Ralph Lauren. They worked together on numerous other jobs. According to Mr. Sinclair, âbreathing exercisesâ â both in person and over the phone â were a repeated feature of their relationship.
âItâs like I was willing and unwilling at the same time,â he said. âI wanted to work.â
Models say that Mr. Weber was given to private audiences with young men, on long walks during lunch breaks and private visits in his room.
âThey even have a term for it: âHeâs going to get Brucified,ââ said Rudi Dollmayer, a Swedish model who shot with Mr. Weber three times.
âItâs presented as an option, but it isnât really,â Erin Williams, a female model on two of Mr. Weberâs campaigns for Abercrombie & Fitch, said of working nude. In testimony to the New York City Commission on Human Rights, she wrote: âThe models that didnât go nude were always cut on day two, and those who did would stay for additional shoot days. The boys who would socialize with Bruce after the shoots, alone in his hotel room, would get booked for longer with the carrot of a major campaign being dangled in front of them.â
In 2011, during a shoot for Vogue Hommes International in Miami, Mr. Weber summoned the model Josh Ardolf, then 20, to a private room. Mr. Weber photographed him in the nude and then, when Mr. Ardolf seemed uncomfortable, led him through an exercise.
âI was guiding his hand,â Mr. Ardolf said. âWe did the chest, the shoulders, the head. Then I finally put his hand on my abs. Did the breathing. Right after that, he forced his hand right on my genitals. I was first in shock. I didnât know what to think. I backed up. I felt very, very uncomfortable and very sick.â
âI felt helpless,â Mr. Ardolf said. âLike my agency said, he has a lot of power. Heâs done a lot of large campaigns. That was in the back of my mind. âI canât screw this up. I already made it this far.ââ
Mr. Weber mentioned future campaigns when he followed up with Mr. Ardolf in a series of phone calls in subsequent months. He repeated the exercises over the phone and asked Mr. Ardolf to touch his genitals and stimulate himself, Mr. Ardolf said.
âThe first thing I was told about Bruce was that he puts people in really precarious situations,â said Terron Wood, a model who shot several ad campaigns with Mr. Weber between 2007 and 2010.
His first job was for Ruehl, a now defunct Abercrombie brand, when he was summoned alone to Mr. Weberâs hotel room.
Mr. Weber put his hand on Mr. Woodâs forehead and told him to close his eyes and breathe in deeply. Then Mr. Weber moved back and began taking pictures, telling Mr. Wood to grab his shirt, which he was to pull up or down. From there, Mr. Weber instructed him to do the same thing with his shorts.
âAfter going as high as Steve Urkel, the only option was down,â Mr. Wood said.
Eventually, Mr. Woodâs genitals were displayed, with Mr. Weber continuing to photograph him.
âIt unfolded slowly,â Mr. Wood said. âHeâs directing you, and the peak moment is when youâre fully exposed and being told to hold it. âHold that pose.â And youâre wondering what the pictures are even for. Because youâre not on set. Youâre thinking, âThis isnât what Iâm getting paid for.ââ
He also felt guilty, he said, knowing that heâd agreed to show Mr. Weber his penis only because âhe was the photographer for Ralph Lauren.â Mr. Weber did end up booking him for a Ralph Lauren campaign.
Bobby RoachĂŠ, a model who went for a casting with Mr. Weber in 2007 and left after he said the photographer tried to âstick his hands down my pants,â described the reaction from one of his agents: âThatâs all he did? You should have gone further.â
The model Monty Hooper said Mr. Weber told him he had âto learn to be more vulnerableâ at a test shoot at the photographerâs TriBeCa studio in 2014. At the shoot, Mr. Hooper stopped undressing before revealing his genitals, so Mr. Weber led him through a breathing exercise. âIf Iâm more vulnerable,â Mr. Hooper said he was told, âIâll go a lot farther in my career modeling.â
âHe was hugging me really closely,â Mr. Hooper said. Disturbed, he thanked Mr. Weber and left. After that, he said, the amount of work he was sent for dried up immediately.
