Seemingly disgraced beyond repair and relegated to the ash heap of celebrity has-beens only a few months ago, Kate Moss is back and bigger than ever.
The pencil-thin, drug ingesting supermodel has been featured on recent covers of W and Vanity Fair, and served as a guest editor to French Vogue. She’s also signed corporate spokesperson gigs with Virgin Mobile, Dior, Roberto Cavelli and CK Jeans.
If that weren’t enough, Nikon has just built a new campaign around the Anorexia poster princess for 
a new line of cameras. So, what’s wrong with this picture? Plenty. What has become of our society when we glorify "bad" or "troubled" people like Moss? What sort of message does it send to our kids? Are we saying that unacceptable behavior is not only ok, it’s the best way to become a star? And, what sort of image does it convey about the corporations who pay Moss to pose with their wares?
That said, and giving the devil her due, Moss has clearly risen like the legendary Phoenix from the ashes of disgrace and defeat. So, how about the city of Phoenix "adopting" this morose model as its official symbol? She could ride on floats in parades, throw out the first ball at D’back baseball games and do all sorts of things that born-again quasi-celebrities do. Such a partnership would differentiate Phoenix from other Sun Belt cities and also enable the 32-year-old Moss to scout out pre-retirement housing for herself. And, speaking of retirement and retirees, how about this Phoenix of a celeb doing guest appearances at local restaurants during their early "bird" special meal offerings? Talk about karma…..
Here’s the point that everyone is missing- Get over her! This blog is the exact reason why she’s making money, why these companies use her as their image and why everyone seems to think it’s okay to be a drug addict. It’s free PR, and free PR gets you print ads. Getting caught doing drugs was the best business move Kate Moss ever made.
Seriously though, I can’t believe that Kate Moss is still making head lines and people are obsessing about her every move. Everyone is trying to make this big deal about Kate Moss and her life, how tragic it’s been, blah blah blah. There is nothing deep about it- she got busted doing lines in public and now everyone thinks that she is a victim, which I cannot understand.
Kate has made several life choices that are not good for her image, why should blowing lines of coke be the straw that breaks her rail thin back? She made her money promoting an unhealthy image as a young girl and she’ll keep doing it until she dies. Drugs & fashion go hand in hand. (People don’t give up eating, exercise and a normal life for nothing- you need something to get your mind off it all & keep you partying into the wee hours of the morning.)
She was/ possibly still is dating the most notorious bad boys of UK Rock, who has time and time again said he uses drugs and always will. She has an out of wedlock child. She has no education. She really has no talent to even be a model considering the fact that she’s 5’7″.
Kate got a lucky break when she was a teen and she should have been thankful for it. Today she should be thankful to the media and the stupidity of the common folk to make idols out of idiots. The only way for people like her to quit making money is for others to stop discussing the “issues” of her life and just get over it, her and the whole thing.
People like to watch the car crash- no matter how horrific it is… Even more so, they want to be the one who can tell all their friends that they were there when it happened first.
I’m sort of surprised that among a series of posts from current and former (i.e. disgraced) PR professionals, that no one is focusing on the people who are truly responsible for Ms. Moss’ rise from the ashes: the media.
As we all know, the media love to tear ’em down and then build them back up, and if possible, tear ’em down again and so on and so forth. A la Martha, Charlie Sheen, Bill Clinton and so many others, the mainstream media love this because it sells papers and it kills in the ratings.
As such, the recovery of Moss and her other celebrity cohorts are based on totally false pretences. It’s not about turning her life around or overcoming her drug problems amidst great adversity; it’s about tabloids selling papers because this stuff is GREAT for ratings.
So, if you don’t like Kate Moss and her drug taking ways, then don’t buy the tabloid newspapers or watch the tabloid TV shows. If you so admire Kate Moss for what she’s done, then you’ve been brainwashed by the shallow and trivial nature of mainstream, consumer media.
No Repman, I am not missing any point, I am making a DIFFERENT point which you continue to ignore. When you use words like you did above to describe someone on a public forum, it is plain and simply wrong! As much of an expert as your are in PR, you can’t tell me you know Kate personally, can you? And assuming you don’t know her, how can you use such words to describe someone you only know through the media.
While I agree that drug addicts, liars, cheaters should not be rewarded, I also know that people can try and remake themselves and turn their lives around. Has Kate done that? I don’t know. But I do know that using the type of adjectives you did above, and the negativity you use in other instances is wrong. Can’t you just address that point without telling me I missed your point?
Interesting question you bring up Rae. I even asked myself why am I still entranced by this waif-like beauty? Is it because she reminds us that flaws are indeed beautiful? Or is it because she is a rebel, refusing to grow up and old? (She parties way harder than my peers!) Is bad still cool? Maybe I’ll grow out of it…
The fashion world is widely known to be fickle – one minute they love you, the next you are a pariah. I had no doubt that Kate would rise again after her drug scandal. I just didn’t expect her to soar… what does this say about our popular culture? We like what we’re not supposed to like..?
I-man, as is your habit, you once again have missed my point. Our society sets a dangerous precedent for children when it rewards liars, cheaters and drug addicts with fame and fortune. Why is it so difficult for you to grasp that fact? This troubling trend belies the long-cherished belief that a person’s or corporation’s reputation is priceless, takes years to build but can be destroyed in only a matter of minutes. The kate moss’s of the world are a new phenomenon who, no matter how many bad mistakes they make, are still rewarded. Do you want your kids to grow up thinking they can get away with the same sort of behavior?
Repman, I just don’t get it. As Laura states above, Kate Moss is trying to pick up her career. She had some personal issues- she didn’t kill anyone for g-ds sake. But again, rather than focusing on the facts, you use negative terms like “drug ingesting supermodel & Anorexia poster princess.”
What would be so bad in writing your thoughts without the adjectives?
In terms of the topic itself, Laura hit the nail on the head- Kate Moss is a brand, and the ads they are running are grabbing people’s attention- the point of the ad! Why do you have so much trouble recognizing that (as you did with Danika Patrick) and why do you have so much trouble with Kate Moss trying to get back on track?
I think there is a lot to be said for a society that thrives on scandal and equally devours a redemption story. Your post establishes that post-rehab, Kate Moss picked up her career with gusto, but I’ve noticed a pattern. After Martha Stewart did time, she came back with a hugely successful furniture collection, a reality series, and a partnership with a major department store. Even Paris Hilton moved past her sex tape scandal, returning to, well, whatever it is that she does.
So, what factors contribute to one’s potential to rise from a crippling PR mess and regain a career? I think “brand” awareness plays a major role: Despite her personal issues, Kate Moss is a credited with being one of the most professional models in the industry. Her look has proven marketable time after time…and she fits into sample sizes…..To Martha Stewart’s credit, she may have done a tiny bit of insider trading, but she still bakes a killer chocolate soufflé…