Male Models Accuse Photographers Mario Testino And Bruce Weber Of Sexual Misconduct
The New York Times is reporting numerous allegations of sexual misconduct against famed fashion photographers Mario Testino and Bruce Weber.
A total of 15 former and active male models who worked with Weber, 71, have come forward to tell the Times personal stories about "unnecessary nudity and coercive sexual behavior" during photo shoots.
In detailed accounts reaching back to the mid-1990s, 13 male models and assistants who worked with Testino, 63, tell the Times he "subjected them to sexual advances that in some cases included groping and masturbation."
"Those who said they were on the receiving end of unwanted attention felt the choice was clear: acquiesce and be rewarded with lucrative ad campaign work, or reject the approach and risk hobbling, or destroying, a career," the Times writes.
Representatives for both photographers say their clients are "shocked" and deny the allegations.
Weber, who is married to collaborator Nan Bush, is best known for his iconic black and white photographs celebrating the male form, including ad campaigns for brands such as Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, and Abercrombie & Fitch.
Testino, a favorite of celebrities like Madonna and the English royal family, has worked with high-end brands such as Michael Kors, Burberry, and Dolce & Gabbana. He also shoots both men and women wearing only towels for a popular Instagram photo series.
The men who posed for Weber recalled "with remarkable consistency" doing breathing exercises, during which they were asked to undress and touch both themselves and the photographer. “I remember him putting his fingers in my mouth, and him grabbing my privates,” recalls Robyn Sinclair. “We never had sex or anything, but a lot of things happened. A lot of touching. A lot of molestation.”
Jason Fedele and Ryan Locke specifically recall Testino's "aggressive and flirtatious" behavior when they posed for his nude Gucci campaigns in the '90s. “He was a sexual predator,” Locke says.
Testino was also reportedly known for hiring young heterosexual men as his assistants and then "subjecting them to increasingly aggressive advances." Former assistant Hugo Tillman alleges that Testino once threw and pinned him down on a bed.
Additional former assistants, including Roman Barrett, also claim that Testino inappropriately groped or masturbated in front of them. “Sexual harassment was a constant reality,” Barrett says.
“I saw him with his hands down people’s pants at least 10 times,” says Thomas Hargreave, one of Testino's former shoot producers. “I’m telling the truth because this needs to stop now."
Model Jason Boyce filed suit against Weber last month, alleging that the photographer sexually harassed him during a 2014 photo shoot.
Because Testino and Weber are both longtime contributors to Vogue and Condé Nast, Vogue editor and Condé Nast artistic director Anna Wintour has released a statement.
"Even as we stand with victims of abuse and misconduct, we must also hold a mirror up to ourselves—and ask if we are doing our utmost to protect those we work with so that unacceptable conduct never happens on our watch," Wintour writes.
"I believe strongly in the value of remorse and forgiveness, but I take the allegations very seriously, and we at Condé Nast have decided to put our working relationship with both photographers on hold for the foreseeable future."