The problems of beautiful people

[Guest]

I guess this was in the Daily News quite some time ago:

https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/model-photog-bruce-weber-preyed-2005-shoot-article-1.3678859

"Mark Ricketson, 31, stepped forward Tuesday to say Weber preyed on him during a photo shoot at his Manhattan studio in 2005. "He told me I 'looked tense' and proceeded to press his thumb on my forehead," Ricketson said, explaining they were alone at the time of the alleged misconduct. "He then took my hand and told me to 'find the energy' by guiding my hand and rubbing it on one of three places — my forehead, chest or my stomach," he said.... Ricketson said he believed that if he protested, he would have been "blacklisted" in an industry that gives extraordinary power to star photographers and the modeling agency gatekeepers who book all their jobs.

"If you wanted to work, you did what you were told," Ricketson said Tuesday.

"Trying to cope with the trauma of what I'd experienced while staying silent all these years led to a battle with depression, addictive tendencies and struggling to form loving and lasting relationships," he said."

Ricketson is to the right of his attorney. Another model, Jason Boyce, is on the left side of the attorney. According to Wikipedia:

"In January 2019, it was reported that Weber is asking to dismiss the original suit by Jason Boyce, providing evidence that the model sent him racy photos and texts prior to and after the shootings. The judge refused dismissal and as of 30 September 2020 the case continues." The lawsuit was filed in late 2017, making one wonder why it's still going on. If I had a say in it, they should hold the judge's salary until the case is either settled or brought to trial.

I don't mean to condone inappropriate behavior by photographers, but if a photographer putting his thumb on your forehead and holding your hand on your stomach is the cause of years of depression, drug addiction, and inability to have a relationship, your ego was super-fragile to begin with. I've heard of more outrageous photographer or designer behavior like pressuring the model to have sex, but it doesn't sound like this is what happened. I wish that the biggest stressor of my life was someone putting his thumb on my forehead and holding my hand. I can't imagine I'd ever blame that for my entire life going totally out of control. Maybe time to consider how your life has some meaning other than the beauty of your body?

[CheckCar]

The article goes on to say the following:

 

"Each time the 'energy' in my stomach would get lower and lower until I had to navigate the remaining space left before having to touch myself. I felt ashamed and embarrassed," he said.

 

Sounds like things went a little further than a thumb on a forehead and stomach.

[samhexum]

The problems of beautiful people

 

 

Well, I'm disappointed. I thought this was going to be a thread about the problems in my life. ?

Edited January 20, 2021 by samhexum

[+ poolboy48220]

I don't mean to condone inappropriate behavior by photographers, but if a photographer putting his thumb on your forehead and holding your hand on your stomach is the cause of years of depression, drug addiction, and inability to have a relationship, your ego was super-fragile to begin with.

I've been binging Downton Abbey during the pandemic. A couple funny lines from the storyline when Thomas, the gay footman, tried to kiss Jimmy, another Footman, while Jimmy was sleeping:

Lord Grantham: "If I'd screamed every time a boy had tried to kiss me at Eton, I'd have gone hoarse".

Bates, to Jimmy: "He made a mistake, you're still in one piece. Why do you have to be such a big girl's blouse about it?"

[jjkrkwood]

I think an UGLY guy with a Big cock would have the SAME problem ?

[+ sniper]

Let's be real, Bruce Weber is super sketchy. The whole taking a 16/17 year old boy to live with him and take naked pictures is highly suspect at best.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

Anyone know if there's a statute of limitations on this one? 2005 is quite long ago.

 

I'm assuming at Weber being 74 years old, these guys are just going for a quick settlement and not anything criminal.

[+ WilliamM]

Let's be real, Bruce Weber is super sketchy. The whole taking a 16/17 year old boy to live with him and take naked pictures is highly suspect at best.

 

And over a dozen other male models complained about Bruce Weber's inappropriate behavior.

[+ sync]

Anyone know if there's a statute of limitations on this one? 2005 is quite long ago.

 

I'm assuming at Weber being 74 years old, these guys are just going for a quick settlement and not anything criminal.

