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Kate Upton details painful harassment at 18
Model Kate Upton has come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against Guess co-founder Paul Marciano.
In an interview with Time magazine, Upton claimed that Marciano made inappropriate comments and touched her inappropriately starting when she was 18 years old.
The accusations follow a tweet Upton posted on January 31 that said, “It’s disappointing that such an iconic women’s brand @Guess is still empowering Paul Marciano as their creative director #metoo.”
The tweet caused stocks for the clothing brand to plummet.
In response to Upton’s allegations, Marciano issued a statement to Time, saying, “I have never been alone with Kate Upton. I have never touched her inappropriately. Nor would I ever refer to a Guess model in such a derogatory manner.”
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Upton, however, claims that on her first day of shooting her first ever Guess campaign in 2010, Marciano “forcibly” grabbed her breasts, saying he wanted to make “sure they’re real”.
Upton says that photographer Yu Tsai was in the room at the time of the incident and has corroborated her claims.
Upton went on to say that Marciano’s behavior continued for years, and that she would get fired from jobs when she denied his advances.
She claims this happened on more than one occasion and recalls one instance in which she turned down Marciano’s request to come to her hotel and woke up the following day to news she was fired because he said she had “gotten fat”.
Upton told Time that she wanted to “quit modeling” for years because of Marciano’s behavior, and that she blamed herself for his actions.
However, she now says she is “sick of being silenced” and that she is “not going to let him intimidate me anymore”.
In addition to Upton’s accusations, four other women have also come forward with allegations against Marciano.
Model Lindsey Ring claims that Marciano forcibly kissed her, model Miranda Vee alleges that Marciano and photographer Bruce Weber sexually harassed her, and former employees Amber Alena and Latina that Mariciano behaved inappropriately towards them.
In response to the allegations, Guess issued a statement saying that they take the allegations “very seriously” and will be conducting an investigation.
Upton rose to fame in 2011 when she appeared on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. She has since gone on to model for other high-profile brands, including Victoria’s Secret, and has also ventured into acting, appearing in films such as “The Other Woman” and “The Layover”.
Marciano co-founded Guess in 1981 and has served as the company’s creative director. He has faced previous accusations of sexual harassment, but has denied all of the allegations against him.
In his statement to Time, he said, “I have never behaved inappropriately toward any model signed to our agency. We have a professional code of conduct that I have always enforced.”
He also added, “I fully support the #metoo movement. At the same time, I will not allow others to defame me and tarnish my reputation. I have pledged to Guess and its board of directors my full support and cooperation with a fair and impartial investigation.”
Guess has also released a statement in response to the allegations, saying, “The Company takes very seriously any allegations of sexual misconduct. The Company has retained outside counsel to conduct an investigation of this matter and will take all appropriate actions based on the investigation’s findings.”
In addition to the allegations of sexual misconduct, Upton has also claimed that Marciano had a tendency to bully and belittle models.
She said, “He wasn’t just sexually harassing me, he was mentally and emotionally harassing me.”
“I remember him saying to me, ‘You’re not a model, you’re just a fat pig.’ He would say it over and over again. I would be in the middle of a shoot, and he would call me in and tell me to put my arms up, and he would pinch my waist and tell me I was fat.”
