In a new interview with the artist John Currin in Interview magazine, Tom Ford discusses his return to making womenswear, as well as the strong undercurrent of sexuality that seems to seep into all his designs.
Ford admits that he objectifies women with his curve-hugging, skin-baring, seriously sexy attire. But while Currin (who is straight) admits that the idea of objectifying women is combined for him with a certain desire for women, Ford insists he feels differently: "That's why I think gay men make better designers." Says Ford:
I'm an equal-opportunity objectifier. I think it's the exact same thing. I'm sorry, I don't understand why our culture both worships and objectifies beauty, and then slams those of us who participate in it. Because I make that detachment, I'm capable of objectifying a beautiful woman, but that doesn't demean her in any way. She's beautiful because she's a creature who exists physically, in the physical world, who happens to be in a moment of prime.
Ford also admits that, while he's generally perceived as a man who oozes sex appeal, that's really just "the projection of me that I use to sell things." In reality, Ford claims to be "introverted" and "shy." This is despite the fact that he describes in the same interview how he once persuaded a reporter to interview him completely naked.
