Reports are surfacing some media have been barred from entering a breakfast this morning for the launch of Lorna Jane Clarkson’s new book.
Clarkson is the founder of sportswear brand Lorna Jane, which has recently come under fire for an ad it posted on Seek searching for a receptionist/model that called for very specific body measurements.
SBS has reportedly been blocked from entering the Brisbane event this morning; however Clarkson allegedly spoke out about the controversy for the first time since it erupted on Monday.
Clarkson said the ordeal had been so overwhelming she’d “just closed the doors” as she thought the issue had been blown out of proportion.
“I just really wanted to let it play itself out and what I really got from it was that I had such wonderful support from fans of the brand,” the SBS reported Clarkson telling the breakfast.
“My regret is that the people talking about the ad didn’t read it, they just read the heading,” she said.
“I feel like they just read it and then someone made a comment and then they were reading the comments rather than actually taking the time to read the job description.”
On Monday afternoon during the ruckus, B&T spoke to a Lorna Jane spokesperson who said there had been miscommunication around what was meant by the term ‘Fit Model’.
Similarly, industry experts suggested to B&T it was an honest mistake, and the had just been worded poorly.
“The ad was simply poorly written as what they were advertising for is a dual role – a receptionist who could also be a model, however this wasn’t clear and has now blown up,” said Hannah O’Donnell, managing director of PR company Straight Up Pr.