Mr. Hooper was roommates with a number of models in an apartment maintained by Soul Artist Management, many of whom worked with Mr. Weber. âThis is big for you. You have to nail this,â the agencyâs founder, Jason Kanner, told one of them, Jason Boyce, before a test shoot, according to a lawsuit Mr. Boyce filed in December in New York State Supreme Court against Mr. Weber, Mr. Kanner and Little Bear Inc., the production company run by the photographerâs companion and agent, Nan Bush.
In his complaint, Mr. Boyce said that Mr. Weber groped him and kissed him. In a response filed in late December, lawyers for Mr. Weber described the entire complaint as âfalse.â (Mr. Kanner indicated he would respond as well this month.) Mr. Boyceâs lawyer is Lisa Bloom, who represented Harvey Weinstein at the time he was first accused of sexual misconduct but who more often represents harassment claimants.
At the lawsuitâs announcement â which Mr. Weberâs lawyers described as a âdefamatory press conferenceâ in their filing â Ms. Bloom produced another roommate, Mark Ricketson, who said that Mr. Weber also led him through an inappropriate exercise in 2005, when he was 18.
âI have used common breathing exercises and professionally photographed thousands of nude models over my career, but never touched anyone inappropriately. Given my lifeâs work, these twisted and untrue allegations are truly disheartening. Iâve been taking pictures for over 40 years and have the utmost respect for everyone Iâve ever photographed. I would never, ever, try to hurt anyone or prevent someone from succeeding â itâs just not in my character,â Mr. Weber said in his statement to The Times.
Jeff Aquilon, a longtime muse whom Mr. Weber discovered in 1978, said in December that he had never had a bad experience with the photographer.
âWhat Iâve heard over the last couple of days is so uncharacteristic of what I would expect out of him that it kind of blew my mind,â Mr. Aquilon said. âI did speak to him a day or two ago. I said: âBruce, I canât believe what is out there. Sorry to hear what youâre going to have to go through here.â He just said, âWill you pray for us?â I said I definitely would.â
ShitmodelMGMT2 continues to threaten and harass. How and why did someone take his name off the list? Â Heâs posting all the comments from the shitmodelmgmt page trying to out all those that support the cause.Â
https://www.instagram.com/shitmodelmgmt2/
This guy also thinks heâs a private eye vowing to out the original:
Ford model Caron Bernstein recalls feeling flattered when she first arrived in 2003 at the Lower East Side studio of famed photographer Terry Richardson.
She said a mutual friend brokered the introduction with claims that Richardson - a fast-rising star who would go on to shoot everyone from BeyoncĂŠ and Lady Gaga to President Obama - was a fan.
Bernstein had graced the pages of Vogue and Harper's Bazaar during her fashion heyday, but she was approaching her mid-30s by then and eager to promote her music career with a cool collaboration.
After initial discussions around a big desk, the lensman known for his soft-porn aesthetic and ultra-bright flash quickly turned dark, she told the Daily News.
Terry Richardson is accused of sexually assaulting a designer
He took some photos, positioned her in a chair, took more photos, exposed his penis and forced himself into her mouth, she recalled.
"It was like literally being shot with a stun gun. My brain just went on pause," Bernstein, 47, said. "I wasn't doing anything. I wasn't performing as a model."
She can't remember if the alleged attack took seconds or minutes, she said.
"I was like a deer in the headlights," she said. "I wasn't drugged, I wasn't handcuffed. Thank God that never happened. But in a weird way, that would have made it easier to forgive myself for not fighting him off."
Terry Richardson banned from working with top magazines: report
Richardson vehemently denied any wrongdoing through his lawyer.
"Ms. Bernstein knowingly and willingly posed for these photographs and at all times prior to and during the shoot, any contact she had with Mr. Richardson was consensual," his lawyer Brad D. Rose told The News.
Richardson, 52, has been dogged for years by allegations he used his power as a top photographer and industry gatekeeper to exploit models. Back in 2003, however, he was still a fashion industry darling with campaigns for Gucci, Sisley, Levis and H&M already under his belt.
A former runway and lingerie model, Bernstein said she was comfortable with nudity and willingly agreed to pose topless for him.
