mercredi
avr.072010
Humor Chic: Roitfeld And Richardson
mercredi 7 avril 2010 
With his latest illustration on Humor Chic, aleXsandro Palombo expresses his opinion and then some. I did not realize that the recent controversy around Terry Richardson also pulled Carine Roitfeld into the quagmire. Please read his perspective and then tell me, does La Roitfeld aid and abet in the trafficking and exploitation of underage models? Say it isn't so...
Carine Roitfeld and Terry Richardson Vogue Paris cover illustration © 2010 aleXsandro Palombo. All Rights Reserved.
Update on vendredi 30 avril 2010 by
kellina
kellina
I like this:
At my photo shoot with the lengendary Terry Richardson. Praying I won't be talked into posing with a rubber chicken, dildo or nipple clamps.
tagged Carine Roitfeld in Art, Fashion, Humor Chic, Illustration, Terry Richardson
Carine Roitfeld in Art, Fashion, Humor Chic, Illustration, Terry Richardson 
Reader Comments (18)
Sounds like Terry Richardson's the scoundrel. Why not fire him?
How on the Earth didn't I know this blog?
Loving it so much! I want to be CR as well!
Great question, Kate!
Hi, Sissi! I'm delighted that you found it. How did you find it, btw?
Love!!!
Cool, Tracy!
Je trouve sa tellement irrespectueux envers Carine
Marc, vous pensez que le dessin ou la controverse ne respecte pas Carine?
Le dessin.
Mais c'est seulement faire une blague.
je ne vois pas en quoi c'est drole
Peut-être que ce n'est pas drôle.
Terry Richardson is a scumbag. He might behave himself on shoots for Vogue Paris and other influential magazines, but that does not excuse his behaviour with young models (not underage. though) whom he uses for his private work. He is allowed to get away with molesting young girls (even if they're over 18, sexual harassment is still wrong and horrible) and pressurising them into performing sexual favours BECAUSE he has a pile of influence as a resullt of Carine et al repeatedly hiring him- people are afraid to speak out for fear of losing their jobs, and the models are often bullied by their agencies into doing whatever the photographer wants even if they don't want to.
Carine (and others), by endorsing his work and hiring him, is part of that problem. I have massive respect for VP and her work, but giving power to this man....that's just wrong.
So yes, Carine may have nothing to do with the trafficking or expioitation of UNDERAGE models, but she does indirectly have a role to play in the terrible conditions that models work in- even if they don't work for her magazine.
Dru, you make many valid points in your statement here. If it were yours to decide, how would you go about cleaning up the fashion industry?
One preliminary step, I think, would be not hiring people who have reputations like Richardson's. Like I said, it's his association with powerful magazines, editors and brands that gives him his clout. Taking that away will probably go a small way towards alleviating the problem of sexual harassment of models (as if they don't have enough to deal with, age, weight, race issues and now this too?). Having clear and strict policies about sexual harassment of employees (models included) in the workplace might also help.
This is an industry-wide change that needs to happen, but if people like Carine and the VP team- people who have great influence on designers, stylists, photographers and other tastemakes- were a little proactive in declaring a stand on this, things might change.
I will say this much for VP, their models don't seem to be as painfully underage as those in several other publications (ok, you still have Jac etc working for them, but most of their models over the last five years or so- Mariacarla, Daria, Lara, Natasha, Elise, Snejana, Freja, Raquel, Sasha, Natalia, Lily etc- have been over 18, or at least close when they first started working. Of course there are exceptions like Gemma Ward or Jac, but for the most part, at least people are close to legal).
Also, I believe some kind of models' union (not dependent on the whims of their agencies) needs to be put in place, to listen to models' grievances about matters relating to work and working conditions (pay, harassment, and so on). It's all very well for girls who have their mothers or chaperones going everywhere with them or who have influential parents (like Daisy Lowe or Julia on modelling jobs), but for those who come from poorer backgrounds or don't have that kind of protection, it's not fair to treat them like pieces of meat.
There are a lot of things wrong with the way models (the not so well known) ones are currently treated by the industry, and frankly, influential professionals with long careers like the casting directors, designers, stylists, photographers and editors of magazines, can help with this- their working life is much longer than the average model's. Speaking out in any form tends to get a model ostracised (Coco Rocha talking about her diuretic use because of industry people asking her to 'look anorexic') and lose work. It's scary out there...
But yes, I suggest that Carine and Co. should start by simply not hiring Terry Richardson any more. His work is sometimes interesting, but it has deteriorated over time into boring sexual cliches- not 'edgy'. Lose him for creative reasons, if nothing else. They have much better content from other photographers, too.
Dru, thank you for your thoughtful analysis of this situation. I especially agree that it would be fine to lose TR for creative enhancement. Hopefully the present discussion of the issue is the first step toward positive change.