I last spoke of Terry when model Emma Appleton said he offered her a Vogue shoot in exchange for sex. Emma ended up deleting her Twitter profile because of abusive comments. Terry hired a “digital forensic expert” to tell the world that he never sent a Facebook message to Emma. He says he never propsitioned her. I don’t know what to say to that.
Terry’s reputation as a creep is still cemented by plenty of other horror stories. Jezebel’s Uncle Terry primer (NSFW language) convinced me years ago. The most vivid story came from model Charlotte Waters, who identified herself as a Terry victim in March. Her story was very disturbing, and it prompted Terry to talk back for the first time. He spouted off some sanctimonious stuff about a “witch hunt of false accuations” and continued with a discussion about “respect.” He is a disgusting, entitled creep. Will magazines ever stop hiring him? I don’t know.
Jezebel says that NYMag is preparing a pro-Terry cover story. This announcement prompted another one of Terry’s victims to come forth. She has not identified herself by name, but she sent a very long, detailed (NSFW) email to Jezebel. You can read the whole thing at Jezebel, but here are just a few paragraphs:
My name is Anna [Redacted] and I am a writer and stylist living in New York City. While I’m not a professional model by any means, I was photographed and sexually assaulted by the delightful Terry Richardson following the July 2008 launch party of the Nolita restaurant Delicatessen. I was 23 at the time.
Terry had been hired to take portraits of party-goers (the photos from the booth are still collaged on the restaurant’s menus and bathroom walls, mine included), and he was apparently quite taken with my energy in front of the camera (please note the sarcasm here). His now-infamous assistant, Leslie Lessin, approached me and asked if they could have my phone number to set up a photo shoot. I obliged.
Then she came back. Now they wanted to know if I would be willing to skip out on the party for a few minutes and go do an impromptu photo shoot at Terry’s home/studio on Bowery, just a few blocks away. Never one to turn down an ill-advised adventure or an appeal to my vanity, I said, “Sure!”
I can’t even say he shot any photos. His assistant held the camera and pushed the buttons, under his direction. At first, I just stood against the wall, traditional portrait-style while I made goofy faces and she snapped away. Innocent fun. He asked if I’d reveal my “t-ts.” I’m not against nudity by any means and have had plenty of photographer friends shoot me in various states of undress so again, the answer was, “Sure. Why not!” Boobs out, no big deal.
Then he entered the shot and Leslie snapped a few of us together. He had me kind of crouch down on the floor as I moved around, posing. Then, suddenly …
[From Jezebel]
Aaaand that’s the part of the story where Terry (allegedly) sexually assaulted Anna. He tried to get an on-camera beej, and she ran. Thank god. A few days later, Terry’s vile female assistant, Leslie, called Anna and tried to close the deal again. You’ll remember Leslie from Charlotte Waters’ story. Leslie’s job is to flatter and sweet talk Terry’s victims before and after he does whatever he wants. She takes photos of what he does to them. Leslie called Anna and said, “Terry cannot stop talking about you. You’re his new muse. He’s obsessed.”
Photos courtesy of WENN
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