Saturday, September 09, 2006

Hypocrisy: What We Learned From Kate Moss

White (like powder) is still alright, black (like crack) is still wack...

We're watching VH1's "Fabulous Life of Comeback Stars," and of course Kate Moss is high on the list. She's being lauded for her ability to "come back" within like 60 days of her fall from grace - you know, the whole snorting coke on camera thing. This is a sore subject for us something that has been making us sick. Why? We'll give you an example.


Kate Moss graces the cover of this month's Vanity Fair, an homage to Marlene Deitrich and old Hollywood. September issues of major magazines are the actually the year's biggest, particularly fashion magazines. Advertisers clamor to be in these issues, unveiling new ad campaigns to highlight their most recent wares. Prime positions for ads are within a few pages of the cover, but before the masthead. This is primo primo space. Kate Moss appears on the cover gatefold in a four page spread for Calvin Klein (this is essentially four pages of ads attached to the front cover...simply put, it costs a fortune for Calvin Klein, and is a model's dream). Two pages down the road, she's in a 2 page spread for Louis Vuitton. Turn 5 pages, she's in a 2 page spread for Christian Dior. Turn 4 pages, you'll find Kate Moss in a 2 page spread for Burberry. Turn 6 pages for the masthead, and you see Kate Moss as Marlene Deitrich. To summarize, between the cover and the masthead there are a total of 12 advertisers. Of these 12 high-end campaigns, in premium ad space, 4 have selected Kate Moss to be the face of their luxury brand. Yes, one-third. Of course, her appearances in the magazine do not stop there - Kate Moss ads fill the editorial well...Kate Moss for Versace, Kate Moss for Kate Moss.


Kate Moss has been awarded 14 new ad campaigns, including most recently, Agent Provocateur, since her public "shaming." This comes exactly one year after she was videotaped vacuuming powder off a mirror with her nose. I mean, like, there was evidence. She has been praised for her comeback in every major media outlet. Comeback, we think, is a misnomer. Come back from what? From an industry who in 1992 herladed her as the second coming because of her "heroine chic" appearance. Drugs, and in particular cocaine, retain a little cachet, yes, cachet, among the whites. Let a negro smoke some weed, and we're a culture of degenerates. Hypocrisy.

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