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She recalls being told Richardson wanted her to portray a fragrance called "Sex" for an editorial layout in V magazine. Someone handed her a single pair of white panties, and she changed in a bathroom, she said.
"I thought it was going to be a test shoot. There was no hair and makeup," Bernstein recalled.
She asked if she could at least powder herself, but Richardson objected and began snapping with a simple point-and-shoot camera, she said.
As soon as others in the room exited to an outside deck, Richardson moved in close for the alleged assault, ejaculated on her chest and continued to take more photos, she said.
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A rep for V magazine told The News the publication had no knowledge of a 2003 editorial feature assigned to Richardson.
"Caron Bernstein agreed to shoot sexually explicit photographs with Mr. Richardson, which had no connection to an editorial or advertising campaign for a fragrance product," Rose said.
The News reviewed more than 30 negatives from the shoot and several prints. Images apparently snapped in succession showed Bernstein in different positions with semen on her breasts. Her face was cropped out of those prints.
Caron Bernstein poses for a photo inside her apartment in Lower Manhattan.
Rose said the sexually explicit images "clearly evidence the extremely sexual nature of the shoot as well as Ms. Bernstein's willing participation in the explicit acts depicted."
Kate Upton angry at Terry Richardson for 'Cat Daddy' video
A photo of Bernstein's upper torso was used in an early edition of Richardson's controversial 2004 coffee-table book TERRYWORLD. It did not show her face.
Bernstein called it "ludicrous" to suggest she willingly agreed to perform oral sex on Richardson.
"I didn't know this man from Adam. I would never walk in somewhere and agree to a sex act with a stranger. I've never done that in my entire life. Never in a million years," she said.
When Bernstein appeared in the 1997 movie "Business for Pleasure," her lawyer painstakingly negotiated exactly where she agreed to be touched, she said. Her belly above he hip-bone was okay. So were the outsides of her breasts and much of her spine. Her nipples and inner thighs were off limits, she recalled.
Photog denies sexually harassing models
She said after the alleged attack, she grabbed her belongings, sprinted down the staircase crying and ran to a friend's nearby boutique.
"It was terrible. She told me the whole thing," the pal, who asked not to be identified, told The News. "She was extremely distraught."
Ex-boyfriend Marcus Antebi also recalled hearing Bernstein's account a year later in 2004.
"One day I see Terry Richardson walking down the street, and I was with Caron, and she literally had a near anxiety attack," Antebi, the founder of Juice Press, a popular chain of juice bars, said. "She explained the story to me and seemed very credible."
Terry Richardson denies propositioning model for sex
Friend Veronica Reyes said Bernstein started to "hyperventilate" and told the story again when they saw Richardson in SoHo more than a decade ago.
"It wouldn't have made any sense that she'd be lying," Reyes said.
Bernstein said it was her former friend Johnny Zander who connected her to the shoot and was there that day. A model now living in Los Angeles, Zander denied even knowing Bernstein when first reached by The News last month.
"I don't know anything about it. I for sure didn't arrange it," he said.
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After The News sent Zander a screenshot of a private Instagram exchange he initiated with Bernstein in September - their first communication since the Richardson shoot - his lawyer called to say Zander, 46, did in fact remember her.
"It's been probably 12-13 years. Where are you in the world these days," Zander wrote to Bernstein on Sept. 29.
"He acknowledges he knows who that is. They corresponded on Instagram," lawyer David Erikson said.
He said Zander remained adamant he was not at Richardson's studio for the shoot.
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Bernstein's allegations of predatory behavior are hardly the first against Richardson.
Richardson holds a point and shoot camera at a Paris fashion show in this 2011 file photo.
In 2005, Romanian model Gabriela Johansson sued Richardson for fraud in Los Angeles. She claimed he tricked her into signing a release by positioning it as a sign-in sheet at a topless "test shoot" in 2003. She said he "aggressively" pushed her to get completely nude, causing her to walk out. Johansson said Richardson later used her image in a photo exhibit without consent. The case was dismissed with prejudice three months after filing, indicating it was likely settled.
