Model Behavior

So, it seems that Kate Moss is in a bit of trouble, stemming from allegations that she is a coke-head. Burberry is just the latest fashion line to drop her from a high-profile ad campaign. This turn of events has the whole fashion and entertainment world buzzing, and is practically ruining whatever time Moss has left in her life as a model. Let's face it, at 31 she's ancient by industry standards. There are more than enough beautiful, young, catty girls willing to take an aging model's place. As Neil Young said, "it's better to burn out than to fade away", so perhaps this is all for the best. Or she could look at it in the Bon Jovial way, which she might more easily identify with, that she's "going out in a blaze of glory". Not that losing your job due to drug use is a glorious affair. But in the glitzy world of entertainment, you become an instant icon when your vices become your undoing. The media and its minions like nothing better than a big crash and burn. It's the ultimate celebrity cliche...and people never stop talking about it.

I've never liked Kate Moss. She looks like someone I'd like to smack. Not because she's a model (oops sorry, supermodel), because I've never been the type to be irrationally jealous of beautiful women whom I don't personally know. (Now, my friend Dana looks like she could be a model and as much as I love her, I'd like to smack her too. She's the Scarlett O'Hara to my Melanie.) However, I was somewhat on her side in all this. Not because I'm a toot-head myself. Absolutely not. I just think it's so hypocritical of the modeling industry to turn this girl into a pariah for doing what, no doubt, a lot of models do without getting caught. I was on her side until she issued a public apology. This is one of my peeves about celebrities and their misdeeds. Their agents force them into issuing these half-hearted "sorries" when we all know that they're either not sorry or don't feel like they should have to apologize to a bunch of people they don't know. And why should they? If Kate Moss wants to apologize to her mother for doing drugs or getting photographed snorting a line, that's perfectly understandable. But she doesn't need to say a damn thing to me. I don't care. Furthermore, she doesn't care that I don't care.

According to the above-linked story,
    A week ago Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper published grainy video camera stills which appeared to show Moss using cocaine in a music studio where her rock-star lover Pete Doherty - a self-confessed drug addict - was recording with his band.

    Other newspapers took up the story eagerly, with tabloid titles running a series of lurid allegations in the following days about Moss involving sex and drugs.

First of all, I have to point out something that always makes me laugh. Did you ever notice that when the media is trying to portray someone in a seamy light, they will refer to his/her significant other as a lover rather than a girlfriend/boyfriend? It sort of conjures up images of those softcore Emmanuelle movies that are in constant rotation on Skinemax. Ooh,that Kate Moss. What a whore! She has a lover. They may as well just spell it luvah, because that's how everyone reads it. How Eurotrash of her to take a luvah and snort nose candy. This is how the media wants us to interpret that passage.

Secondly, as I said earlier, how is anyone in the celebrity realm at all surprised by this story? How are they allowed to show any type of shock or disdain for Kate Moss? These people are living in the biggest glass house in the universe. Models, actors, singers, randoms: lay down your stones. Give it up.

How do people expect someone like Kate Moss to keep up with the schedule of a supermodel and stay rail thin, without the aid of certain substances? Didn't any of these industry morons who are so disappointed in her now ever have a shred of concern for her before? People just don't start doing lines overnight. And women who don't have a penchant for drugs don't immediately start looking for things to stick up their noses just because they've hooked up with wannabe rock stars. (Yeah, I can say "wannabe"...he's in The Libertines for Christie Brinkley's sake.) There had to have been signs. The biggest sign? Uh, well, she's a supermodel. And not just any supermodel. She was the damn poster-girl for "heroin chic" back in the not-so-distant day.

It may help to understand why models would be prone to drug use if we take a look at a typical supermodel's diet.

Breakfast: 1/2 rice cake
3 cigarettes
5 cups of coffee, black

Pre-Lunch Snack: 1 cigarette
3 Mimosas

Lunch: 1 slice of fat free turkey breast on a cracker
2 cigarettes
Large bottle of Evian water
1 extra-strength Ex-Lax

Post-Lunch Snack: 4 cigarettes

Dinner: 4 oz. caviar on pieces of cut-up cardboard
Bottle of champagne
10 cigarettes

Midnight Snack: 2 cigarettes
4 squirts cherry flavored Binaca

Now, is it any wonder that these gals may need a little something to keep them alive, conscious and not ravenously hungry? I'm not surprised to hear that Kate Moss has a coke habit. I would be surprised if I heard that she was a huge pot-head. I doubt too many models smoke weed on a regular basis. No one wants to hire a model with the munchies.

