Last week model Rie Rasmussen came out with a statement against fashion photographer Terry Richardson, saying that she finds the his work offensive.

"He takes girls who are young, manipulates them to take their clothes off and takes pictures of them they will be ashamed of," she told gossip magazine Page Six. "His 'look' is girls who appear underage, abused, look like heroin addicts ... I don't understand how anyone works with him."

Until then the general public hadn't heard a peep about the extremely successful photog's alleged exploits. Richardson's works is seen often in the US and Paris editions of Vogue, as well as in very high-profile campaigns for brands such as H&M.

Soon after Rasmussen's public chastisement of the photographer another (non)model come out of the woodworks with a creepy story about naked photos and sexual favors with Richardson. Then the virtual floodgates were opened when online mag Jezebel published a plethora of accounts detailing the photographer's lewd behavior on photoshoots, including one from the friend of a stylist that once worked with him: "She quit because of having to watch him sexually harassing/abusing two (naked) teenage Eastern European models who didn't speak English."

The story first broke when Page Six reported on Rasmussen confronting Richardson at a party. She said, "I told him what you do is completely degrading to women. I hope you know you only [bleep] girls because you have a camera, lots of fashion contacts and get your pictures in Vogue."

"Instead of arguing with me, Terry ran out of the bar. Then the next day, he called my agency and complained I called him names in front of clients in Paris. It was the most cowardly thing I have ever seen."

According to some reports, many in the industry know about and tolerate Richardson because he's so well connection. If this is true it is an utter travesty and Rasmussen will be my forever hero for being the first to stand up the %^&$@ in public.

By Mary Egbula, www.eightyjane.com

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