Two male models have accused fashion photographer Bruce Weber of groping their genitals
Attorney Lisa Bloom (C) speaks during a press conference with her clients, models Mark Ricketson (L) and Jason Boyce (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
A fashion photographer has been accused of groping two professional male models.
Male models Jason Boyce and Mark Ricketson have alleged that Bruce Weber also pressured them to touch their own genitals during a photo shoot.
Weber, who has shot for Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and Abercrombie & Fitch, is the latest in a list of prominent figures in the world of entertainment to be accused of sexual misconduct.
Bruce Weber (Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)
Dozens of alleged victims have made claims about actor Kevin Spacey, including one accusation that he raped a 14-year-old boy.
Harvey Weinstein has of course also faced a stream of allegations.
In his lawsuit, Boyce has claimed that Weber’s actions led him to go through depression and anxiety.
The two men have described “casting couch” photo shoots in which Weber, now 71, told them to remove their clothes and touch themselves.
In the lawsuit, Boyce said Weber caused him humiliation, emotional anguish and lost economic opportunities, including the end of his modelling career in New York.
Speaking publically for the first time about the subject, Boyce alleged that Weber “grabbed my arm and moved it back and forth, so I was forced to rub myself.
This was the first time Boyce had spoken publicly about the alleged incident (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
“The entire experience was terrifying and humiliating,” Boyce added emotionally during a press conference in Los Angeles with Ricketson and attorney Lisa Bloom.
“I have suffered from depression and anxiety as a result of my photo shoot with Bruce Weber, and want this behaviour to end now.”
The lawsuit alleges that Boyce was “subjected to a series of practices by Mr Weber that were unlike any he had experienced previously.”
Rickeston, who has modelled for Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, and Gianni Versace, described how a similar incident happened to him with Weber.
Ricketson said he was assaulted by Weber 13 years ago, when he was 18, but “knew that if he protested or refused we would be blacklisted.
(Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
“There is no safe place to go. If you wanted to work, you did what you were told,” he added.
However, he is unable to sue under Californian law, because it happened too long ago.
(Twitter/vmagazine)
Weber often works with male models, but is also known for pushing fashion photography to its homoerotic limits.
His campaign work with Abercrombie and Fitch that featured gay kissing is one such example.
