Donna Karan blames ‘how women are dressing’ for the Harvey Weinstein issue

4th Annual CineFashion Film Awards

I often take informal bets with you guys and gals, often based on my gossip hunches. I could have made a bet that at least one prominent person would act as a Harvey Weinstein Apologist in some spectacularly deluded way. But I would not have bet on Donna Friggin’ Karan being that person. Like, I would put $10 on George Clooney being that person, or maybe Ben Affleck or Matt Damon. But Donna Karan? Is Donna even that close with Harvey Weinstein? I have no idea. But she certainly tried valiantly to defend a Pervert’s Honor. How did she try? By blaming the victims… for what they were wearing, and how they carry themselves. Oh, Donna.

Fashion designer Donna Karan is standing by Harvey Weinstein and has suggested his alleged victims may have been ‘asking for it’ by the way the women act and dress. During a red carpet interview at the CinéFashion Film Awards on Sunday, the DKNY creator was asked to weigh in on the scandal hours after the disgraced film mogul was fired from his company. Unlike many Hollywood stars and celebs, Karan did not condemn the 65-year-old, who has been accused of sexually harassing multiple woman over the span of decades, and instead pointed the finger at his accusers.

She told a reporter: ‘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? 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?’

When asked whether Hollywood has been ‘busted’, she replied with a smile: ‘I don’t think it’s only Harvey Weinstein. I don’t think we’re only looking at him. I think we’re looking at a world much deeper than that. Yes, I think he’s being looked at right now as a symbol, not necessarily as him. I know his wife, I think they’re wonderful people, Harvey has done some amazing things. I think we have to look at our world and what we want to say and how we want to say it as well.’

The 69-year-old went on to say that the issue at hand is not solely Weinstein’s fault.

‘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.

[From The Daily Mail]

I guess only a fashion designer truly knows the secret code of dressing to become harassment-bait and abuse-bait and rape-bait. It’s a wonder Donna Karan doesn’t share what, exactly, women are wearing to become so susceptible to abuse, harassment and worse. Is it a certain kind of power suit? A certain cut of dress? A certain fabric? It must be! It must be that Harvey Weinstein’s victims are complicit, because of the way they dress, the way they dance, the way they present themselves. Of course. It must be that women exist in the world to A) buy Donna Karan’s crap and B) be victimized for simply existing in the same space as perverts and abusers, then blamed for existing. This mode of thinking was around when I was a kid, and what’s great is that we’re SO FAR PAST this way of thinking, this series of blame-the-victim excuses, that Donna is getting categorically slammed for her statements. Twenty years ago, this would have been a “legitimate” take on the Weinstein story. But it’s not anymore, and thank God for that. Drag her, people. She deserves to be dragged for MONTHS.

Update: Donna has already offered a bulls–t apology: “My statements were taken out of context and do not represent how I feel about the current situation concerning Harvey Weinstein. I believe that sexual harassment is NOT acceptable and this is an issue that MUST be addressed once and for all regardless of the individual. I am truly sorry to anyone that I offended and everyone that has ever been a victim.”

PS… Please do not threadjack. There are so many stories about and around this Weinstein mess, and I will get to them. Please have faith in the gossip system and don’t derail comment threads with something which will discussed in a separate post.

4th Annual CineFashion Film Awards

Photos courtesy of WENN.

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150 Responses to “Donna Karan blames ‘how women are dressing’ for the Harvey Weinstein issue”

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  1. Bobbymilly says:

    Literally she is blaming the victims.

    Between her and Dove it’s been a trash week so far.

    • Becky says:

      Ok then

    • Alix says:

      “Are we asking for it?” NO. Is she asking for trouble? OH HELL YEAH. I guess we’re not buying enough of her ugly black clothes to keep us from tempting poor, innocent men. She can ROT.

      Also: is she “asking for it” in that pic? Because, you know, she should take responsibility.

      • WeAreAllMadeofStars says:

        Thank you. I seriously hope she wasn’t doing this interview while wearing a sleek black jumpsuit cut down to her belly button. The irony and hypocrisy would just kill me.

      • Nikki says:

        Right on, Alix!

