Supermodel Karen Mulder, once a prominent figure in the fashion world, has broken a 30-year silence to speak about what she describes as "horrible, inhumane things" she experienced during her career. In an exclusive interview with German Vogue for its September issue, Mulder, 57, details her disappearance from the spotlight in 2000 and her reasons for speaking out now.
Mulder, who was a top-earning model in the 1990s, working for major fashion houses and appearing on Vogue covers nine times, claims she was an early whistleblower regarding sexual abuse within the industry. In 2001, she spoke about coercive behavior, severe abuse, drug use, and threats on a French talk show, and also provided a statement to French police. Shortly after, she was admitted to a psychiatric facility in Paris. Upon her release, she recanted her allegations to the police, stating she had fabricated them.
In the new Vogue interview, Mulder states she was "locked away" and "silenced," and "forced to say I had made it all up." She did not specify who was responsible for these actions. "I thought that because I was famous, people would believe me," she told the magazine. "All I wanted was for those terrible things to stop – for men to stop thinking they could do whatever they pleased."
While Mulder claims she never personally met Jeffrey Epstein, her name has been mentioned in connection with documents related to him and the alleged supply of women to powerful men through modeling agents. Her former agent was Gerald Marie, owner of Elite Model Management and ex-husband of fellow supermodel Linda Evangelista. In July, reports emerged that Marie, 76, is facing rape allegations from six women, some of whom were models working for him in the 1980s and 1990s. Marie has denied all claims. In March, 15 former models reportedly sent a letter to the Paris prosecutor linking Marie to Epstein through legal documents.
Mulder expressed that she feels "now is the right time to come back" and is looking towards the future with "nothing but positivity." A catwalk appearance is reportedly planned for the following month. The article refers to her as "the blonde with bravery."