The artist and fashion photographer Collier Schorr is the latest high-profile figure to use her platform to raise awareness of sexual abuse in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal. On Sunday, she posted a screenshot from the 1966 cult film Blow-Up, over which she scrawled and underlined the word “NO” in yellow, on her studio’s (private) Instagram account.
The scene from Blow-Up, which won the 1967 Palme d’Or at Cannes, depicts an eager fashion photographer, shirt open and shoes off, straddling the model Veruschka von Lehndorff’s stomach, all taking place under the cloak of professionalism. In her caption to the post, Collier writes “This fantasy is OVER.”
A scene from the 1996 film Blow-Up, overlain with the word “NO,” in yellow and underlined by the artist. Image courtesy of Collier Schorr.
Schorr continued to call on casting agents to safeguard their vulnerable clients from dangerous situations, rather than enabling known abusers.
I can’t control what happens on other shoots but agents and magazines and designers can. We have an amazing creative industry and it insane that women and children are being mauled humiliated and raped. Casting agents please don’t send young inexperienced girls to meet the male photographers you know are dangerous. And BOYS are being preyed upon as well, and it may be harder for them to speak out. And to the men everyone is talking about- FUCK YOU. Thanks @cameronrussell for making this not go away.
Schorr references fashion model and activist Cameron Russell, who she first met on a shoot for the fall 2013 issue of The Gentlewoman Magazine. Russell has been using her platform of 90,500 Instagram followers to kickstart the hashtag #MyJobShouldNotIncludeAbuse. She has asked models to share their experiences of sexual harassment in the industry, many of which she is reposting on her page.
When artnet News asked Schorr whether this behavior extends to the world of fine art, she replied with a rhetorical question: “The guy who approaches a girl and says come to my art studio?”
Since the claims of Weinstein’s sexual harassment surfaced, a number of women have spoken out about their experiences with the former Academy member, while actress Alyssa Milano’s viral #MeToo tweet unleashed a flood of stories that revealed the ubiquity of harassment across industries.
Icelandic musician Björk is the most recent celebrity to join the chorus, posting earlier this week on her Facebook page an account of the harassment she suffered at the hands of a Danish director, comparing her experience to “the Weinstein methods and bullying.” Björk left room for a little optimism, however: “In my opinion [the director] had a more fair and meaningful relationship with his actresses after my confrontation so there is hope.”