    • BlueSky says:

      You are right, Donna. All those ladies who were wearing your dresses totally had it coming and Lord knows you have NEVER used sex to sell your perfume and clothing, right?

      So I’m assuming his wife is telling Donna all this, that it’s the women’s fault??

      • Cbould says:

        Jez, I hadn’t even thought of that. Georgina needs to divorce him or prepare to go down with his shitty ship. Somebody tell these women YOU ARE FREE now!!!

    • Sam Lewis says:

      Dove’s commercial is shown out of context and incomplete, but there’s a whole other page for that.

    • Carmen says:

      I had a pair of DKNY pants in my closet. After reading her statement I tossed them straight into the trash.

  2. Nicole says:

    Yea she’s cancelled.
    Also is she making money off these “slut dresses” or no?
    But dang I thought Lisa Bloom would do the biggest career ender but yea this topped it. So quickly too.
    Nazis are wonderful people too in 2017

    • Cbould says:

      Totally agree. But honestly the last time Donna Karan was cool was 8th grade so boycotting her products will be easy. She’s out of touch & was already out of style.

    • Sherry says:

      I told my husband last night, “Donna Karan just destroyed her brand.”

      • NotSoSocialButterfly says:

        Let’s hope so. She certainly deserves it ( she needs to look at how she presents herself ). Feck off, Donna.

    • WeAreAllMadeofStars says:

      Lisa Bloom quit yesterday.

    • holly hobby says:

      Donna Karan doesn’t have a brand. She sold it so I guess it’s ok to torpedo it now. I’m pretty sure some of her clothes are clingy and showy so does that mean she’s complicit as well?

      Glad Lisa Bloom came to her senses and quit.

  3. rachel says:

    And the part about Africa and Haiti… Jesus.

    • whatWHAT? says:

      That’s where she has her sweatshops, donchaknow.

    • commonsense says:

      Yeah, I am still trying to figure out how we Africans and Haitians are being dragged into this.

      • Erica says:

        I have my read-between-the-lines glasses on this morning, so allow me: she’s saying “over there, in places where those other people (brown people, poor people), we expect crimes against women to happen. But when it happens here, in my wealthy neighborhood, I’m surprised and then I think to myself–oh yeah–it’s because of bad fashion choices and promiscuity and then I can clean my hands of it and go back to pretending I’m making the world a better place by “working” in Haiti and Africa.”

    • Cbould says:

      She had to slip in some white savior stuff. Makes her whole antediluvian shtick complete. Gross.

      • Ankhel says:

        She’s one of those people who thinks women are only discriminated against in “backwards” countries like “Africa”, I’m thinking. This business mogul in her sixties is not sexually harassed any longer. So, feminism must have won the day in the US. If some intern or actress is harassed anyway, it’s obviously because they forgot their pants and twerked on the job. Their fault, really.

        I can’t. Sometimes, when I hear news from the fashion business, Zoolander begins to look like a documentary.

      • Honeybee Blues says:

        Thank you, Cbould. Why? For “antediluvian.” I had to look it up, and I LOVE my new word! And it’s less cumbersome to type than my customary go-to, knuckle-dragging, mouth breathing, cousin kissing, missing link bottom-feeders.

    • Megan says:

      She is the poster child for white privilege.

    • M.A.F. says:

      Such an odd statement to make.

  4. EMau says:

    I would like to put it to Donna. How is it that they were ‘enticing’ him when they were clothed and he was sexually harassing them whilst dressed in nothing but a bathrobe, which. – in some cases – he would drop and then request the victim to either massage him or watch him shower?
    How does that pan out logically?
    Fashion designers aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed. All dumb as planks.

    • Becky says:

      I’m guessing that she hasn’t read the stories that have come out, and she’ll backtrack when she sees the backlash.

    • Lolo86lf says:

      Although I understand your outrage at Ms. Karan for making that senseless statement about women’s way of dressing, you should not put ALL designers in her category as being dumb as planks. I am pretty sure many designers out there do not think the same way as Ms. Karan. Generalizing does not make things better.