Model and writer Jamie Peck spoke out in 2010, writing on TheGloss.com that Richardson got naked during a shoot and coerced her into touching his penis.
In 2014, artist Charlotte Waters told Vocativ.com that Richardson invited her to a nude photo shoot in 2009, had her sign a release and then ambushed her with demands she engage in sex acts. She was 19 at the time. He was 43.
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"I was not asked prior to the shoot or even during if it was ok for him to expose himself, if it was ok for him to force himself into my mouth, if it was ok for him to kiss me aggressively, if it was ok for him to perform oral sex on every part of my lower half or if it was ok for him to ejaculate in my eye, but all of those things were done," Waters told The News Wednesday.
"My autonomy shut off the moment it began and kept me robotic until it stopped. I was hospitalized that night for a panic attack that I for a long time blamed on a stomach flu," she said.
A few days after Waters' account was first published in 2014, Richardson claimed on Huffington Post he was the victim of "an emotionally-charged witch hunt."
He didn't deny stripping naked on shoots or ejaculating on models, but he claimed his subjects always consented of their own "free will."
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Anna Del Gaizo disputed that claim in a piece for Jezebel three months later in June 2014.
She recalled meeting Richardson and his assistant at a downtown event in 2008 and following the pair to a Bowery loft for an impromptu shoot. Del Gaizo said she too agreed to pose topless but was surprised when Richardson "pressed" his penis into her mouth.
"Disgusted and unnerved as I was, I smiled and laughed back," she wrote. "I was outnumbered, and I thought showing fear or outright shock would lead to something worse."
Del Gaizo appeared "visibly shaken" when she later returned to the party, a friend who was there told The News.
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Now an editor for Playboy magazine, Del Gaizo said she received no response from Richardson after telling her story.
"The silence says it all. It's true," she told The News. "What's he going to say?"
Richardson's lawyer shared a smiling image of Del Gaizo with The News that appeared to show her wearing the photographer's signature black glasses with his semen on the lenses - a detail that was not included in her piece for Jezebel.
Del Gaizo said she didn't recall Richardson ejaculating in her face but that it was possible he did.
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New York designer and model Lindsay Jones broke a decade of silence by accusing Richardson of sexual assault in a piece published by HuffPo late Wednesday. She confirmed her story to The News, saying Richardson lured her to his studio in 2007 or 2008 with the promise of discussing a possible shoot over a 10 a.m. weekday coffee.
As soon as he closed the door behind her, he pounced, she told The News.
"He just told me to get on my knees," she said. "He started doing this thing with my eye, he started jabbing (his penis) in my eye. I remember thinking, 'This is going to give me a black eye, this really hurts.'"
Richardson crosses a street during New York Fashion Week Spring 2014 in New York in this 2013 file photo.
She said he told her to "swallow like a good girl."
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"At the time, I was young, from Utah, very docile. It really caught me off guard. I was afraid and confused and hoping to get it over with. I left there feeling like human garbage," she said Thursday. "He thought I was disposable."
Jones was married to a different photographer at the time and reported the incident to her husband but didn't know where else to turn without harming her career, she said.
She even worked with Richardson again on a shoot for Diesel.
"I was afraid it would overshadow my career and I would lose work and lose money," she said. "He had such power around him with everyone wanting to impress him. It was very difficult to speak out. I was a kid."
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Richardson's lawyers also denied Jones' account.
Read Richardson's full statement on Jones' accusations here
Several brands and magazines cut ties with Richardson over the years, but he still managed to land big jobs, including the August 2017 cover of Vogue China with "Game of Thrones" star Emilia Clarke.
When the recent wave of misconduct allegations against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein helped fuel the #MeToo movement and a greater understanding of systemic sex abuse, designers and publishers again distanced themselves.
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"CondĂŠ Nast has nothing planned with Terry going forward. Sexual harassment of any kind is unacceptable and should not be tolerated," a rep for the media group told The News.
Peck said Thursday it was "bittersweet" to see so many women coming forward.
