The following deals with sexual assault and rape, which may be triggering for some readers.
In late 2017, reporters from The New York Times and The New Yorker drew back the curtain on one of Hollywood’s best-known and most-shameful secrets: over the course of several decades, hugely influential producer Harvey Weinstein had leveraged his position to create opportunities to sexually harass, assault and rape multiple women.
As the ‘silence breakers’ — from little known aspiring actors and assistants, to big names like Ashley Judd, Angelina Jolie and Rose McGowan — bravely told their truth, there was another woman on the fringes of it all who bravely chose to believe them.
Georgina Chapman, Harvey Weinstein’s then-wife.
Watch: Australian actors on dealing with sexual harassment. (Post continues below.)
Weinstein was this week convicted of raping one woman and sexually assaulting another, crimes which could land him in prison for between five and 29 years.
Chapman, a British-born fashion designer and co-founder of the label Marchesa, has so far remained silent on the verdict. But has previously made it clear where her sympathies lie.
Top Comments
She married a man who pushed her clothes onto his celebrities and made it a red carpet staple, but she had no vested interests at all? Even aside from the assault, Weinstein had people followed and threatened, he’s thanked in more oscars speeches than God because everyone knew that if you weren’t in with Harvey, he would make sure you were out of the industry. And the main issue was that she immediately came out supporting her husband, but then changed her mind after the public backlash against her brand. Marrying him was a business decision and so was leaving him.
Also, the clothes are nothing special, so without Harvey pushing them onto A listers I’m not surprised the brand isn’t thriving.
"Marrying him was a business decision"
I think many people see marriage as some form of business decision. And I actually don't see anything wrong with that. Modern western society has created this requirement that marriage can only be about true love.
There's something wrong with it when you claim to be completely ignorant of your business partner's dealings when he's a criminal, especially when you're making personal profit from the relationship. Chapman strategically jumped ship, but it's totally unbelievable that she wasn't aware of, if not complicit with, his behaviour. Weinstein was an open secret in Hollywood. Everyone knew.
So Courtney Love knew about Weinstein, but his wife had no idea whatsoever. Sure, Jan.