Fred with tyres who is the model

We decided to do the body shop story at a greasy gas station. It was great fun. We turned in the pictures, and Franca almost had a heart attack. But she ran it, and it was a huge success. I still don't know why it happened. It was just one of those honest pictures. I remember when we were shooting it. Poor Fred, who was a student, had to swing these heavy tires around, and at one point he was so tired he just turned around and stood there.

It was the last frame of the shoot. This record is from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator, so may be inaccurate or incomplete. The blocked out windows help to prevent any light from illuminating the background of the image; ensuring the light falls mainly on the model. By holding a tire on either side, the model is almost mimicking a vehicle or machine and the symmetry of the image creates a sense of strength, balance and stability.

The model looks as though he has been doing physical labour as his body is shining and marked with oil; this again provocative and plays up to a stereotypical idea of masculinity.

I personally feel that this image would have had more impact when it was first published due to the stereotypes surrounding gender roles. In the present day this image is less shocking as we are now used to seeing male beauty advertised within the fashion industry.

I do however appreciate the consideration that went into creating Fred With Tires , every aspect of the image has been thought through from the car parts scattered on the floor to the oil smudge on his nose. Herb Ritts Foundation a Herb Ritts. I remember when we were shooting it. Poor Fred, who was a student, had to swing these heavy tires around, and at one point he was so tired he just turned around and stood there. It was the last frame of the shoot. View All. With his ability to make almost any subject look dramatic and interesting, Ritt created what he called Retro-Neo-Deco style and almost singlehanded wrestled Neo-Hellenistic male form back into fashion.

A rough and virile sexuality set against an evocative environment, the image became a runaway hit as a poster and was named one of the photos that changed fashion. The original photo shoot was intended for an Italian designer, but when Ritts received the clothing, he and his stylist rejected it and dressed his model in overalls instead.

The pictures were not what the magazine requested, but it was so powerful they ran them anyway causing a sensation. Ritt eschewed realism in making Fred appealing in the midst of all the sludge and grunge — makeup turned into grease and tires into something intrinsically mysterious.

Ritts remembers:. Starting in , I had an assignment for Franca [Sozzani], for a magazine called Per Lui, which was the counterpart of Lei. Lei was the most forward magazine in the early eighties, and it was because Franca was so great in encouraging everyone. Franca had sent these really hideous raincoats, and I just hated them. I had hired an editor, a freelance named Michael Roberts, who now works at the New Yorker.

We ended up going to Western Costumes and getting vintage jeans and overalls. We decided to do the body shop story at a greasy gas station. It was great fun.