Donna Karan defends Harvey Weinstein, suggests accusers may have been 'asking for it'

Donna Karan.
(Image credit: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images)

Harvey Weinstein has one person defending him in the wake of a New York Times report detailing three decades of sexual misconduct allegations made against him — fashion designer Donna Karan, who questioned if women are "asking for it" based on the way "we display ourselves."

While walking the red carpet at Sunday's CineFashion Film Awards in Los Angeles, Karan told a Daily Mail reporter Weinstein and his wife, Marchesa co-founder Georgina Chapman, are "wonderful people." She then launched into a defense of Weinstein, saying he was "a symbol" of a greater issue, and it was all downhill from there as she wondered aloud how much blame should be placed on women who have been harassed.

"I also think, how do we display ourselves?" she said. "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?" Actress Rose McGowan, who was mentioned in the Times piece, slammed Karan, tweeting that she was "a DEPLORABLE. Aiding and abetting is a moral crime. You are scum in a fancy dress."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.