Objectified Men the Same Scary Way They Do Women?



http://www.takepart.com/feature/2014/07/09/what-if-fashion-objectified-males-same-scary-way-it-does-females

t’s been a rough few weeks for pervy middle-aged guys in the fashion industry.

First, photographer Terry Richardson was the subject of a much discussed New York magazine feature that questioned whether the lensman is an artist or a predator. The piece explored more than a decade of allegations of abusive behavior toward fledgling models, who told of Richardson asking them to perform graphic sex acts to further their careers.

Even high-profile models have long expressed disgust at Richardson’s methods. In 2010, supermodel Rie Rasmussen told Page Six, “He takes girls who are young, manipulates them to take their clothes off and takes pictures of them they will be ashamed of. They are too afraid to say no because their agency booked them on the job and are too young to stand up for themselves.” Richardson pinned his unconventional methods on an unhappy childhood, telling New York, “I don’t have any regrets about the work at all.… I’m okay with myself about everything, and that to me is the most important thing.”
<snip>

Why the ouster now? The depressing but predictable answer is money. The board didn’t seem to mind his sketchy behavior when the company stock was $15 a share in 2007. American Apparel leaders only took action after stocks plummeted to 47 cents in April and the deductible on the company’s employment liability insurance surged to $1 million from $350,000,
<snip>
Whether or not the recent controversy will lead to the downfall of either, it's time someone called out the rampant sexism they've fostered. What better way to start than by replacing the women in controversial ads with dudes like Charney and Richardson? They're just as disturbing as you'd expect, but only half as distressing as the originals