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Avowed Feminist Sky Ferreira Defends Terry Richardson

Sky Ferreira Defend Terry Richardson

Sky Ferreira has taken to Facebook to speak out as a friend and collaborater of Terry Richardson, a figure of serious infamy, especially in the wake of the recent New York magazine article “Is Terry Richardson an Artist or a Predator?” While that piece has been criticized as going too easy on the fashion photographer, others have emerged since that take the man to task for allegedly taking advantage of his status as an in-demand photographer to his own sexual benefit.

But, “As someone who has worked very closely with Terry Richardson on many many many occasions since I was 17 years old,” writes Ferreira, “I would like to say… from my OWN personal experience: I have never been forced or manipulated into anything.”

She also addresses another source of scandal currently coming down on the photographer’s crown: TMZ-leaked footage from Lady Gaga and R. Kelly’s Richardson-directed “Do What U Want” video, supposed abandoned because of its status as “literally an ad for rape.” Ferreira insists accusations need to be made with more care, saying she had the lion’s share of creative control whilst working with Richardson, and that’s likely true of Gaga too:

Allegations are one thing but completely blaming the director isn’t fair aka the Lady Gaga video. It doesn’t matter if you want to be a “role model” or not, it’s your responsibility to be AWARE of what you’re doing. When you’re making & selling pop music for 14 year olds that is just a straight up fact. I’m not against/doubting people that have said they’ve encountered things with him (it’s not my place to say so) but the media acting as if Terry Richardson manipulated Lady Gaga into making a video about getting touched by R-Kelly or whatever is a whole other thing. She is 28 year old woman & fully capable/aware of what she was doing. If she wants to do it is HER choice.

Ferreira urges smarter consumption of media, advocating an innocent-until-proven-guilty approach:   

There are lots of details that we DON’T know about it. There are many reasons & FACTS why I support Terry Richardson that media (basically) refuses to acknowledge. If it were up to the world I would be a racist/heroin addict manufactured robot. Which I’m far from either of those things. Before you judge people off of some article you read off a newspaper or some blog just remember: They are selling you something. The story is to benefit them somehow. It’s only half truth. If that.

The charged rant most ardently addressed how Richardson’s controversy is casting shade on her:

I’m REALLY insulted that my work is somehow getting dragged into this mess (this is the only place I can actually write about this)… To say I support sexual abuse beyond hurts me. I’ve experienced it from a very early age until I was 16 years old & have been VERY vocal about it. I am a feminist & work with foundations globally w/ children & women that are victims of sexual abuse. I fight for it every day. To discredit me because I’m friends of someone or my music videos/photos make you feel certain way is YOUR problem.

Basically if one more person has the nerve to ask/tell me that I’ve fucked Terry Richardson, I will slit their fucking throat. People fail to mention the 8,000 men he’s also shot. 

Read the post in its entirety here.