Heather Morris, one of everyone’s favorite Glee stars, recently did a photo shoot with Tyler Shields and it’s stirring up quite the controversy. The pictures feature Morris, 24, with a black eye and, in some, an iron and its cord.
While Morris’ Glee character, Brittany, is beloved for her hysterical and often inane one-liners, this photo shoot has been causing many to question what Morris and photographer Shields were thinking doing a photo shoot that can rather easily invoke and, as many argue, attempt to glamorize the image of domestic violence.
Shields tells E! News, “In no way were we promoting domestic violence. We wanted to do a bruised-up Barbie shoot and that’s exactly what we did!” Also telling Us Weekly that, “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.”
Many are leaving comments on Shields’ site showing their disapproval of the shoot and executive director for the Denver-based National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Rita Smith, shares their sentiment. “I don’t know if Tyler is aware but I’m quite sure there are plenty of women who have been abused by these kinds of household appliances and children as well being hit with electrical cords,” Smith said. “I’m not sure what the purpose is other than shock value.”
So, the question remains: has Shields gone too far? The question, though, is nothing new for the photographer who was also involved in a controversy just recently with his photo shoot with Lindsay Lohan covered in blood. More pictures of his shoot with Morris can be found at his official site.