According to Racked, two male models have accused famous photographer, Bruce Weber, of sexual misconduct. And the allegations, the story says, are indicative of a pervasive problem within the fashion industry.
Occurring about 10 years apart from each other, both men allege that Weber, 71, made unwanted advances during closed-door meetings, Trojan-Horsing in some truly disgusting behavior under the guise of a “breathing exercise” each time.
Current model, Mark Ricketson, was just 18 when the first alleged incident happened, the story said, but his attorney, Lisa Bloom — who advised Harvey Weinstein for a hot second in October before dropping him as a client — has said that “too many years have passed for Ricketson to sue Weber.”
The second allegation, however, made by former model, Jason Boyce, will be litigated, at least in civil court, according to Racked. Boyce filed a lawsuit against Weber over a 2014 meeting in which he alleges that “Weber put his fingers in [Boyce’s] mouth, forcefully kissed him, pulled his underwear down, and made him touch both his own and Weber’s genitals,” and when taken together, the story says, “[both] stories paint an unnerving pattern of alleged predation from Weber.”
And Weber is no small fish. As the story notes, “[he] has shot everyone from Madonna to Meryl Streep, not to mention supermodels like Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss,” — you might remember his hyper-sexualized Abercrombie campaigns from the late ‘90s, as well.
But Weber isn’t the only one targeted in Boyce’s lawsuit. “He’s also suing his former agent and management agency in a move designed to show that sexual abuse doesn’t occur in a vacuum,” the story said. “The industry creates conditions where it can thrive, Bloom asserts.”
And since they announced their lawsuit, Bloom said “many models have contacted her firm to share their experiences with sexual harassment and assault” and that she “would like to see a clearinghouse established where models can report sexual misconduct and suggest reforms without fear of retaliation.”
You can read more about it at Racked.