      • EMau says:

        Show me an intelligent designer and I’ll show you a leprechaun. All are superficial and small minded. It’s the nature of their industry – one rife with bitchiness, nastiness and superficiality.
        During my teenage years I wanted to be a designer and spent one month work experience, shared time between two fashion designers. To say that the experience put me off is an understatement. Each time I read commentary from designers. Whether it be Lagerfeld, or the stupid empty headed comments of Tom Ford (him wanting to ‘perfect woman’, like we’re all defective), it makes me sick.

      • WeAreAllMadeofStars says:

        There are fashion designers who aren’t asshats and morons, although I agree that many if not most of the superstar designers come off like that. But that’s true of stars in any field, no?

      • Grant says:

        Tom Ford is AWFUL.

    • magnoliarose says:

      That is unfair to generalize an entire group of people because you had a bad experience. Donna Karan may be out of touch, but she isn’t stupid.

  5. RBC says:

    I would wager that within 72 hours DK will issue a statement that she was “ misquoted or taken out of context” regarding Harvey. The world has gone crazy

  6. Swak says:

    So , can we blame the designers who are making all these see through fashions?

    • Imqrious2 says:

      I don’t care if I’m wearing Saran Wrap outside. You can look, if that attention is what I want, but you sure as sh*t have NO right to touch.

      Guess Donna is like that Italian judge (a few yrs. back) who claimed the woman wearing a turtleneck sweater and jeans was “asking for it” when she was raped- he let her attacker go free.

      Cancelled! Next!

  7. littlemissnaughty says:

    Oohh, she goes to Haiti so she must be a good person. She needs to GTFO with that 1960s bullsh*t. Or maybe her plastic surgeon pulled it a little too tight, who knows.

    I would think, btw., that Clooney is smarter than this. He knows not to touch that if only because Amal would probably divorce him on the spot.

    • Nicole says:

      Amal would rip him a new @$$ then divorce him.

    • The New Classic says:

      “Maybe her plastic surgeon pulled it a little too tight”

      Glorious. Simply glorious. I just nearly fell off my treadmill reading that. In the hall of fame of beautiful shade, you have earned top honors. I commend you. 👏🏻😂

  8. CommentingBunny says:

    If only they’d been wearing Donna Karen designs none of this would have happened 🙄

    • Indiana Joanna says:

      Right, she might as well have said this.

      She sounds like she’s not even answering the question and is talking about something entirely different.

      That said, she really is blaming the victim. Of course Weinstein didn’t prey on powerful women. His victims of choice were very young women who he (and every else except for maybe Emma Thompson) sees as powerless and dispensable.

      Donna, you are part of the problem.

  9. Mermaid says:

    Seriously Donna? Of course it’s those women he assaulted whose fault it was. They must have been wearing some other designer’s skanky clothes. They were asking for it. 🙄 How did we somehow slide backwards 80 years in like 10 months?

  10. tifzlan says:

    So by her logic, she’s “asking” to be sexually harrassed given that extremely low cut top she’s wearing in the header pic, right?

    No bitch. Go away.

    • graymatters says:

      And she’s wearing makeup. She doesn’t want to be respected. And wearing heels. She’s just begging for uncouth masculine attention. I bet she dyes her hair, too. And maybe gets rid of unfashionable hair on her body. Clearly, she’s just begging to be raped.

      Grrr.

  11. Sisi says:

    “What are we asking? Are we asking for it by …”

    Ok stop. I’m done.
    Nobody asks for for an assault.

    • EMau says:

      This is why feminism is a fantasy. There are plenty more like Karan out there, the pseudo feminists. It’s one thing to have men like Weinstein commit assaults (indecent, sexual and otherwise), but it’s quite another for women (like Karan) to come out and support him, whilst blaming victims for his conduct, like he is some toddler without any capacity to control himself.

      • Alix says:

        That’s how the sexism works. Women, with their infernal wiles and insatiable lust(!), prey on the uncontrollable urges of otherwise chaste men. Go to Saudi Arabia — they’ll tell ya.

  12. Slowsnow says:

    So much to unpack. Women have been sexualized for centuries and now they are taking ownership of their sexuality. See the artwork of the (female) artist Adrian Piper in the seventies, Donna. Read I Love Dick. Be smart. Wash your mouth. Never blame the victims.

