3 lessons from Donna Karan’s gaffe and tepid apology
Backlash was swift after the fashion icon—when asked about sexual harassment generally and Harvey Weinstein specifically—said women might be ‘asking for it.’ Her mea culpa didn’t help.
A recent ill-advised set of statements and lukewarm apology can teach PR pros what not to do.
Many celebrities and public figures have been quick to distance themselves from Harvey Weinstein the co-founder of Miramax and The Weinstein Co. following news of a sexual harassment scandal and his abrupt termination.
However, Donna Karan, fashion designer and creator of DKNY, took a different tack.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported:
As news broke on Tuesday that designer Donna Karan had suggested Weinstein’s victims may have brought his reprehensible – and potentially illegal – behaviour upon themselves, the internet was quick to rebuke the fashion veteran.
“I also think, ‘How do we display ourselves? How do we present ourselves as women?” Karan said on Sunday at the CineFashion Film Awards. “What are we asking? Are we asking for it, by presenting all the sensuality and all the sexuality?”
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