With every allegation of sexual harassment, the power and reach of producer juggernaut Harvey Weinstein becomes strikingly obvious. The most influential names in Hollywood have been forced to renounce him or have themselves been embroiled in the accusations.
Meryl Streep, who called Weinstein “God” in her 2012 Golden Globe acceptance speech, quickly condemned the producer, saying the “disgraceful news about Harvey Weinstein has appalled those of us whose work he championed”.
WATCH: Meryl Streep’s other memorable Golden Globes speech.
However, fashion designer Donna Karan has refused to distance herself from Weinstein, instead suggesting to reporters that perhaps his alleged victims were “asking for it” by the way they “present” themselves as women.
During a red carpet interview at the CinéFashion Film Awards on Sunday, the DKNY designer 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,” she continued. “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?
“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 said both Weinstein and his wife Georgina Chapman were “wonderful people” and think Weinstein is merely a “symbol” of a bigger problem.
“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,” she said.
Other high-profile actors have been dragged into the debacle, accused of shutting down earlier reports of Weinstein’s alleged sexual misconduct.
Sharon Waxman says that Matt Damon and Russell Crowe called her “directly” to dispel rumours that Fabrizio Lombardo was hired purely to “take care of Weinstein’s women needs” – the basis of her report.
She claims their influence, as well as the fact Weinstein’s company was a big advertise in the Times, saw her article’s most salacious details cut.
“I was devastated after traveling to two countries and overcoming immense challenges to confirm at least part of the story that wound up running last week, more than a decade later,” she writes.
As his world slowly crumbles apart, Weinstein’s desperate email he sent to multiple Hollywood CEOs begging them for support has been leaked.
In it, the producer says “a lot of the allegation are false” – not all.