According to a quote from attorney Lisa Bloom in the linked article, the claim is too old for prosecution.

 

"Ricketson spoke alongside lawyer Lisa Bloom and fellow model Jason Boyce, who sued Weber in Manhattan on Friday."

"Bloom said Ricketson's claim was too old for prosecution or a lawsuit. She said Weber held Ricketson's hand as the model followed his lead and rubbed his own genitals."

[+ sniper]

Doesn't Weber still deny he's gay? Honestly these interactions sound like he's a headcase chock full of internalized homohobia and self-loathing, doing basically everything BUT actual sex with the other person to maintain some ludicrous plausible deniability.

[Guest]

The article goes on to say the following:

 

"Each time the 'energy' in my stomach would get lower and lower until I had to navigate the remaining space left before having to touch myself. I felt ashamed and embarrassed," he said.

 

Sounds like things went a little further than a thumb on a forehead and stomach.

So the model "had to" touch himself? First of all, I don't hear that the photographer actually mandated that he do so. Secondly, it's not as if the photographer himself was even holding the man's junk. Thirdly, what's this "have to"? If he felt uncomfortable, he didn't have to "touch himself." Fourthly, is that really something which would cause a normal person to have years of depression, substance abuse, and inability to have a relationship? Really?

 

It's interesting how I came up with looking this guy up. In my recent move, I've been going through a lot of my old J/O material. One was the "Cosmo Men 2005" magazine, which had a large spread of mostly shirtless hunks from every state (most eligible bachelor from each state) with a short bio. I was curious to find out what became of some of these men. I skipped men with common names like "Danny Gibson," but I thought Ricketson was an unusual enough name that I might be able to find out what happened to him and what he looked like now. Plus he was only 19 in 2005, so I thought it would be interesting to find out if he was still a handsome hunk now (he still is, and I put some photos of him in the gallery).

He currently has over 400 posts on Instagram, mostly photos of himself, a couple with his husband (including wedding photo). Although he's now out as a gay man, his Cosmo entry included: Chick trait he craves: "Agressive women are hot." It listed his job status as "Law-enforcement student," although it doesn't look that this ended up being his career path. So at least since he was 19, he's been selling himself on his looks his entire adult life. Yet when a photographer "makes him" touch himself and touches his hand and forehead, this suddenly ruins his entire life? Sorry, I don't buy it.

[TruthBTold]

I guess this was in the Daily News quite some time ago:

https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/model-photog-bruce-weber-preyed-2005-shoot-article-1.3678859

"Mark Ricketson, 31, stepped forward Tuesday to say Weber preyed on him during a photo shoot at his Manhattan studio in 2005. "He told me I 'looked tense' and proceeded to press his thumb on my forehead," Ricketson said, explaining they were alone at the time of the alleged misconduct. "He then took my hand and told me to 'find the energy' by guiding my hand and rubbing it on one of three places — my forehead, chest or my stomach," he said.... Ricketson said he believed that if he protested, he would have been "blacklisted" in an industry that gives extraordinary power to star photographers and the modeling agency gatekeepers who book all their jobs.

"If you wanted to work, you did what you were told," Ricketson said Tuesday.

"Trying to cope with the trauma of what I'd experienced while staying silent all these years led to a battle with depression, addictive tendencies and struggling to form loving and lasting relationships," he said."

Ricketson is to the right of his attorney. Another model, Jason Boyce, is on the left side of the attorney. According to Wikipedia:

"In January 2019, it was reported that Weber is asking to dismiss the original suit by Jason Boyce, providing evidence that the model sent him racy photos and texts prior to and after the shootings. The judge refused dismissal and as of 30 September 2020 the case continues." The lawsuit was filed in late 2017, making one wonder why it's still going on. If I had a say in it, they should hold the judge's salary until the case is either settled or brought to trial.

I don't mean to condone inappropriate behavior by photographers, but if a photographer putting his thumb on your forehead and holding your hand on your stomach is the cause of years of depression, drug addiction, and inability to have a relationship, your ego was super-fragile to begin with. I've heard of more outrageous photographer or designer behavior like pressuring the model to have sex, but it doesn't sound like this is what happened. I wish that the biggest stressor of my life was someone putting his thumb on my forehead and holding my hand. I can't imagine I'd ever blame that for my entire life going totally out of control. Maybe time to consider how your life has some meaning other than the beauty of your body?

