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Does Heather Morris Photo Shoot Glamorize Domestic Violence? [PICS]

11:26 pm, September 1st, 2011

PHOTOS

(Tyler Shields)

Heather Morris of “Glee” is the subject of a controversial new pictorial from photographer Tyler Shields, who depicts the actress with a black eye in a household setting.

“Even Barbie bruises,” explains Shields on his website. “We have been talking about shooting for a long time and we finally made it happen! Some magic, irons and bruises later it was complete.”

In the photos, Morris is seen in various poses sporting a black eye. In one of the shots, she’s holding an iron to Shields’ crotch.

Many commenters have taken offense to the pictures, saying they glamorize domestic violence.

In a statement to Us Weekly, Shields says, “Our shoot poses a lot of questions, but just like in real life, Heather is definitely not a victim. More like a really liberated woman.”

Gossip Cop is curious to hear what you think about the photos (see them below).

Do the shots portray a liberated woman or the victim of abuse?

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(Tyler Shields)

(Tyler Shields)

(Tyler Shields)

(Tyler Shields)

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  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Pam-Ennis/1345108024 Pam Ennis

    I think it glamorizes domestic violence.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Joanne-Cullen/100001263426380 Joanne Cullen

    oooh… bad call Heather.

  • MissM

    i don’t even understand the point of that shoot. not good at all. bad choice!

  • Corie

    I think the first one doesn’t glamorize sexual abuse since it looks like her hands are bound by the iron cord and he is pulling the iron as if he is trying to cut of the circulation in her arms to torture her as most abusers do to their victims. But the other three pictures do seem to glamorize it, telling people that victims enjoy being abused.

  • syl

    rather sick if you ask me

  • http://twitter.com/americanaussie Mel

    I’d say it’s pretty distasteful. The black eye in itself, like in a movie poster, is not bad, but these photos are simply distasteful. If it was a gay guy being beaten and sporting a black eye, people would be up in arms, but a woman being beaten and tied up by a man is perfectly fine apparently.

  • Som6

    Yep I just don’t get the shoot very odd

  • Sadie

    Even without the connotation of domestic abuse, the actual photoshoot itself looks cheap and tacky. I probably could have done better myself at home.

  • Guest

    Disturbing and sick. No taste at all.

  • D. Martin

    This was a bad choice on her part. Doesn’t she have a publicist? Looking at it objectively it appears to glamourize domestic violence. Not cool

  • http://twitter.com/JenniferKrumm Jennifer Krumm

    No, what it portrays is an incredibly skinny Heather Morris.

  • guest

    I don’t think enough credit has been given to the make up artist, without whom none of this discussion would be possible. Like it or not Tyler Shields creates art that makes people talk, often times about real issues. I think there’s something positive in that.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_AI7KRHZTODEOTRJG2F4ALCLJEY Dodi

    Yep, domestic violence doesn’t need a photo shoot or a happy model bearing a poor job of a black eye. My black eye from my ex husband ended up swollen, by the time the swelling went down the color was more grayish green, then turned to yellow.

    When is domestic violence going to be treated as a real crime with real punishment. Instead we have a cute model looking like she wants revenge. In real life if the guy was tied up by his wife, i am sure once he got himself untied he would probably end up slitting her throat and dumping her somewhere. Look at statistics that compare DM to Murder

  • brenda

    Besides this photo shoot being distasteful, it’s stupid. It looks like this guy just wanted to do something “controversial” to get people talking. But it’s not even thought provoking, it’s just plain stupid.

  • Miss Suzanne

    Seriously — what’s the POINT of this spread?

    The only “magic” I see is whatever ‘spell’ was cast over the editor’s eyes to make her(him?) think that this spread is artistic, and not just in bad taste.

  • Miss Suzanne

    AMEN, Mel!! Well said!

  • Miss Suzanne

    Riiight, thank you. I forgot to add that the make-up artist has horrible taste, also!

  • Anonymous

    I agree. I don’t see what the point is supposed to be. Okay, the abuse and results, like the black eye are obvious, but I don’t understand all the smiling and cheesecake poses that go along with the supposed message. Domestic abuse is very serious….not something with photos you would see in a magazine.

  • twilight is underneath kstew

    this is just a dumb photo shoot period.

  • Jane

    I don’t understand the point of this shoot. Not every photo glamorizes domestic violence, but the majority do. Only one or two, to me, signify liberation rather than being trapped. I suppose Heather has her own reasons for doing this shoot. If she found it to be freeing, then that’s good for her, but this isn’t the kind of thing I personally condone or find pleasant to look at.

