Kate Upton has accused the co-founder of Guess of sexual misconduct
In a tweet posted on Wednesday night, January 31st, Kate Upton accused Guess co-founder Paul Marciano of sexual misconduct. Minutes after posting her tweet, the supermodel continued the conversation on her Instagram account.
Upton joins the seemingly countless victims of sexual misconduct now standing together within the #MeToo movement. #MeToo gained momentum in late 2017 after several female actresses accused Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault.
"It’s disappointing that such an iconic women’s brand @GUESS is still empowering Paul Marciano as their creative director #metoo," Upton wrote on Twitter. She then posted on Instagram, "He shouldn’t be allowed to use his power in the industry to sexually and emotionally harass women."
In 2011, Upton became a spokeswoman for the GUESS brand, founded in 1981 by Marciano and his three brothers. She followed in the footsteps of Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Anna Nicole Smith, and Drew Barrymore, to name just a few other GUESS celebrity spokeswomen. After Upton’s term, Priyanka Chopra stepped into GUESS ads in 2013 and Gigi Hadid followed in 2014.
Upton’s tweet spurred others to step forward and comment on Marciano’s inappropriate behavior. One of Marciano’s former employees responded to Upton’s tweet, writing that she was always too afraid to say anything.
It’s disappointing that such an iconic women’s brand @GUESS is still empowering Paul Marciano as their creative director #metoo
— Kate Upton (@KateUpton) January 31, 2018
false
Thank you for speaking up on this. I personally know someone who was affected this way while I was working there. I'm sorry this happened to you as well.
— Cari (@SaviChick) February 1, 2018
Marciano’s camp has yet to respond to Upton’s allegations.
Some have already attempted to discredit Upton, tweeting that she’s a liar or that she’s weakening the #MeToo movement by not providing evidence for her claims. Let’s all take a moment to remember that stepping forward as a victim takes immense courage. We stand with Upton and are ready to listen to whatever she has to say whenever she’s ready to share it.
