Former supermodel Karen Mulder has ended a 30-year period of silence to address the sexual abuse she endured within the fashion industry. In a recent intervieew with German Vogue, the Dutch star detailed how she was coerced into retracting her previous allegations.
The 2001 disappearance of a $10,000-a-day star
During the 1990s, Karen Mulder was one of the most successful models in the world, earning upwards of $10,000 per day.. According to the report, she worked for major fashion houses including Chanel, Dior, Versace, and Victoria's Secret, and appeared on the cover of Vogue nine times. However, her meteoric rise, which began when she was talent-spotted at age 15, was met with a dark reality of coercive behavior, drug use, and threats.
The turning point for the 57-year-old star occurred in 2001 when she attempted to speak on a French talk show about the industry's misconduct. As reported by German Vogue, this attempt at whistleblowing led to her being admitted to a psychiatric facility in Paris, where she eventually told police she had "fabricated" her claims. This incident occurred years before the global Me Too movement brought similar systemic issues to light.
Gerald Marie and the shadow of the Epstein files
The investigation into industry misconduct extends to Mulder’s former agent, Gerald Marie, the 76-year-old owner of Elite and ex-husband of Linda Evangelista.. The report notes that Marie is currently facing rape allegations from six women, some of whom were models working for him during the 1980s and 1990s. furthermore, while Mulder claims she never met Jeffrey Epstein in person, her name has surfaced in relation to the Epstein files,which allegedly exposed the supply of women to powerful men via modeling agents.
Who forced the retraction of Mulder’s 2001 statement?
While Mulder has finally broken her silence, several critical details regarding her 2001 experience remain unverified. She told German Vogue that she was "forced to say I had made it all up," yet she has not identified the specific individuals or entities responsible for this coercion. it remains unknown whether the pressure to retract came from her management, industry figures, or medical professionals during her time in the Paris psychiatric facility.
The 15 models and the Paris prosecutor's investigation
Legal scrutiny regarding the modeling industry's past is intensifying in France. In March,15 former models wrote to the Paris prosecutor claiming to possess legal documents that link Gerald Marie to Epstein. While Marie denies all claims, the collective action of these moedls suggests a growing movement to hold powerful industry figures accountable for decades of alleged misconduct.
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