Terry Richardson Explores The Artistic Ladyflower [NSFW]
LatestThe embattled titty photographer’s spread (no pun intended) in the latest issue of art magazine The Journal is not safe for work. Though it does make one reconsider the word “ladyflower.”
In discussing and bringing to light some of the allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct made by models against Richardson, I held off from offering any critical assessment of his photography. So what if he often shoots explicit nudes? In principle, his work is of little relevance to the serious accusations made against him. But the association that already exists in the minds of some between smutty pictures and exploitation might encourage people to condemn Richardson for his predilection for taking pictures of teenaged girls’ vulvas, rather than for his apparent fondness for touching those girls — or making them touch him — without their permission. From an artistic perspective, there’s a difference, and it profits nobody to confuse aesthetic tastes with behavior.
That said, I have two very important questions about the following images: How old is this model? And did she freely consent to both posing like this and having the pictures published? I have no idea who she is; Richardson recruits most of his art models off the Internet.