"I'm not happy so many women have had abusive experiences at work, nor am I happy so many women have carried around shame about it for years. But this stuff has been going on forever, it's just that nobody talked about it," she told The News.
"It's easy for most people to dismiss one woman as some crazy person seeking attention. It's harder to dismiss this many. If the chorus of women speaking out now leads to changes in how workplaces are run and material consequences for abusers, that can only be a good thing. Any shred of self-doubt I had about divulging my story is now gone," she said.
CAA cancels Golden Globes party to start harassment defense fund
Bernstein, now married to Wall Street banker Andrew Schupak, said she finally felt comfortable enough to share her story with The News once the national reckoning seemed to finally grasp the feelings of shame and guilt that keep may victims hiding in the shadows.
"People might try to discredit me, but I've had more than my fair share of 15 minutes of fame," she said. "And it's not monetary. I'm financially more than fine."
Bernstein said she simply wants to warn others and move on.
"I'm not a martyr and I'm not a saint, but if I could stop this from happening to one other person, I would be proud, and maybe I could get some kind of closure," she said.
On Wednesday, a model and designer named Lindsay Jones accused the once-celebrated photographer Terry Richardson of sexually assaulting her during a photo shoot in 2007. Richardson forced his penis into her face, Jones said in an interview with HuffPost, and ejaculated into her mouth. Richardson denied the allegations to the Post, and his lawyer, Lisa M. Buckley, called Jones an âopportunistic publicity seeker.â Well, now another woman has come forward with a strikingly similar story about Richardson just one day later.
The New York Daily News published an interview this afternoon with a model named Caron Bernstein, who says Richardson forced oral sex on her during a shoot in 2003. The photographer took out his penis, forced it into her mouth, and ejaculated on her chest, Bernstein said. She described the alleged assault to the Daily News this way:
âIt was like literally being shot with a stun gun. My brain just went on pause. I wasnât doing anything. I wasnât performing as a model. ⌠I was like a deer in the headlights. I wasnât drugged, I wasnât handcuffed. Thank God that never happened. But in a weird way, that would have made it easier to forgive myself for not fighting him off.â
Another of Richardsonâs lawyers, Brad D. Rose, told the Daily Newsthat any contact Richardson had with Bernstein during the shoot was âconsensual.â He added, without citing any evidence, that Bernstein agreed to shoot sexually explicit material.
Bernstein denies this. âI didnât know this man from Adam,â she told the Daily News. âI would never walk in somewhere and agree to a sex act with a stranger. Iâve never done that in my entire life. Never in a million years.â Several friends confirmed to the Daily News that Bernstein told them about the alleged assault at the time.
Since the mid-2000s, several models have accused Richardson of sexual assault. Only recently, in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, has he completely fallen out of favor with the fashion crowd, however. In October, the New York Times reported that Richardson shot the cover image for Elleâs January issue. That shoot was scrapped, the Times reported, after the Weinstein allegations came to light.
UPDATE 3/6/18: @shitmodelmgmt has now taken down its "Blacklist" of those accused, citing growing pressure and threats to her personal safety and that of her loved ones.
While she specifies that many models reached out to thank her for her efforts, the Instagram account has also been labeled a "defamation machine" by various people named, many of whom are trying to figure out her identity in order to sue for libel.
In a lengthy statement posted to her Instagram story, @shitmodelmgmt explained the list's retraction:
"Blacklist going down at midnight â I'm getting too many death threats and threats to 'find my family' and 'make me sorry I did this,'" she wrote. "I'm still not sorry for protecting models from future negative experiences. Thank you so much to the thousands of people that supported me through this scary but important movement."
She continued: "Someone had to do this. I know it's crazy that a meme account ended up being the person to do it, but it was just time. What would you do if you had thousands of horrific stories? Would you just go to bed at night knowing you had a way to help? ...I'm not the kind of person to stay silent. And maybe I'm too bold. but I couldn't wait around for 'change.' Because it wasn't coming. Not until someone spoke out, no matter how scary it is."
The creator also addressed those who have sent her names of abusers that she had not yet uploaded to the list, saying she would be adding names until the list was unpublished, and asking them to screenshot.
