Terry Richardson: Why is he still around?

So I would like to preface this post by saying if you don't know who Terry Richardson is or you don't know about the shitty things that he's been "accused" of doing, go read this article, which gives you an up to date timeline of what's been going on with this racy photographer for the last 10 years.

Terry Richardson has that stereotypical, pedophilic mustache that can automatically put people off. Not to mention he's a creepy, 48 year old man who photographs young, upcoming models for a living, usually in a racy manner. If that itself doesn't immediately make you feel like you need to take a long, cleansing shower, I don't know what will.

Starting in 2004, people who have worked with him, models and assistants, have been throwing out accusation after accusation, claiming some nasty things that Richardson persuaded them to do, such as "tampon tea". Repulsive. In the entertainment and fashion industry that is oh-so-hard to get into, being a young newcomer makes you eager to please and do whatever's required just to move up. An agent would book a new model to work with Richardson, and when he starts making skeevy demands, she can't exactly say no. She could get dropped by her agency that she worked so hard to get signed with. She could completely ruin her reputation in the modeling world. That's a lot to risk, especially if Richardson is just asking for a quick nip-slip.

I think the most important question that needs to be asked is why is he still such a hot name in the fashion industry and why is he still allowed to work with young (and some even underage) models? Technically, the models that were brave enough to accuse him don't have enough concrete proof to actually build a case against him.

This is just another case similar to the Woody Allen issue. Woody Allen was accused of molesting his adopted daughter (and the daughter of the famous actress, Mia Farrow), Dylan. She suffered unspeakable trauma mentally and was in therapy for a long time following the abuse. Allen lost four court battles about the abuse but was never formally charged because they didn't want to put already traumatized Dylan through anymore than she had already been through. Therefore, he's still one of the most celebrated people in the entertainment industry and continues to work with respected actors. How is that fair? All the evidence points towards his molestation of his adopted daughter, yet he's still a celebrated artist? It is beyond not okay.

There are so many people in the entertainment industry who can practically get away with murder just because they are respected in their field. Anyways- back to Richardson.

In his blog called "Terry's Diary", you can very clearly see that all of the images of the models he's photographed have a pornographic undertone. There are close ups of butts in cheeky shorts and even girls with their tops and bras off. Yet it's considered "art", not pornography.

The bottom line is Richardson needs to be blacklisted as a photographer and given the sexual assault charge he deserves. The fact that all of these people have come forward so bravely, yet have received no restitution says something terrible about the society that we have created and are functioning in today. We live in a society that not only turns a blind eye to sexual assault because of a person's credentials, but we also praise and commemorate them, despite their wrongdoings.