http://abcnews.go.com/2020/anand-jon...ory?id=9344417

Runway to Rape: The Rise and Fall of Anand Jon

Dec. 17, 2009

Before he was accused of undressing young girls behind closed doors, the 35-year-old Indian-born designer was the toast of New York's fashion scene. A daring designer with a long black mane of curls, he exuded a sense of international mystery, arrogance and sex appeal -- and he was on the cusp of something big.

Jon, a graduate of the Parsons School of Design, was determined to make his mark as an up-and-coming designer. He had the right credentials -- having interned with Donna Karen and partied with Gianni Versace -- and was frequently seen out with his trademark entourage of young, scantily clad women.

"They were just girls who wanted to be in the eye of fame, around people who were powerful," said fashion model Xenia Semias. "It was always girls coming in and out, girls fitting. Even celebrities would come in there and hang out."

Jon dressed socialites like Paris Hilton and Lydia Hearst and surrounded himself in the world of celebrity.

"His strategy was to make friends with celebrities -- to be seen with them, to get them to wear his clothes, where people who mattered would notice," said journalist Sharon Waxman, who covered the Anand Jon case for the Los Angeles Magazine and her Hollywood Web site, TheWrap.com.

Fashion designer Anand Jon never thought a prison jumpsuit and steel handcuffs would be his only accessories. Before he was accused of undressing young girls behind closed doors, the 35-year-old Indian-born designer was the toast of New York's fashion scene. A daring designer with a long black mane of curls, he exuded a sense of international mystery, arrogance and sex appeal -- and he was on the cusp of something big. CloseAnd people did notice. In January 2007, Jon was featured in Newsweek as one of the hottest new designers to watch. From there, his career appeared to take off; he appeared as a celebrity judge on "America's Next Top Model," and was filming his own reality TV show.


Did Anand Jon's Designs Go Too Far?
Jon had earned a reputation for sexy clothes on sexy girls, but some in the fashion world thought his designs went too far.

"The most famous designers have shown sheer blouses, but there's something different about the way he did it that felt dirty," said fashion critic Robert Verdi. "The girls were, always really young, they weren't recognizable faces. It just felt arbitrary and it felt gratuitous."

While his fashions were making a sensation, Jon's explosive personality and dangerous choices took him and the scantily clad girls who clung to him right to the edge...and perhaps over it.

"The things that you heard were that he was a predator. That he would come on to these young models, and promise them whatever he could to get his way with them," Verdi said.

Most of the girls -- often from small towns -- were thrilled to be noticed, especially by a famous designer.

Jessie, 18, fit the bill. A small-town makeup artist with a modeling portfolio, who loved being in front of the camera, Jessie said that Jon contacted her through MySpace and invited her to fly to Los Angeles on his dime. The aspiring model thought it was her big break.

"He wrote me an e-mail, saying that, you know, he loved my look ...It was, 'can I set up a photo shoot with you?' And I said, sure. I had Googled him online and seen that he had worked with Paris Hilton and all of those celebrities."

But she didn't know that her dream would turn into a nightmare.

(Far more details if you follow the link)

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Now, I don't doubt that the guy could try and "abuse" his position (why bother getting rich and famous if you can't chat up girls easy?). But I do find it somewhat strange that so many of the alleged victims kept in touch... I guess it might be a case "Okay, I paid the price of the ticket, now where is my fame?" and when fame didn't materialise, they got pissed off. But, in that case, shouldn't they sue the guy for false advertising rather than rape?

NB: That's not to say that he didn't rape the girl(s). But, it's an interesting question to which I don't have the answer: If you don't take 'no' for an answer and the girl thinks 'oh well, fuck it, I'll just let it happen and I'll get something out of this', is it still technically rape? What does the law say? What does ethics say? What do you think?

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I once saw an African woman recounting a story told to her by her grandmaother, who had been raped by British soldiers. After they got off her they threw down a couple of shillings; "That's the British way", her grandmother had said, "always pay for what you steal."

So no, no degree of compensation makes up for the offence. Nor is it exclusively a matter for the individual to level a charge, the crime is something the rest of society has an interest in prosecuting, not least because it's likely to happen again.

The fact that people may not be in any position to do anything about it, may indeed be dependent on their rapist, doesn't in any way mitigate the situation. According to these accounts, the girls said no; they declined his offer, express or implied, of doing things for their career. That's the hoary old casting couch scenario, and rather different to forcing someone against their will.

Put yourself in their shoes, what if you were raped in the gents by a senior colleague who could make things happen for you career? You might keep quiet, take what benefits you feel are due, but would that really make it ok? I don't think it would.

No, indeed, you're right.

I was more imagining a case of switching between 'no' and then 'oh, well, what the hell, it'll be good for my career'... rather than 'no' all the way and then being unable to complain due to various imperatives or pressures.

That second case is clearly rape. The first bit is... dark grey. I certainly wouldn't do anything remotely like that but how would I rule on them (assuming that I had perfect knowledge)?

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No is no. That's all there is to it. Whether someone thinks they may benefit afterward by keeping quiet is neither here nor there. The fact that the victim chooses not to prosecute, for whatever reason, doesn't make it any less a crime.

As I said, I agree with you on that point.

To be fair, I am also coming at this from an unusual angle prompted by some of the discussions we've had with Zichao...

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