    Here’s a PSA, kids. Despite photoshoots such as this one – domestic violence, sexual assault, ect. are NOT cool or okay and should NEVER be tolerated. Get help if this is happening to you.

  • Anonymous

    Liberated women? Because women being beaten up is liberating? This stupid actress is obviously one of these idiot handmaidens, who does what very stupid woman-hating men want her to do and then calls it being liberated. What a moron. Making domestic violence, which is one of the biggest problems women face (1 in 4 of them are attacked by their partners) into some kind of fashion statement, is the action of people without hearts or brains. Really are people getting stupider?

  • LT

    this is NOT ART, this is just another ploy for publicity and he’s getting it. What he isn’t getting is that most of us don’t like it. Of course he is free to make his own choices but choosing wisely would garner him praise instead of disgust. Many of us women have suffered at the hands of an attacker and for us, wouldn’t it be poetic if Tyler got a real blackeye so he can relate. I don’t think Tyler is creative. I don’t think he knows what art is. Why didn’t he give this consideration before he victimizes another young actress.

  • Anonymous

    Frankly one has to wonder if Mr Shields was really adroit about exploring domestic violence why he didn’t go the full tilt and add the cuts and bruises and tears and the torn dress. But then again there’s only so much Hollywood can stomach and once the fuss dies out will all go back to yawning as Mr Shield frankly pissed away an opportunity to say something definitive about violence, the plight of women and the fragility of relations and even women who look like Barbie, well especially the ones that look like Barbie.

    http://scallywagandvagabond.com/2011/09/does-heather-morriss-new-photo-shoot-glorify-domestic-violence-or-is-just-art/

  • guest

    It doesn’t even look like a real black eye.

  • Suzy

    it looks to me like she is fighting back and not taking the abuse – he ends up tied and ready to be wrinkle free in the crotch area.

  • Mierdadecomplutense

    well we don’t know if those photos are for a masochist magazine. I don’t think their purpose it’s to be offesives because their last photo she get revenge. Maybe they are odd because a lot of women who life’s like this they think that it’s not so important and the photos try to show them the grtesque side of their lifes.The last photo it’s the reason i think they don’t try to be offensive. I don’t know

  • John D

    Hmmmmm. I think I will weigh in on this. I’ll start with a few observations about the photos.
    1) Heather is not acting out these scenes as if she is being abused. She is smiling or sultry but never in pain or discomfort. I think this is part of the point of the photos. If we assume she is acting out abuse we are reading too much into this. Her expression is key.
    2) Heather and the male model and engaging in some mutual light bondage. They both appear to be having fun with it.
    3) Using the electrical cord from an iron suggests Heather is more interested in sex play than ironing. She has made a choice to not iron. She has not been made to iron nor is she the only one getting tied up. Her choice.
    4) The black eye is a few days old. You don’t look like this right after you take a hit to the eye. To me this suggests she got this shiner some other way. Perhaps she was in a fight with another girl or another guy. To me this is suggestive of how tough she is. The guy in the photos did not give her this shiner (at least not the day of the photos).

    So… my summary is this. Heather clearly wanted the pics to be “edgy”. She succeeded. The photographer did a pretty good job pushing this concept to the edge. I suppose this is what successful art is all about. When I look at these photos I see a woman who wants to be sexually playful and is tough. She is experimenting with the idea of domination and sexuality. At the same time she does not appear to but totally submissive and is sometimes dominant herself. Adding the concept of the black eye makes the message a bit confusing and vague. This is probably the point.

    Just my 2 cents.

  • Not

    Not everybody bruises the same. My bruises tend to be on the blue side. It really depends on your skin tone. I am an ex-makeup artist and was taught that bruises can be pink, yellow, green, red, black and purple. That being said, the black eye depicted in the photos does look fake.

  • http://www.facebook.com/Haleene.Nana.Williams Haleene Williams

    I love Heather’s work, she is extremely talented, but these pictures were a mistake, that I hope she realizes now.
    She’s young, she has years of more mistakes to come, and not one hater out there hasn’t had them too. I think everyone is putting too much emphases on these. Unless this becomes a regular thing, I don’t think they have any effect on anyone enough to change their mind about abuse right now.

  • Rosa

    I agree with Miss M. Surely the photographer and creative directors saw some link to domestic violence? This shoot has no creative direction in my opinion,

  • Ankulskarabus

    asdffvasd

  • Ankulskarabus

    What I wanna know is: Who are the fuhhkin’ assholes that think up this shit? The fuhhkers that think up the ideas for these photoshoots and then execute them need to be executed. Buncha fuhhkin’ LOSERS.

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