â
Mario Testino. Bruce Weber. Terry Richardson. Names once championed by fashion's gatekeepers are now black-marked for their alleged longtime abuse of models. Over the past six months the media has diligently pursued stories of sexual assault survivors, but social media is frequently the one getting there first.
First, the "Shitty Media Men" list (a Google spreadsheet for journalists to anonymously share allegations of harassment), though never intended to be public, became an outlet for women to air the publishing industry's dirty laundry, and now a memes-for-models account, @shitmodelmgmt, is offering a similar platform with its "Blacklist." Its nameless founder, who's a former model herself, wants to provide a resource to survivors with a list of names of the accused (photographers, stylists, agents, designers) that she suggests models avoid.
In our post-Weinstein world, the list has exploded. Models are submitting their stories directly to @shitmodelmgmt, who reads and verifies others' claims via screenshots or gut instinct, and adds the names to her list. For those who have three or more accusations from separate people to their name, @shitmodelmgmt will add an asterisk. Some of the men, she says, have 30 or more accusers.
The legality of the list remains for now in a gray area. In the "Blacklist" introduction, the creator writes, "Every name on this list was sent to me by other people, and I am simply reporting what was said to me. This is not my personal opinion, I am reporting the experiences of others. Until proven, these names are simply allegations. This does not discredit any experiences shared with me; as I am reporting what was told to me over direct messages, I'm formally stating that the claims are allegations. Take from that what you will." She says that she's received numerous cease and desist letters, which she has ignored, saying, "I'm not afraid because I know that they are afraid."
The introduction adds, "Remember that YOU are the victim. Not the abuser. Not the predator. Not anyone else. And you have the right to be ANGRY. Coming out with your story is terrifying, but naming your abuser can help keep other potential victims safe."
In an interview with PAPER, the "Blacklist" creator speaks out:
Are your emails blowing up?
I'm getting thousands. It's insane. I feel like Justin Bieber. It's crazy.
Have you considered revealing your identity?
I was considering coming out on it a few times, but I'm so glad that I didn't because I would be scared. My mom is scared that people are going to come find me and stalk me and I'm like, "No, I don't think anyone knows." I mean I told a few people, but it's so much better like this.
Tell me about @shitmodelmgmt's inception.
I've been a model for so long, and [it's] the reason I started the account two years ago. I'm really shy, so people can walk all over me in my jobs, and I kind of let my agents tell me what to do all the time. I was always making jokes about my life on Twitter, [and] I wanted to make a meme account that other models could see. It wasn't even really anonymous, but then it started getting so much traction.
How did that evolve into creating the list?
Ever since I started it people were like, "Thank you for being a voice for models." So that's just been my thing, I guess. Slowly it became this place where I low key exposed people. People were so glad to see that, and agreeing with me. I would take really long hiatuses from it because I get anxiety, but I came back a few months ago and I put on my story, "I'm bored, let's gossip." I did not know this would happen. People started saying like, "Here's some gossip: this agent at my old agency tried to literally molest me." I felt responsible knowing, [and wanted to] do something about it. People were DMing me like, "Please put this on your story." That's when things really changed and I started outing people. All the angry photographers are telling me people are lying. But people don't make this up. This is not something to lie about. I've never met someone that lied about sexual assault in my entire life.
Have any of the guys on the list reached out to you directly or responded?
So many. Almost half of them probably. My entire email is full of these pretend lawsuits and I'm just ignoring them. It's funny because most of the ones that are the worst and most repeated names are the ones that are scared. So that's why I'm not afraid because I know that they are afraid.
You're sending the industry a message?
It's crazy because this hierarchy of people think they're safe because they're at the very top, and it's also designers that have all these employees who know, but they all want to work for that designer, so no one wants to say anything. It takes one brave person to stand up and then it starts crumbling down from there.
Have you ever been nervous to add a submission involving a big industry name?