  13. hindulovegod says:

    I’ll add DKNY to the list of brands I won’t buy. Grab Your Wallet has made this so much easier. If you don’t support women, we don’t support you.

    • Adrien says:

      Where will we get beigey/tan jersey coats, beigey tan jersey sleepwear, beigey tan jersey beddings then? I am surprised she is siding with Harvey when she is known for being “safe” and “neutral”.

  14. Cannibell says:

    The only thing I can imagine here is that, in some ham-fisted way, she’s trying to stand up for Georgina. Otherwise, it’s total ICK instead of just 99 percent ICK.

    And not that I ever wore her or Marchesa anyway, but if I did, whatever I already owned would be the last I ever bought.

  15. Enough Already says:

    Yeah, this one is cancelled.

    • Kitten says:

      I’m telling you, internalized misogyny is one helluva drug.

      It was bad to begin with but then the Haiti stuff? Not enough nopes in the world for that shit…

      • I Choose Me says:

        Reading her comment, it’s like she hit rock bottom and just kept digging.

        If Good Sense were a meme it’d be like Mariah Carey right now. “I don’t know her.”

  16. Lucy2 says:

    Seriously? I can’t believe she so stupid as to think that to begin with, but even more so to share it with the world.
    Many of the design she sells have plunging neck lines. Perhaps she should add a disclaimer to her fashions, saying that you look good, but you’ll also be asking for it, so don’t complain if you get harassed or assaulted?

  17. D says:

    Donna Karan should add a label to her dresses “Warning : May cause assault”. People are really showing their true colors and they’re ugly.

  18. EMau says:

    I don’t think the shareholders and/or the equity company behind her label are going to be happy with her opening her mouth.

  19. She isn’t sexy, danity, and she certainly doesn’t exude sensuality. Those characteristics are not just because of the way you dress or act, it’s also natural feminine qualities. Why should a woman have to watch herself but not a man? Why put down women to uplift abusive men? Maybe she rarely gets hit on, so she herself can’t comprehend not asking for it. I hope she doesn’t have daughters, she should educate herself on sexual predators. It doesn’t matter what you are wearing, or being friendly, it’s about getting off on making someone powerless etc. I’m tired of hearing he’s a good person, no, he’s a con artist and an abuser, get it right.

  20. Sullivan says:

    This is just mind-boggling.

  21. Micki says:

    …”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. “….

    There is a whole spectrum betweem Emily Ratajkowski and burka.
    Wainstein is a sc*mbag, who’d go after you because it’s a question of power first and most.

    • Cbould says:

      Exactly. She doesn’t understand the basic dynamics of harassment & assault which are about power. Making women watch you bath, masturbate & get massaged is about using your power over those women. What caused this all is Harvey the-shit-show Weinstein getting off on the enormous amount of power he had not losing control of his penis because a dress.

  22. third ginger says:

    Again, as an older woman, I ask, is this really 2017?. Because the messages are oddly and sickeningly familiar to what we heard in the late 60’s and 70’s in my youth.

  23. Velourazure says:

    She’s repulsive.

  24. FF says:

    Well she can kiss her advertisers goodbye, rn.

    When exactly, then, do we start prosecuting designers as creators of rapewear. Frankly, I’m tired of this bs arguement that allows predators to avoid accountability.

    ps – not sure but I thought, DKNY was sold on but Donna Karan, however, I think, is still hers.

  25. Lolo86lf says:

    I totally disagree with Donna Karan’s statement. A woman’s outfit in no way should be a tacit provocation for men to harass her much less rape her. That being said, I also do not believe that is appropriate for women to go out there dressed in indecent or vulgar clothes. Ill-fitting clothes that are too tight and or revealing do not enhance a woman’s appearance. The same goes for men. Some men wear their pants tighter that Barry Gibb back in the 70’s and it is so indecent. I am sorry if my statement offends some people but I do feel it is true. There is a certain celebrity that likes to wear inappropriate outfits to get attention from the media and us.

    • detta says:

      I’m sorry but we need to end this blame on someone being dressed in a specific way. What does being dressed indecent or vulgar even mean??? If you don’t like how someone’s dressed then look away. Ignore it. But NO piece of clothing justifies any sort of verbal let alone physical abuse or assault. Not even someone walking around stark naked does.

