TROUBLING DEFENCE
Designer Donna Karan says Harvey Weinstein’s victims may have been ‘asking for it’ by the way they dress
FASHION designer Donna Karan has suggested the alleged victims of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein were "asking for it".
Mr Weinstein has become embroiled in a series of allegations that he sexually harassed female employees and movie stars over decades as one of Hollywood’s most powerful men.
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Now the DKNY creator, 69, has stepped into the row by appearing to place some of the blame on the accusers during an interview at Sunday's CinéFashion Film Awards.
She said: "I think we have to look at ourselves. Obviously, the treatment of women all over the world is something that has always had to be identified.
"Certainly in the country of Haiti where I work, in Africa, in the developing world, it's been a hard time for women.
"To see it here in our own country is very difficult, but I also think how do we display ourselves.
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"How do we present ourselves as women? What are we asking? Are we asking for it by presenting all the sensuality and all the sexuality?
"And what are we throwing out to our children today about how to dance and how to perform and what to wear? How much should they show?"
She also described Weinstein and his wife Georgina Chapman as "wonderful people" and, when asked about this type of behaviour in Hollywood, she said: "I don't think it's only Harvey Weinstein."
Actress Rose McGowan, who has spoken openly of the abuse she's experienced in Hollywood, said: "Donna Karan you are a DEPLORABLE."
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She added: "Aiding and abetting is a moral crime. You are scum in a fancy dress.";
Karan's comments are a stark contrast to other A-list stars who have blasted the movie mogul, such as Jennifer Lawrence, Dame Judi Dench and Meryl Streep.
The 65-year-old was fired Sunday by the Weinstein Co., the studio he co-founded, three days after a bombshell New York Times expose alleged decades of crude sexual behaviour on his part toward female employees and actresses, including Ashley Judd.
The Times said at least eight settlements had been reached with women.
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Condemnations of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein continue to mount, with Jennifer Lawrence joining the chorus of A-list actors criticising the movie mogul over allegations he sexually harassed women for decades.
The allegations could prove to be a moment of reckoning for Hollywood, which is facing increased scrutiny over the fair treatment of women in the industry.
Lawrence praised the women who came forward in an expose published last week by The New York Times that detailed Weinstein's alleged harassment of actresses and employees.
Lawrence, who won an Oscar in 2012 for the Weinstein-produced "Silver Linings Playbook," says she was never harassed by the mogul.
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Among those weighing in were his longtime allies and beneficiaries Meryl Streep, Kate Winslet, Kevin Smith and Judi Dench.
They spoke up with a combination of disgust over his alleged behavior and remorse or defensiveness over their own business entanglements with him.
Even the actors' labor union SAG-AFTRA joined the chorus in condemning the disgraced movie mogul, calling reports of his alleged conduct "abhorrent and unacceptable."
Director Kevin Smith, whose movies "Clerks" and "Chasing Amy" were produced by Weinstein, noted on Twitter that the producer financed the first 14 years of his career.
"Now I know while I was profiting, others were in terrible pain," Smith wrote. "It makes me feel ashamed."
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