Yeah, there were some people. There was this photographer that shoots for Victoria's Secret and we were actually friends on my account. Someone messaged me off the fake account with no followers or profile picture. So I asked if they had any screenshots or anything, because if it's someone that's being anonymous then I feel like I can't get back to them. She was like, "No, I don't have any proof or anything." The story kept changing, it was weird. And so I just didn't put them on the list at that point because it is serious to get accused of that. Sometimes there isn't a lot of proof, and I know I have to trust my gut. It's so scary because I have shot with so many of these photographers.
Has anyone come forward to defend one of the men on the list?
Yes. I think it's a little bit annoying to be honest, because everyone has a different experience. They're like, "Oh my god, that is my friend. I go hiking with him every weekend. He would never do that." It's like, I'm so happy that he hasn't assaulted you, but clearly he did someone to else. There's no excuse. You can't defend these people, especially when they have stars by their names... that's serious. Instead of trying to defend him and get him off the list, talk to him, find answers and question him. You shouldn't automatically defend someone. Maybe be a little skeptical, you know?
Everyone's experiences are different?
Exactly, it wasn't happening to you. It's funny because when I was exposing Testino and Weber a long time ago, all of these girls were like, "Oh my god, he's the nicest ever. I shot Abercrombie with him." Like, I'm sure he was respectful because you're not who he's after. This industry is full of enablers. Everyone in charge is an enabler. The agents are so bad about it.
It's a power dynamic?
It's literally this feeling of power. And that's why I hate people who are victim shaming because they have no idea how much power these people hold over you. They control your entire career. Everyone I know has some story, big or small, that happened in this industry. We don't have any regulations, so it's just this weird industry that doesn't get regulated by anything. There's no consequences. It's crazy and nobody understands or knows about it because the people in it get away with everything. It's this weird private thing going on in the world.
Do you see it changing?
I want it to change. It's taken forever and it's still so bad. [Many designers] are like, "We love women, we're such feminists," but you literally only cast size zero models and are promoting unhealthy body standards and eating disorders. That is not right. You're not a feminist, you're not an activist, you're actually the worst.
Have you encouraged anyone to go on record with their accusations?
Some are more open. I put one person on my story, and a model responded like, "Please just ask anyone or tell me anyone that has a story about him and tell him to contact me," because he was in a lawsuit with the person and getting blackmailed. That's the crazy part is they're still trying to get away with it. I've actually been referring models to each other with the same stories. If somebody keeps [getting] reported, I'll just type his name in my email and it'll come up dozens of times. Some of these people are literally serial assaulters, like it's awful. So that's why this is so important.
Iâm so tired of hearing the excuse that because it wasnât rape itâs not sexual harassment.Â
sex¡u¡al ha¡rass¡ment
noun
noun:
sexual harassment
harassment (typically of a woman) in a workplace, or other professional or social situation, involving the making of unwanted sexual advances or obscene remarks.
So you didnât pull a Terry Richardson and pull out your dick and put it in my face so therefore you touching my ass is no big deal.Â
Even though Iâm not 18 you convincing me that implied was the way to impress my agent and gain followers seemed perfectly acceptable to a 30 year old man?
Those with the power will never understand our position.Â
In my search this morning for a final update I found one new instagram trying to keep the info alive and a couple IG profiles that were âprivateâ yet haters of the movement.Â
One IG aimed at keeping hope alive:Â https://www.instagram.com/shitmodelmgmtlist/
Hereâs one long-winded take posted by a photographer on the list at https://www.instagram.com/shitmodelmgmt2/
@SHITMODELMGMT made a BLACKLIST of over 400 peopleThe web is a gray area when it comes to creating gossip, making false claims, ruining reputations & destroying another persons life.
He who INSTAGRAMS with the most followers anonymously first wins.
Recently an anonymous person who has has an online presence called @SHITMODELSMGMT since 2016 with a documented press history of creating memes on their Instagram linked a BLACKLIST created in Google sites to that instagram account  creating a BLACKLIST of 'alleged' sexual assailants in the fashion industry. Below are the stories and history so you know this was not some random Instagram or person like myself but a known yet ANONYMOUS entity capable of a lot of damage on social media.