      I honestly never understood this fixation about what is appropriate in fashion or social environment – like men having to wear ties to certain events. The biggest crooks and a-holes wear ties, so why is this a sign for anything? Don’t get me wrong, I can enjoy nice dresses and stuff, BUT I am aware that everybody has a different view of what is nice or what they would want to wear. So you don’t like that some women squeeze into tight clothes – why? Why is this your business? You don’t want to do it, fine, you don’t have to. No problem. But why in the world do you care what other women decide to wear?

      As long as we, as women, cannot look past how the person next to us dresses… It will never get better. And again I ask you why? What exactly is bad about tight, ugly, strange, whatever clothing? I really don’t know exactly how to express myself here, but it’s just clothes, dammit. Underneath we are all built after the same mould anyway. It should be way more important what is in our minds and hearts. Prime example right here: Donna Karan might be able to dress nice, but apparently there is a lot of ugly inside… that is what we should focus on. THAT is vulgar and indecent…

  26. Beth says:

    I was wearing an unsexy Iron Maiden shirt and basic Gap shorts when a stranger talked dirty to me last week. Can’t always blame the clothes or the women wearing them. Some pigs will sexually harass a woman no matter what

    • CynicalAnn says:

      I was about twelve and wearing jeans and a tee shirt (and hadn’t gone through puberty so there was nothing to see) and an older man said something vile to me on a public bus. We all know clothing has nothing to do with it.

  27. Jenns says:

    F**k her now and forever.

    The only reason she still has a career is because of Barbara Streisand.

    • magnoliarose says:

      That isn’t true about her career. Bash her for her statement, but that isn’t true about her success.

  28. my3cents says:

    Her opinions are dated just like her clothes.
    Bye girl.

  29. Darla says:

    Collaborator. The worst of the worse.

  30. Green Is Good says:

    I seriously can’t believe I’m reading this in 2017.

  31. Jerusha says:

    I guess Donna is setting this model up to be assaulted.
    http://twitter.com/bourdain/status/917554365094699008

  32. gwen says:

    She sure had a different take on things.

  33. Lizzy says:

    Wow……just, WOW.

  34. Merritt says:

    Donna is clearly asking for women to not buy her products anymore. I have no problem not buying her overpriced stuff.

  35. lisa says:

    was she drinking? if you had not told me this was a response to a question and then blacked out HW’s name, i never would have guessed. she sounds unwell, like trump cabinet position unwell

    • TQB says:

      There is video of her saying this. I saw it. It was not out of context. And it was seriously f’ed up. Like, as you say, trump cabinet unwell. My jaw was on the FLOOR.

    • Lindy says:

      I feel like “Trump cabinet position unwell” is going to be my go-to insult for the next few weeks anytime I’m talking about any one of the unhinged sexists/racists currently garnering news and attention (whether in politics or entertainment). So, thank you for that, lisa!

      • sunshine gold says:

        “Trump cabinet position unwell” is fantastic. She is seriously a dinosaur. She believes this because she’s a longtime personal friend of Harvey, but sometimes you just have to wake up. Even his brother has come out against him.

  36. Snazzy says:

    So I met DK in a restaurant in NYC almost 20 years ago. I was sitting alone, but New Yorkers being the awesome people that they are, were all talking to each other in the restaurant (it was a small family place, italian food), and they saw I was alone and so included me in the conversation. Nothing creepy or mean, just super welcoming and friendly. There was a lot of laughter, it was amazing. Then comes in this woman in this flying white cape-outfit-thing. She ordered a tiny salad and tap water, with one tomato slice cut in a certain way and a small slice of bread with olive oil (seriously I will never forget). The conversation in the restaurant continued, and she yelled at us to be quiet as she needed “silence to digest”, and literally gave us the “don’t you know who I am?”. I was so confused, and I honestly didn’t know who she was, so I responded “other than hungry, I’m not sure who you are. But the pasta here is awesome”. There was a silence in the restaurant and then everyone burst out laughing. She ate her tomato quickly and left. The owner laughingly came up to me after and told me who she was. He gave me a discount on my meal too.