 

I don't know what the state law says about the claim limitations so I can't comment regarding that. However any touching without consent is generally against the law. Barring that it is ethically wrong. If Weber asked him to do it and then failed to hire him because he refused to do it then I think it is probably not unlawful. You have no right to employment where the employer asks you to place one part of your body over another in a non-sexual way. For example, let's say the guy agreed to model nude and then Weber asked him to place his hand over his penis. The model would have to do that. However if the employer order him to stroke his penis then fired him when the model refused to do so I think the model would probably have to because it is a sexual act even though it was not the employer who actually did it.

[Guest]

I don't know what the state law says about the claim limitations so I can't comment regarding that. However any touching without consent is generally against the law. Barring that it is ethically wrong. If Weber asked him to do it and then failed to hire him because he refused to do it then I think it is probably not unlawful. You have no right to employment where the employer asks you to place one part of your body over another in a non-sexual way. For example, let's say the guy agreed to model nude and then Weber asked him to place his hand over his penis. The model would have to do that. However if the employer order him to stroke his penis then fired him when the model refused to do so I think the model would probably have to because it is a sexual act even though it was not the employer who actually did it.

Interesting perspective. It sounds as if (1) Weber never touched the model's genitals, and (2) never even gave specific instructions to the model that the model needed to touch his genitals. I'm not sure if putting the thumb on the forehead would be battery in that context, especially not if he said, prior to doing it, "Let me put my thumb on your forehead, to see if we can relax you." Regardless of the legalities, the implication that this episode destroyed his life for over a decade seems quite overboard.

I went some pretty harrowing times during my training, including once when I was asked to pull on a patient's head for 4 hours while lying under the operating table, and many times when I went for over 36 hours without sleep. I can't say I appreciated the experiences, nor were they helpful for my career, but they didn't destroy my life and lead me to substance abuse. I would happily trade my abusive experiences in training for a photographer putting one thumb on my forehead, and his hand over mine while I touched myself.

Most people I know have gone through some rough times at work and I've heard of pretty unpleasant experiences. Some have even involved humiliation in front of others. Ricketson's experience was hardly that harrowing, and was done in private. I think sometimes beautiful people think they're entitled to a completely stress-free life in which everything always falls into perfect place because they're so handsome. Maybe this dude needs to get a grip--no, not that kind of a grip!

[+ WilliamM]

Interesting perspective. It sounds as if (1) Weber never touched the model's genitals, and (2) never even gave specific instructions to the model that the model needed to touch his genitals. I'm not sure if putting the thumb on the forehead would be battery in that context, especially not if he said, prior to doing it, "Let me put my thumb on your forehead, to see if we can relax you." Regardless of the legalities, the implication that this episode destroyed his life for over a decade seems quite overboard.

I went some pretty harrowing times during my training, including once when I was asked to pull on a patient's head for 4 hours while lying under the operating table, and many times when I went for over 36 hours without sleep. I can't say I appreciated the experiences, nor were they helpful for my career, but they didn't destroy my life and lead me to substance abuse. I would happily trade my abusive experiences in training for a photographer putting one thumb on my forehead, and his hand over mine while I touched myself.

Most people I know have gone through some rough times at work and I've heard of pretty unpleasant experiences. Some have even involved humiliation in front of others. Ricketson's experience was hardly that harrowing, and was done in private. I think sometimes beautiful people think they're entitled to a completely stress-free life in which everything always falls into perfect place because they're so handsome. Maybe this dude needs to get a grip--no, not that kind of a grip!

 

You have been posting photos here for years. Are you just learned about the Weber?

[Guest]

You have been posting photos here for years. Are you just learned about the Weber?

I've obviously jacked off to a lot of photos he's taken. It sounds like he might be a creep when it comes to models. Not as bad as some stories I've heard, though, in which models are told to put out or get out. This episode seems pretty mild compared to some other stories I've come across.