(Anonymous Models Poke Fun at the Industry with an Instagram Meme Account written by Emilia Petrarca September 7, 2016 3:24 pm, Â THE MODELS BEHIND THE HILARIOUS "SHIT MODEL MANAGEMENT" INSTAGRAM TALK THE TRUTH BEHIND THE MEMES "We don't want anyone to feel alone, or like they are less of a person because of the things we go through as models." written by TYLER MCCALL APR 13, 2016 and shit model management: 'the internetâs equivalent to the burn book' Famed for her sarcastic tone and her wry comments, we hit up social media sensation @shitmodelmgmt for her top 10 model memes just in time for Fashion Month written by Tish Weinstock FEB 14 2017, 6:40AM, SHIT MODEL MANAGEMENT: THE HILARIOUS INSTAGRAM MEME ACCOUNT THAT EXPOSES FASHION INDUSTRY'S FLAWS written by Siobhan Lawless | 15 02 2017)
The BLACKLIST supposedly contained the names of people who have "allegedly" sexually assaulted of been sexually in appropriate with models.
The person specifically called out her (I say her because in the anonymous interviews which you can Google published by The Cut, Feb 28, 2018 Fashion Gets Its Own Version of the Media Men List writtten by Emilia  Petrarca, INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT @SHITMODELMGMT POSTS 'BLACKLIST' TO PROTECT MODELS FROM SEXUAL ASSAULT -The anonymously managed handle names photographers, designers and more who have been reported as crossing boundaries with models written by  Whitney Bauck Feb 28, 2018 on FASHIONISTA.com (which also includes an update March 5th, 2018 with a gallery @shitmodelmgmt's Instastory claiming she must shut down list because of death threats and @SHITMODELMGMT ON ITS RUNNING LIST OF ACCUSED ABUSERS by Beatrice Hazlehurst Paper Magazine written by Beatrice Hazlehurst  titled @SHITMODELMGMT ON ITS RUNNING LIST OF ACCUSED ABUSERS written by Tyler Mcall, hey have stated they are models themselves exposing the things only models understand in the fashion industry for their mainly model followers and they asked models to report names of sexually inappropriate offenders to them via DM and they would in turn post them on this BLACKLIST.
Here in lies the first problem. Rape and sexual assault is not something that just happens to beautiful people. It is an act of violence.
I was put on that list and my name remained there for several days until after much effort to contact this anonymous person I was sent an email from them saying my 'abuse' was not sexual and I would be taken off the list. Most would say 'whew' at that moment and be happy to have been removed from a list of "alleged" sexual predators.
But here is the problem, I am a rape survivor and having been put on a list with some actual known and documented sexual predators along with other people who I am sure are innocent people like I am was a horrible violation triggering something I have dealt with and thought I was over that happended to me over 37 years ago. Â I called it CYBER RAPE and I have gotten a ton of negative comments and messages for doing so. Let me be clear. Rape is an act of violence, a violence I have had to live with since I was a teenager, something my owm mother regrets she was not able to keep from happening and that she wishes to this day she could have done something about. That I wish I could be like so many who have never had it happen able to make comments about it from their perspective.
But I can't and therefore this person or persons who facilitated this cyber rape of my person, my name, my identity, that one thing that people in the world know me by has to be held accountable anonymous or not. The damage has been done and taking a name off or removing a list does not remove the crime, gray area or not, it's still a crime to slander someone.
To have to spend years dealing through therapy that you carry for life and then have it triggered by some anonymous person compiling a sexual predator list is unacceptable.
SHITMODELMGMT slandered hundreds of people and affected their personal lives and income by naming them from anonymous emails sent to them by their 'model' followers. Â
This person has taken down the BLACKLIST as of 3/05/18 at midnight along with a post in their account all day telling their followers to keep sending in names and to remember to screen shot the list by midnight for future reference. You see there is the problem.
They still did it, talked about it in press interviews and then they encouraged their followers to screen shot everything before taking it down in an effort to ANONYMOUSLY malign living breathing people. The anonymous persons who did this list should not be 'off the hook' because they took down their BLACKLIST.
THEY SHOULD BE REMINDED HELD ACCOUNTABLE AND OUTED.