    I had cancelled her after that. And now, well, another reason to cancel her.

    • TQB says:

      This story is THE BEST. I <3 NY.

    • Ankhel says:

      This is glorious.

    • magnoliarose says:

      She is crabby because she is always hungry. Lol Seriously, she has always had an issue with her weight and to say she is difficult would be an understatement. She continually asks about diets and how someone stays so slim and goes on and on about it but then will turn around and talk trash about someone’s weight.
      Brusque doesn’t begin to describe her manner.

    • KiddVicious says:

      OMG, that was perfect!

    • Snazzy says:

      haha thanks celebitches. Honestly I still laugh when I think about it. My only brush with someone quasi famous 🙂

  37. Grace says:

    I’m sorry, but i believe her when she says it was taken out of context.
    I saw the actual video of this interview, and it was sooooooo chopped up and edited.. it was all over the place!

    When she was specifically talking about women “asking for it”, we don’t even know if she was discussing Harvey Weinstein at that point. It didn’t seem like it. She seemed to be talking about the sexualization of young girls in general, not abuse victims.

    Young girls these days on social media and selfies in next to nothing… i think raising questions about how we’re raising our young women to present themselves with respect, is a legitimate question.

    Just watch the video… it’s seriously suspicious… i don’t think she was talking about Weinstein at all apart from the direct quote where she mentions his name and says she’s friends with him and he’s done great things… which was not the right thing to say… but whoever filmed this interview definitely wanted to make her look a million times worse… and they’ve succeeded it seems by the comments here.

    But this is the world we live in now i suppose… some chopped up video on the internet and people believe anything…

    • Cbould says:

      Ummmmm, this is so awkward because you’re missing the point.

      Sexual assault is never the survivors fault.

      • Grace says:

        @Cbould Did you even read what i wrote?
        I don’t think you understood it… at all

      • Cbould says:

        Yep, read it.

        When you commented, “Young girls these days on social media and selfies in next to nothing… i think raising questions about how we’re raising our young women to present themselves with respect, is a legitimate question.” I realized you don’t understand what victim blaming is, how it contributes to rape culture & the dynamics of abuse.

        Just wanted to remind you that SURVIVORS are never ‘asking for it’, harassment & assault are NEVER their fault.

        If you want to focus on the editing of the video, that’s fine but I’m going to keep focus on the point: SEXUAL HARASSMENT & ASSAULT are wrong and have nothing to do with the clothes we wear.

      • Kitten says:

        “Young girls these days on social media and selfies in next to nothing… i think raising questions about how we’re raising our young women to present themselves with respect, is a legitimate question.”

        Seriously? This is how we’ve been framing the conversation since literally the dawn of civilization and hey guess what? Women are still overwhelmingly victimized by men: raped, assaulted, beaten, murdered. NOTHING is changing by constantly focusing on women’s behavior instead of that of men.

        We live in a day when the majority of young men start watching pr0n as very young teens, sometimes even as children, and they can access that pr0n right from their fingertips.
        There have been countless studies that show that men who have more exposure to pr0n at a young age are more likely to hold sexist and misogynistic views of women.
        So maybe, just maybe, the young women who post sexy selfies do so because they are surrounded by men who have grown up watching pr0n and normalized it. And young women have internalized female objectification as a benign yet effective way to get male attention. Pr0n is as typical to young women as it is to young men these days but that is NOT women’s fault, that is due to a collective societal failure in how we raise our young men to view women.

        Once again, the point is that IS STARTS WITH HOW WE RAISE OUR YOUNG MEN. Instead of working backwards, why don’t you try starting at the source of the behavior?

    • HK9 says:

      @Grace, Weinstein grew up in an age long before Instagram so a young girl in next to nothing is not and never has been the point. All of these women were fully clothed. I believe he’s the one who has been prancing around exposing himself to women. We have to stop the myth that men are incapable of reason when they see a little flesh and have no control over themselves. They have plenty of control, especially when they use their time and talent to hone their skills as a predator. You have to wait, watch and plan-it doesn’t happen by accident.

