“Sex Sells”: How Helmut Newton Disrupted Fashion

Written by Rana Rastegari

Graphics by Jade

Helmut Newton was arguably singlehandedly the most influential fashion photographer of the twentieth century. Though, having said that, calling him a just photographer would be a gross understatement. His work as an artist went beyond the glamorous depiction of couture. His talents constituted a deeply rich documentation of social, sexual and cultural history, depicting the intensely personal and often enraging world as he saw it. He became a social phenomenon, his photography stretching the possibilities of magazine editorials. As the late 60’s rolled around, he began experimenting with sensually feminine and powerful glamorous subtexts. Newton was endlessly fascinated by wealth, women and status; how each subject matter lived, their protocols and the worlds view of them and upon the interjection of sex into his work, the result was an often perversely erotic narrative that became integral to the work of designers and editors. 

Born into a Jewish family in Berlin, Newton had a charming childhood, his taste for grandeur and elegance and the privileged life of old money bourgeoisie blossoming from an early age. He dropped out of school, opting towards an apprenticeship with photographer Yva (Elsa Simon). However, after the rise of the Nazi party in Berlin, Newton was forced to flee and he sailed to Singapore where he worked as a photographer for the Straits Times and lived as a gigolo. Fast Forward to 1948, when he married June Browne who continued supporting him throughout his career. Newton supplied occasional pieces for the Australian supplement to British Vogue and was invited to work in London for a year (though he found Paris much more to his liking). His first work with Paris fashion was with Jardin de Modes and French Vogue offered him a contract in 1961 with whom he worked until 1983. As previously mentioned, Newton adored high society elegance and ambience and his work reflected this perfectly. Some of his most celebrated works with French vogue, such as “Le Smoking” which featured an androgynous model in a YSL suit in the rue Aubriot or the first “Big Nudes”, opened doors for him at magazines such as Elle, Queen and Stern. 

From 1971, Newton began experimenting with nudity and sexual expression. He extended his range to include what he at first called his ‘portraits mondains’ and his ‘sujets Érotiques’. Newton proved that he was incredibly talented when it came to breaking boundaries and creating a system of sexual liberation. Alongside the sexual revolution movement of the 70’s, his work was highly praised and he rose on the fashion ladder.  He often flirted with pornographic and erotic conventions, giving life to a whole new aspect of fashion photography; a hybrid that opted to adopt erotica, decedance and wit. Newton met the one and only Thierry Mugler in 1970 and they began working with one another occasionally. Newton's style cannot go unseen in his work with Mugler. As we know, Theirry is known for his extragalactic, hyper-feminine and erotic couture with the incorporation of neck corsets, riding crops and dominatrix and sexual fetishism aspects to it. Newton shot his 1998 editorial, consisting of blazers, mesh, cloche hats, stilettos, corsets and stockings. Shot in completely black and white, in true Newton fashion, the backdrop for the collection was a derelict building and a desert like landscape where the models posed with dominant features.

Nicknamed the “king of kink”, Newton's impact, good or bad, is undeniable. However, we also cannot look past the controversies that his pieces induced. His hyper erotic photography was perceived as highly myspginsitc by many second wave feminists and from a 21st century point of view, we are able to see how his work treated many women as sexual fantasies through the male gaze. “Helmut Newton: The Bad and the Beautiful'' was the first posthumous documentary about his work which aimed to explore the debates that his work sparked, in terms of power, eroticism, sexuality and feminism. Grace Jones, a notorious model who was also highly criticised for her sexual liberty, stated that “He was a little bit perverted, but so am I.” She counters many of the claims against him, saying that he was always respectful of his models and made sure they felt safe. The argument against this however, was most focused on the fact that his work contributed to the highly sexual male narrative that viewed women as objects of sexual pleasure. Isabella Rossellini, commented that Newton’s photographs exposed how some men felt and how attraction to a woman can make them resentful and angry; an attempt to emphasise their position and status in society.  Another former model believes he held a mirror up to misogyny in society, a statement that is backed by many second and third wave feminists. 

Whatever your take on Newton’s work, there is no denying that his art had long lasting impacts on fashion, photography and perhaps even morality when it comes to feminism and expression. His exploration of women, sex, class and violence comes with many questions and connotations but it disrupted fashion forever. Current photographers, designers and editors reflect on his work as one of the greatest photographers of all time, his style often being mimicked in modern collections (though I have to say, no one can do it quite like he can). So to give a final answer to my first question, I think it’s safe to say that Newton was right. Sex does indeed sell.