The so criticised photographer

Toscani is going to tell us the truth

behind his pictures
me: Hello guys, I am here with Oliviero Toscani, a very good photographer who has been criticised because he
usually takes pictures of people suffering. The picture we’re going to refer to is one of an anorexic model’s naked
and ravaged body.
Oliviero, it is a pleasure to have you here. I’m interested in knowing a bit more about the project you did with
Isabelle Caro.

me: Hi Oliviero, may I ask you why you chose that image?

Oliviero: Hi, thank you for inviting me to your radio. I chose that image because what I wanted others to see was
how dangerous it is to have anorexia. I did not mean to scare or shock anyone, and I do believe Isabelle was
stunning anyway. I really respect her and everyone in her same situation, and I’m sorry that people misunderstood
me.

me: How would you describe Isabelle?

Oliviero: Well, let’s say that, unfortunately, i did not have the chance to get to know her well, but from what I’ve
seen while working with her, she was an amazing and very sweet girl. I wish we could have worked together a lot
more. I knew she had a disorder, but that did not scare me. She was a person, not a disorder, and I had the amazing
opportunity of meeting her and having fun with her.

me: Why are so many of your pictures of people suffering?

Oliviero: A lot of people keep asking me the same question, but i believe it is very easy to understand. Sick people
are still people. They have a heart, a story to tell and i’m trying to show the public that most of the time we don’t
treat sick people as normal but as different monsters that have scary features and bodies. I want to raise awareness
and i want the people with whom i work to feel accepted and beautiful despite their illness.

me: I know one of your assistants suffers from an ED too. Do you think her disorder compromises her ability to work
and help?

Oliviero: My assistant, Alice, is one of the best workers i have dealt with. She’s an amazing and very focused woman,
and her anorexia has not affected our work that much. The only thing is that sometimes she lacks energy and we
may need breaks during our shootings. We were able to adjust to the situation in the best way possible for all of our
workers. We knew about her and we tried our best to make her feel comfortable.

me: Do you still believe that the picture could help those with this disorder?
Olivieri: I think that not everyone saw the message i intended to send. I just really wanted to spread awareness and,
being that i have never suffered from an eating disorder, i couldn’t imagine that it could have been so disturbing
for someone. I apologise and i hope everyone now realises that i did it respectfully.

me: Fair enough. Thank you so much for your time. It was very nice to have you here. Bye