Fashion icon Donna Karan incurred the wrath of the Twitterverse the other night when she defended the “wonderful” Harvey Weinstein and suggested that his victims were somehow “asking for” it.
Speaking to a reporter at the CinéFashion Film Awards in Los Angeles, Karan implied that the blame for the alleged attacks wasn’t Harvey’s alone.
“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,” Karan said. “To see it here in our own country is very difficult, but I also think how do we display ourselves? 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?”
Hmmm.
She went on to say:
“Harvey has done some amazing things,” Karan continued. “I think we have to look at our world and what we want to say and how we want to say it as well. You look at everything all over the world today and how women are dressing and what they are asking by just presenting themselves the way they do. What are they asking for? Trouble.”
That did NOT go over well with the Twitteratti (as you might expect). Rose McGowan, Anthony Bourdain, and Mia Farrow and a legion of others were quick to call her out on her inanity.
Donna Karan you are a DEPLORABLE Aiding and abetting is a moral crime. You are scum in a fancy dress pic.twitter.com/Vze7lnpdvj
— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) October 10, 2017
To @dkny How many seventeen year olds have you dressed like they are, in your words, “asking for it “? https://t.co/oYyO9tfFKz pic.twitter.com/Fck0h5m13R
— Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) October 10, 2017
No more Donna Karan for me https://t.co/QsflmGq7hz
— Mia Farrow (@MiaFarrow) October 10, 2017
Donna Karan just single handedly ruined her career and any chance of being respected as a champion of women’s causes ever again. Wow.
— Sarah Wynter (@sarahwynter) October 9, 2017
And on and on. And on. You get the picture.
Karan quickly walked back her comments when she saw which way the and was blowing.
“Last night … while answering a question on the red carpet I made a statement that unfortunately is not representative of how I feel or what I believe,” Karan said.
“My statements were taken out of context and do not represent how I feel about the current situation concerning Harvey Weinstein,” Karan added. “I believe that sexual harassment is NOT acceptable … I am truly sorry to anyone that I offended and everyone that has ever been a victim.”
Ah. The old: “I’m sorry if you’re offended” apology. Passive/aggressive much, Donna?
Nop. Nope. Nope.
(via HuffPo; pic Pacific Coast News)