    • CynicalAnn says:

      “Young girls on social media”. Are you for real? Sexual harassment and sexual assault have nothing to do with the victim and everything to do with the perpetrator. Your comments show a total lack of empathy or understanding and sound like they’re from 1965.

    • LV487 says:

      “When she was specifically talking about women “asking for it”, we don’t even know if she was discussing Harvey Weinstein at that point.”

      Does that really matter? Talking about Weinstein or not, that’s a pretty disgusting thing to say on its own. Sexual assault laws don’t include the sidebar, if said victim was wearing sexually provocative clothing, then the courts acknowledge she was asking for it. No.

  38. Urs says:

    I watched the whole video last night. Couldn’t believe my ears. It is heavily edited, but i don’t think it’s edited together to make her look bad, I think her own words did that.

  39. Donna says:

    She’s always been obtuse. I remember years ago she was questioned about her clothing not being available above a size 10. She commented to the effect that it wouldn’t be fair to her clients who took care of themselves to see larger women wearing her designs. The implication was very clear. Only after a huge backlash did she issue a weak semi-apology.

  40. happyoften says:

    Donna Karan can take a running f*ck at herself.

    If only they had been wearing her timelessly classic and elegant designs, signifying the respect they held for themselves, he wouldn’t have felt the need to threaten and sexually accost them. This is her theory.

    Just back yourself up to get a running start, and have a go at it.

  41. Mari says:

    Anthony Bourdain burned her ass in Twitter after her stupid statement. Apparently Bourdain is dating Asia Argento, who might be one of Harvey’s victims or she knew about Harvey’s behaviour towards women and is now happy that it’s finally public knowledge. At least according to her Twitter exchange with Rose McGowan.

  42. Red32 says:

    I think the guy in the bathrobe at business meetings was dressed for trouble.

    • Cbould says:

      Hahahahaha, great point. Ah, to have male privilege. Wearing pajamas to a fuckin business meeting & his clothes don’t get a second thought.

    • Ankhel says:

      And trouble finally caught up with him, didn’t it? Just not in the form he always wanted.

  43. godwina says:

    My jaw went through the floor and deep into the earth’s crust. Did she have a stroke? Is she trolling? WHAT.

  44. Anilehcim says:

    We all know there is always at least ONE asshole who says something like this each and every time this happens. Remember when Chrissie Hynde went from bad ass woman to basically saying women invite rape based on how they’re dressed? It NEVER fails.

    I watched Kathy Lee vaguely sympathize with Weinstein on the Today Show yesterday morning; she didn’t defend him outright, but she did say she felt bad for him (WTF?) and then find it necessary to read his “apology” with a sympathetic look on her face right after Hoda mentioned Lauren Sivan, the reporter that Weinstein randomly jerked off in front of. According to Kathy Lee, “it’s only fair to read his statement also.” Give me a break!

    I have no time for women like this. I don’t have the tolerance for men who make STUPID comments like this either, but especially not women. Empowered women empower other women. Donna Karan can take a flying leap off a cliff.

  45. ZombieLove says:

    Oh hell no. CANCELLED!!!!

  46. K says:

    Eh this fits with Donna Karen. Its deplorable and stupid and wrong but not shocking from her.

  47. CityGirl says:

    Add me to the list of women who will never purchase Donna Karan, DKNY, et all

  48. paranormalgirl says:

    I cancelled her last night. Bundled up my few Donna Karan pieces and out to the garbage they went.

  49. Harryg says:

    Wow just wow! I can’t believe she said that. Maybe she can design pretty burkas for us all.

  50. Madly says:

    Never buying her stuff again.

  51. Mabs A'Mabbin says:

    I just puked. I can’t believe I just read that bullshit from a woman. Is it too much to hope she’s only shilling for her brand? Frak her and her brand. Women who want to walk around naked at three o’clock in the morning, basking in moonlight, should be able to do so without some antiquated ideals brandishing them as bait.

  52. Vovicia says:

    I am flabbergasted at this response. Her pal Babs seriously needs to have a word with this one.

  53. BB Carrots says:

    Booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

    Boo, Donna Karen. Boo.

  54. Giddy says:

    I wish I would read that Streisand emptied her closet of all the black Karan and threw them off her cliff into the pacific. But that would be an environmental catastrophe, so I have to give up the dream.

