WASHINGTON DC: Actress and model Kate Upton, who accused Guess co-founder Paul Marciano of using his power to harass women, has shed light on the allegations.
In an interview with Time magazine, the 25-year-old claims Marciano sexually harassed and assaulted her in July 2010, after the first day of shooting on a Guess lingerie campaign.
“As soon as I walked in with photographer Yu Tsai, Paul came straight up to me, forcibly grabbed my breasts and started feeling them — playing with them actually,” she said, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
“After I pushed him away, he said, 'I'm making sure they're real'.”
Upton further said, Marciano "continued to touch me in a very dominating and aggressive way, grabbing my thighs, my arms to pull me closer, my shoulders to pull me closer, my neck, my breasts, and smelling me."
After Upton denied Marciano, she said, she was fired. "Someone had called my agency to say I had gotten fat and would not be needed on set (that day). I was devastated, especially because at this point no one from Guess had even seen me."
According to Upton, Marciano began texting her frequently after that incident. She claims that he used language that was "was extremely dominant and possessive."
When Guess asked her to do the 2012 campaign and offered her $400,000 - the highest paying offer at the time - Upton said she turned it down to avoid interacting with Marciano.
“It took a huge toll on my confidence and self-worth. I wanted to quit modeling. I constantly blamed myself after it happened,” Upton said.
"I’m sick of being silenced and expected to sweep everything under the rug," she added.
"I’m sick of being expected to laugh off these aggressive advances and accept the power imbalances that exist. I’m sick of being expected to endure all of this while being polite and professional through it all."
"Paul used his power to make me feel insecure and powerless, but I’m not going to let him intimidate me anymore. These men think they are untouchable, but times are changing."
Marciano has previously denied the model's allegations, calling them “absolutely false” and “preposterous.”