Arts & Entertainment
Vogue drops Mario Testino, Bruce Weber amid sexual misconduct allegations
both men face multiple harassment accusations
(Mario Testino and Bruce Weber. Photos by Walterlan Papetti and Christoper Macsurak via Wikimedia Commons.)
Photographers Mario Testino and Bruce Weber have been dropped from Vogue and Condé Nast over sexual misconduct allegations from numerous male models in a report from the New York Times.
15 former and current male models accused Weber, known for his sexually charged ad campaigns for Abercrombie & Fitch, Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren, of being inappropriate with them during photo shoots.
“I remember him putting his fingers in my mouth, and him grabbing my privates,” model Robyn Sinclair told the New York Times. “We never had sex or anything, but a lot of things happened. A lot of touching. A lot of molestation.”
The models allege that Weber would require them to participate in nude “breathing exercises” which would involve Weber touching the models or them touching him. Model Joseph Ardolf says in 2011 when he was 20 years old Weber “forced his hand right on my genitals” during a breathing exercise. Ardolf feared he would lose future modeling opportunities if he spoke up.
“Like my agency said, he has a lot of power. He’s done a lot of large campaigns. That was in the back of my mind. ‘I can’t screw this up. I already made it this far,” Ardolf told the New York Times.
Testino also faces multiple sexual misconduct allegations from 13 male models and former assistants. The photographer is known for his work in Vogue and Vanity Fair including Vogue’s most recent cover shoot featuring Serena Williams. Testino also had a close working relationship with the British royal family. He photographed Princess Diana for Vanity Fair in 1997. Testino also photographed Prince William and Kate Middleton’s engagement photos and Princess Charlotte’s 2015 christening.
Model Ryan Locke calls Testino a “sexual predator” who made an unwelcome advance on him while they were shooting an ad for Gucci. Locke says while he was being photographed on a bed Testino asked everyone to leave the room so the two of them were alone.
“Then he crawls on the bed, climbs on top of me and says, ‘I’m the girl, you’re the boy,'” Locke says. “I went at him, like, you better get away. I threw the towel on him, put my clothes on and walked out.”
Testino’s former assistant Roman Barrett alleges that in the late ’90s Testino rubbed against his leg while having an erection. He then proceeded to masturbate in front of Barrett.
Both Weber and Testino have denied these allegations.
“I have used common breathing exercises and professionally photographed thousands of nude models over my career, but never touched anyone inappropriately. Given my life’s work, these twisted and untrue allegations are truly disheartening. I’ve been taking pictures for over 40 years and have the utmost respect for everyone I’ve ever photographed. I would never, ever, try to hurt anyone or prevent someone from succeeding — it’s just not in my character,” Weber said in the statement to the New York Times.
Meanwhile, Testino’s lawyers have questioned the credibility of the accusers stating that they “cannot be considered reliable sources.”
Vogue and Condé Nast have severed ties with the photographers. Creative Director of Condè Nast Anna Wintour released a statement saying that the publishing house’s work relationship with the two men has been put “on hold for the foreseeable future.”
“Today, allegations have been made against Bruce Weber and Mario Testino, stories that have been hard to hear and heartbreaking to confront. Both are personal friends of mine who have made extraordinary contributions to and many other titles at Condé Nast over the years, and both have issued objections or denials to what has emerged,” the statement reads. “I believe strongly in the value of remorse and forgiveness, but I take the allegations very seriously, and we at Condé Nast have decided to put our working relationship with both photographers on hold for the foreseeable future.”
Fashion brands Burberry, Michael Kors and Stuart Weitzman have also confirmed to WWD that they will no longer be working with Weber or Testino.
