A sombre shadow has been cast over Milan
A shadow has been cast over Milan men’s fashion week in the wake of sexual abuse allegations made against photographers Mario Testino and Bruce Weber. After tales emerged in the New York Times alleging systemic sexual misconduct with male models and assistants on shoots, talk on the front rows has shifted from fashion to very disturbing matters.
“There’s a huge movement to protect girls in our industry,” said one insider, “but the young men who make it as models have been completely forgotten about.”
So far 13 people claim Testino has acted inappropriately, while 15 models made similar claims about Weber. Anna Wintour, editor in chief at Vogue and a personal friend of both, issued a statement saying that Condé Nast, Vogue’s publisher, is suspending work with them. Weber denies the claims, while lawyers for Testino said his accusers “cannot be considered reliable sources”.
The allegations couldn’t have come at a worse time. This is peak season for male models and all eyes are on the industry that employs them. It makes for a sombre atmosphere at the shows.
“I don’t know about Weber or Testino,” said one editor, “but I have heard stories about male models being touched on photo shoots.”
Like the film industry, rumours have circulated for years about top figures allegedly abusing their power over models and assistants. Cameron Russell, 30, the model, began posting her stories on Instagram last year and now male models have begun to share their experiences too.
One said a photographer demanded “sexually charged” shots and rubbed oil on him on the pretence of “exciting” him to make provocative imagery and then masturbating. A former assistant said the same photographer had pestered him.
“Male models go topless as part of the job,” said the editor in question, who asked not to be named. “They are used to their bodies being manipulated and the line becomes blurred. You remove your top and then it’s your trousers, then the waistband is pulled lower. It’s been acceptable for fewer boundaries to exist in male modelling.”
The scale of the abuse is only starting to emerge; one witness described how one fashion house’s designer routinely groped models so they appear sexually excited when appearing in swimwear on the catwalk.
Adrian Clark, style director of Shortlist magazine said: “It’s the responsibility of modelling agencies to look after their male models. All too often they don’t because to confront a big photographer is to jeopardise them using their models and lose revenue.
“This abuse of power isn’t just executed by men, but women too.”
John Pearson, 51, the man dubbed the world’s first male supermodel, said: “While I’ve never suffered abuse of any kind, I have heard many accounts over the years from other male models. I’m glad this has finally surfaced and hopefully will bring about change.”