VIDEO: Mary Dickerson is Neither Artist Nor Predator

Earlier this week, New York Magazine published a cover story called “Is Terry Richardson an Artist or a Predator?” which is a maddening question to ask for many reasons, including that we already know the answer (definitely undoubtedly a predator, possibly also an artist depending on your definition of “art.”). The article itself is equally maddening. The gist of the situation is this: Terry Richardson is a noted photographer whose work you’d probably recognize who also exploits and sexually violates his models and he is surrounded by people who seem to be okay with it for some reason. So NYMag ran this article about Richardson that purports even-handedness but is full of intentional omissions and is ultimately a defense of him and his art, even though, and I cannot stress this enough, he admits to performing sexual acts on/with women in situations where consent was either not given and/or not an option. Since the article’s publication, two of Richardson’s models have written pieces about what a fucking unforgivable piece of human garbage he is, including model Sena Cech, who was 19 when she shot with Richardson:

I remember going home after the casting and crying hysterically, unable to tell my boyfriend why I was upset and unwilling to share with him that I had been coerced into this bizarre sex act at work. I believe that Richardson is using his connections and financial power in the industry to sexually harass and abuse vulnerable young women.

So FUCK Terry Richardson and his shitty, gross, misogynic photography forever, is what I’m saying. It’s disgusting that this guy still has a job.

Anyhow, in response to all of this vile bullshit, our actually talented photographer/A-Camp director Robin Roemer and Autostraddle contributor/A-Camp special programming director Carly Usdin have birthed this parody video into the world to offer an alternative photographer to the fashion industry.

Bearing all that in mind, I give you: “Neither Artist Nor Predator: The Mary Dickerson Story.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaDDIRGT1iM

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Intern Grace

Grace Ellis has been writing and making hack-job graphics for Autostraddle since 2011 and is a co-creator and co-writer of the comic book series Lumberjanes. She is mostly an intern in name only. (Mostly.) She lives in Columbus, Ohio because why anything. Also, she wants to write the Black Widow movie and feels like if she just keeps telling people, eventually she will be allowed to do it. She has a Twitter and a Tumblr, both of which are pretty above average.

Grace has written 89 articles for us.

19 Comments

  1. ugh Mary Dickerson so hot right now. i loved her bare lightbulb/electrical tape series. it made me feel really safe.

  2. I knew the name sounded familiar but I had to look up his name, and all I saw was celeb photos he took. Mostly of Miley and they look pretty pervy. Even the Anthony Kiedis ones looked a bit like this about to turn into snuff film where Antony is forced to something he doesn’t want to.

  3. I am seriously disturbed by how attractive I find Robin in this. Maybe it’s the plaid? Dear god, I only hope it’s because of the plaid…

      • Oh, yes, I know, Robin is a very attractive women (I’ve been to camp 3 times). I just meant that in her portrayal of someone who’s super repulsive, she still ends up being attractive even when her imitation is scarily close.

  4. keeping it together
    keeping it together…

    (mary trips over the mannequin)

    actually lost it

  5. “just stand really still, ’cause this … is really shitty lighting”

    i loved this so much.

  6. ‘I can still give the fashion industry what it wants… and what it wants is images of seemingly underage girls who look like they’ve been kidnapped and placed in a basement.’Both hilarious and disturbingly true.

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