Team DC, the umbrella organization for LGBTQ-friendly sports teams and leagues in the D.C. area, held its annual Night of Champions Awards Gala on Saturday, April 20 at the Hilton National Mall. The organization gave out scholarships to area LGBTQ student athletes as well as awards to the Different Drummers, Kelly Laczko of Duplex Diner, Stacy Smith of the Edmund Burke School, Bryan Frank of Triout, JC Adams of DCG Basketball and the DC Gay Flag Football League.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The 2024 National Cannabis Festival was held at the Fields at RFK Stadium on April 19-20.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Covering the @NatlCannaFest at RFK Stadium for @WashBlade . Stop by the LGBTQ+ booth and pick up a paper if you are here. pic.twitter.com/is7hnsaPns
— Michael Patrick Key (@MichaelKeyWB) April 20, 2024
Theater
‘Amm(i)gone’ explores family, queerness, and faith
A ‘fully autobiographical’ work from out artist Adil Mansoor
‘Amm(i)gone’
Thorough May 12
Woolly Mammoth Theatre
641 D St., N.W.
$60-$70
Woollymammoth.net
“Fully and utterly autobiographical.” That’s how Adil Mansoor describes “Amm(i)gone,” his one-man work currently playing at Woolly Mammoth Theatre.
Both created and performed by out artist Mansoor, it’s his story about inviting his Pakistani mother to translate Sophocles’s Greek tragedy “Antigone” into Urdu. Throughout the journey, there’s an exploration of family, queerness, and faith,as well as references to teachings from the Quran, and audio conversations with his Muslim mother.
Mansoor, 38, grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and is now based in Pittsburgh where he’s a busy theater maker. He’s also the founding member of Pittsburgh’s Hatch Arts Collective and the former artistic director of Dreams of Hope, an LGBTQ youth arts organization.
WASHINGTON BLADE: What spurred you to create “Amm(i)gone”?
ADIL MANSOOR: I was reading a translation of “Antigone” a few years back and found myself emotionally overwhelmed. A Theban princess buries her brother knowing it will cost her, her own life. It’s about a person for whom all aspirations are in the afterlife. And what does that do to the living when all of your hopes and dreams have to be reserved for the afterlife?
I found grant funding to pay my mom to do the translation. I wanted to engage in learning. I wanted to share theater but especially this ancient tragedy. My mother appreciated the characters were struggling between loving one another and their beliefs.
BLADE: Are you more director than actor?
MANSOOR: I’m primarily a director with an MFA in directing from Carnegie Mellon. I wrote, directed, and performed in this show, and had been working on it for four years. I’ve done different versions including Zoom. Woolly’s is a new production with the same team who’ve been involved since the beginning.
I love solo performance. I’ve produced and now teach solo performance and believe in its power. And I definitely lean toward “performance” and I haven’t “acted” since I was in college. I feel good on stage. I was a tour guide and do a lot of public speaking. I enjoy the attention.
BLADE: Describe your mom.
MANSOOR: My mom is a wonderfully devout Muslim, single mother, social worker who discovered my queerness on Google. And she prays for me.
She and I are similar, the way we look at things, the way we laugh. But different too. And those are among the questions I ask in this show. Our relationship is both beautiful and complicated.
BLADE: So, you weren’t exactly hiding your sexuality?
MANSOOR: In my mid-20s, I took time to talk with friends about our being queer with relation to our careers. My sexuality is essential to the work. As the artistic director at Dreams of Hope, part of the work was to model what it means to be public. If I’m in a room with queer and trans teenagers, part of what I’m doing is modeling queer adulthood. The way they see me in the world is part of what I’m putting out there. And I want that to be expansive and full.
So much of my work involves fundraising and being a face in schools. Being out is about making safe space for queer young folks.
BLADE: Have you encountered much Islamophobia?
MANSOOR: When 9/11 happened, I was a sophomore in high school, so yes. I faced a lot then and now. I’ve been egged on the street in the last four months. I see it in the classroom. It shows up in all sorts of ways.
BLADE: What prompted you to lead your creative life in Pittsburgh?
MANSOOR: I’ve been here for 14 years. I breathe with ease in Pittsburgh. The hills and the valleys and the rust of the city do something to me. It’s beautiful, it’ affordable, and there is support for local artists. There’s a lot of opportunity.
Still, the plan was to move to New York in September of 2020 but that was cancelled. Then the pandemic showed me that I could live in Pittsburgh and still have a nationally viable career.
BLADE: What are you trying to achieve with “Amm(i)gone”?
MANSOOR: What I’m sharing in the show is so very specific but I hear people from other backgrounds say I totally see my mom in that. My partner is Catholic and we share so much in relation to this.
I hope the work is embracing the fullness of queerness and how means so many things. And I hope the show makes audiences want to call their parents or squeeze their partners.
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‘Amm(i)gone’ explores family, queerness, and faith
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