'The Wrong Turn' sparks outrage with gang-rape tinted images

An Indian photographer sparked a series of backlash and outrage when he published a fashion shoot depicting a female model being harassed on a bus by a group of men. The photo shoot is said resemble the fatal gang-rape which shocked the nation

in December 2012.

Named “The Wrong Turn,” the series was shot by Mumbai-based photographer Raj Shetye. The fashion shoot first appeared on his online portfolio earlier this week, before it was taken down on Wednesday. However, despite Shetye taking the series offline, the photographs have been circulated online and published by numerous other media outlets, including Buzzfeed.

Gang-rape inspired fashion shoot stirs up controversy

“It is not based on Nirbhaya,” said Shetye to Buzzfeed, when he was questioned if the fashion shoot was based on the December 2012 New Delhi gang rape, during which a gang of six men rape and abuse a 23-year-old physiotherapy student with an iron rod, causing her to pass away 13 days after the incident due to internal injuries.

He went on to deny similarities between the incident and his shoot, which took place on a bus. “But being a part of society and being a photographer, that topic moves me from inside,” he added. The photographs show a single female model styled in a high-end fashion look whilst being harassed in a bus in a number of poses. In one image she is laying on the floor with a man standing over her, whilst in another she is seen struggling with two men.

“I stay in a society where my mother, my girlfriend, my sister are out there and something like this can happen to them also...the message I would like to give is that it doesn’t matter who the girl is, it doesn’t depend on which class she belongs to – it can happen to anyone,” explained Shetye.

“Being a photographer, the only medium I can communicate in is photos. For me, its as simple as that. It’s art. Making movies, writing articles, making a poem — these are all ways of addressing the topic. Being a fashion photographer, this is what I can do best.” He stressed that the idea for the photo shoot originally came about two years, but it took him several months to carry out the shoot because he “did not want to create something irresponsible.”

Despite Shetye intent surrounding the fashion series, people did not see the artistic side to his photographs and took to social media platforms to voice their outrage towards the images similarities to the 2012 incident, which turned the world's attention to the issues of sexual violence towards women in India.

 

Photographer accused of glamorizing violence towards women in gang-rape fashion shoot

“The most ridiculous thing I saw today, A Nirbhaya inspired photo shoot done in the back of a bus. #disgusted,” commented one person on Facebook. “Screw perspective. Even if they claim it's not inspired by the Nirbhaya bus rape, I don't see the beauty,” tweeted another on Twitter. “Did I just see a fashion-spread depicting the Delhi gang rape of Nirbhaya? Disgusting! I hope all associated, die of shame! Insensitive swine!” tweeted yet another.

In the past, other fashion publications have been accused of using controversial issues such as domestic violence or destruction of the environment in their editorials for the sake of artistic creativity. Vogue Italia was criticized earlier this year for glamorizing domestic violence against women when it published a fashion shoot dubbed 'Horror Movie.'

At the time Franca Sozzani, who serves as editor in chief at Vogue Italia, explained that the fashion shoot was designed to bring attention to the reality behind domestic violence. “Violence towards women has never been so hard-hitting as it is now, so reminiscent of a ‘real horror show’…the intent is in no way to shock, but rather to raise awareness of a horror that must be condemned!”

However one the main issues with these controversial fashion shoot remains the commercial aspect behind them and how violence is being used to draw attention to the products portrayed in the photograph. In 'Horror Movie' the models are shown laying lifeless in various poses, covered in blood, images which are accentuated by clothing credits from Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs and Moschino in the corner. The glamorization of the models and their clothing raises further questions to the editor intend behind the images, as abuse is not and never will be glamorous act.

Shetye argues that his was was “in no way meant to glamorize the act, which was very bad, it's just a way of throwing light on it.” He also revealed that although the garments worn by the model are from high-end designers, none of them will be credited publicly because the is no commercial intention behind the shoot.

“The concept is my baby,and the aim is to create art that will gather some reaction in society.”

Images: Wrong Turn fashion series, source: Buzzfeed