Sex Abuse in the Fashion Industry
- Millie Fisher
- Jan 19, 2018
- 2 min read
I was recently very shocked to discover that Mario Testino and Bruce Weber had been suspended from working for Vogue after sexual misconduct. Having studied a lot of Mario Testino's work, this came as a surprise and i was very taken a-back by the situation. It seems to some that it didn't come as a shock- Ryan Locke, a model who worked with Testino on Gucci campaigns, accused him of being aggressive and flirtatious throughout shoots, adding: “He was a sexual predator.” (The Guardian).
It seems as though Sexual abuse in the fashion industry is very large, especially after 80 women came forward about sexual exploitation from Harvey Weinstein. When reading an article by BoF on the recent investigation into Mario Testino and Bruce Weber, i learnt their views into the recent news: "In fashion, like other sectors, the issue is linked to a rigid power structure, but also the prevalence of unstructured work environments, a widespread acceptance of eccentric, sometimes outrageous behaviour in the name of creativity and the underlying fact that sex — not clothing — is what the industry ultimately manufactures, packages and sells."
The Fashion industry and in particular Anna Wintour, responded to this with deep remorse. Wintour said "I believe strongly in the value of remorse and forgiveness, but I take the allegations very seriously, and we at Condé Nast have decided to put our working relationship with both photographers on hold for the foreseeable future,”
Despite this, it seems that it was swept under the carpet by the fashion industry who had people speak up about sexual abuse in the past. The fashion industry admits that they are all guilty on sex abuse and for normalising individuals such as Mario Testino and Bruce Weber by hiring them.
In my opinion i think that its difficult to know when people can be telling the truth about sexual harassment from big names- however i certainly think every allegation should be taken seriously, especially in the circumstances of photographing nude models. I do think that the fashion industry could have dealt with this situation much sooner and it is disappointing that it hasn't been put in the media and investigated sooner.