Comments

Bar L. said…
I have to agree that Kate is getting the crappy end of the stick I am sure tons of models follow in her footsteps, she had the unfortune of getting caught on film.

But here is what I don't get...why is she a super model in the first place? I personally don't find her at all appealing. Yukko!

But then again I am more of a Catherine Zeta Jones type - that's beauty. Or Gwen Stefani - that's a great body with funky style and class. Charlize Theron...another good one. I know these chicks are not models, but they are soooo pretty.
BeckEye said…
Hey hey hey...whoa, now. Let's just lay off the CZJ talk. She's mine. ;)
cmhl said…
I agree, coke isn't such a surprise. pot WOULD be a surprise, b/c those midnight brownies would mess with the size 0 figure. hahahaha!

(that is what I have HEARD anyway, I admit nothing. haha.)
Brooks Brown said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Brooks Brown said…
That diet is right on! I love every minute of this post. Interesting how no one cares about models like Kate Moss being corpselike in her 90 pound appearance, but suddenly outraged that she has done cocaine. What a shock! She is no longer an example for all the young girls out there who are looking to her as a role model because of this?
Call me crazy, but I think the most beautiful women look like they weigh enough to actually menstruate. CZJ, Lorraine Bracco, Patrica Arquette, Susan Sarandon --all gorgeous, but probably considering obese by Cosmo standards. I am with you all the way beckeye. I never cared for her in the first place. Something about that emaciated, death bed look has never been attractive to me and I have never understand how anyone else can feel differently.
People are so hypocritical, it's nauseating. We want our models to be inhuman, to look like NONE of us ever will, and we want it to be by sheer genes and grace and a good, clean lifestyle. Duh! Then we embrace their "fall" when it's revealed they do anything outside the realm of that good, clean lifestyle.

You know what always cracks me up? The fact that the people I know who read the fashion mags, know all the models by name, can tell you about their personal lives, and they shop at Walmart for clothes. Not you, BeckEye, but people here, in the fashion-bereft midwest. They study fashion and modeling, yet sport Kathy Lee's casual line in homage. We're all a bit retarded if you ask me.
Anonymous said…
Catherine Zeta-Jones - I have to "name-drop" now. It hit our local "web news blurb" last winter that Michael Douglas and CZJ had a layover at our local airport (Sault Ste. Marie is SMALL - they wer probably the only people IN the airport), and that an airport employee arranged for a local restauranteur to deliver some specialty they serve, so the celebs wouldn't starve. Apparently CZJ was so impressed with the food that she requested more of it delivered before their plane left again. Of course, us "little people" didn't hear about the visit until AFTER the plane left, but it's about the closest many of us ever came to HUGE stars. I'm as proud of their visit as if I'd arranged it myself.

How ANY human being can become THAT famous and NOT develop a drug habit is beyond me... I'm considering developing one NOW!
Johnny Wadd said…
Great post. The fact is half the globe is on coke and 98 % of anyone connected to any kind of fame. Getting caught is the ultimate shame i suppose.
Anonymous said…
Did someone say Catherine Zeta Jones ?

Now that's a beautiful woman. And very classy looking.
What I'm wondering is just exactly HOW CZJ canstay married to Michael Douglas. He gives me the creeps.


I'm gonna go develop a coke habit and lose some weight now. Maybe I can get a high(ha-ha!)-priced contract with Burberry now that Katie is out of a job.
Jean said…
Great post Bec! My first thought when I read this is that all anyone has to do is look at her to know she is doing something to stay that slim. I mean, if she was fifteen, fine-but she is in her thirties now. Hello! It pisses me off that the folks that won't hire her now were hiring her before because she was famous for being rail thin. Who cares what she does at home if she takes a good photo. That is really all they should be concerned with. If she killed someone I would understand the whole thing.
Anonymous said…
I figured they all took speed to stay thin anyways, what's a few snorts of coke between friends?
Hotboy said…
We got coke once from Maimi since I hoped it would be better than the cut crap we got in Scotland, but it was the same crap. Never understood coke. The lines always looked like speed to me and I was always so disappointed. I only ever really enjoyed it when I had a line when I was half pissed. The lines in the photies were really long. Shows that the coke was really badly cut. Crap drug. Anything in a powder can be cut so much. Still, the photie of her you show makes her look great. Some cats got it, some cat don't.