    Karan is a fool and I’m sure her board told her so also. She sold her brand to a conglomerate, and usually there is a clause in the contract that the seller cannot act in any way that will harm the brand. I hope she gets sued.

    • graymatters says:

      I think some environmental company should start an uncool clothes donation box where people can drop off their Trump, DKNY, and other offensive-wear to be recycled into insulation for shelters.

      • returningvisitor says:

        I have a side hobby of selling previously-owned clothes & accessories, and can tell you from scouting thrift stores that Ivanka’s cheap crap stays on the local shelves and rods, week after week.

        In other news: just the other day, I bought a genuinely nice, vintage DKNY top. Dammit.

        There was a time in the city when all your cool colleague girls were wearing Donna Karan; the sidewalks were swimming in muted, soft jersey. Her clothes were meant to exemplify a certain strong, successful, stylish NYC career woman who took names (but no sh*t) from anyone. Yeah.

        Even though her brand seems like mall fodder now, I bet she still makes it into some marketing course about how to blow such a carefully packaged, eponymous image in just one horrendous quote.

  55. Anare says:

    Well there she is with a v-neck down to her navel and she’s calling out women for dressing provocatively? Wow. I have been a victim of sexual harassment in the workplace and I can state emphatically that it was never about what I was wearing. It’s about the perps power, control, and feeding their damaged psyche. STFU Donna Karan. You have proven your astounding ignorance.

  56. Lyla says:

    I was never a fan of her designs anyway, so I’ll continue not to buy them.

    But I just wanted to reiterate the basic fact that clothing does not determine consent. No one is asking for it. https://twitter.com/ohsojoycie/status/905875780932120577

  57. jugil1 says:

    I would say she’s over, but she’s actually been over for years. She’s a POS.

  58. third ginger says:

    Once again, the life lesson that famous, successful people are often idiots.

  59. Mrs.K says:

    Stick to stitching frocks sweetheart. You clearly have nothing between the ears. I wont be buying any Donna Karan items ever again. This is it.

  60. magnoliarose says:

    Donna is one of those women who live in the past when what she said would have been acceptable and everything was about good girls vs. sluts. She hasn’t updated her views or grown in her mindset about clothing in 30 years.

    Even then many people knew it wasn’t the victim’s fault in any circumstances. That is the watered down logic of religions that make women cover themselves because it would be their fault if a man became aroused. Even my old school grandfather knows that even though he disapproves of revealing clothes, it isn’t an excuse to abuse a woman or see it as an invitation.

    Donna is friends with Georgina, so you know the sluts made him do it. Toxic sludge poisonous bull crap.

  61. Lori says:

    This angers me so much.

  62. minx says:

    What on earth is the matter with her?!

  63. Diane says:

    Well, so much for EVER buying the DK brand again.

  64. returningvisitor says:

    Hunch: follow the money.

    Wouldn’t surprise me in the least if someone digs up some sort of financial connection between the walrus and either her former company, or another one of her ‘charitable’ causes now.

  65. themummy says:

    Well, damn. My favorite bra EVER was a Donna Karan. And now I will never wear that douchebags’s clothing ever again. The search for The Great Bra continues.

  66. Bliss 51 says:

    I’m a mid-century baby and as a teen I mentally rolled my eyes at that “asked for it” expression. Had I really rolled my eyes I would have been slapped.

  67. The Other Katherine says:

    On a purely selfish level, I am super annoyed that I can no longer in good conscience buy DKNY jeans, which have been one of my best brand options in terms of fit. GODDAMMIT.

    Donna, go learn a bit about the psychology of rape and sexual abuse, and how these crimes are not less prevalent in cultures where female sexual self-expression is repressed. Until then, STFU.

  68. Lana 234 says:

    Donna Karan sounds soo out of touch. Sit down Donna Karan. It’s the fault of the women.

  69. Margo S. says:

    Well she certainly let her true colours shine. How fascinating. It truly is incredible when I hear people talk like. B!tch I could walk down the street topless in panties if I want, doesn’t give anyone the right to touch me!

  70. Froma says:

    She looks like Pennywise.