Kate Moss says she was a ‘scapegoat’ in response to backlash in early Noughties
Nineties supermodel Kate Moss has said she believe she was made a “scapegoat” for other people’s problems when she faced criticism for allegedly glorifying being thin as well as substance abuse.
The runway star, 48, reflected on a 1993 shoot for British Vogue during an appearance on Desert Island Discs.
Photographed by Corinne Day, the pictures saw Moss, who was 19 at the time, lounging around her flat in London.
One photograph showed her wearing a light blue mini skirt and pink lace bra.
In another she posed on the bed, wearing fitted white T-shirt, pink knickers, and sheer, natural tights.
Opening up about some of the criticism she faced at the time, Moss told host Lauren Laverne: “I think I was a scapegoat for a lot of people’s problems.
“I was never anorexic, I never have been. I had never taken heroin. I was thin because I didn’t get fed at shoots or in shows and I had always been thin.
“It was a fashion shoot. It was shot at my flat and that is how I could afford to live at the time.
“And I think it was a shock because I wasn’t voluptuous and I was just a normal girl. I wasn’t a glamazon model, and I think that shocked them.”
Moss grew up in Croydon, London. She was scouted in 1988 aged 14 by Storm Management.
She faced controversy after a 2009 interview, when she disclosed that one of her mantras is “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”.
In a later interview with NBC in 2018, Moss said she regretted using the phrase.
“My friend used to say it, because you know, we were all living together, and we’d go for the biscuits and go: ‘Oh, nothing tastes as g...’ It’s a little jingle...” she explained.
Doubling down on her comments, Moss suggested the phrase had been taken out of context as a “soundbite”.
“Basically I was doing an interview and at the time I was living with [hairdresser] Jimmy B and my friend and she was a bit of a snacker,” she told Laverne.
“So on the fridge Jimmy B had written, ‘Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels’ and when the person asked me, I don’t know why, it just came [to me] because that was what was happening at the time.
“We were saying it because it was funny. But obviously they were like, ‘Soundbite!’ and that was that.”
Moss also addressed furor around several photographs published by a newspaper in 2005, which appeared to show her taking cocaine in a recording studio with then-boyfriend Pete Doherty.
She said: “I felt sick and was quite angry because everybody I knew took drugs, so for them to focus on me and try to take my daughter away, I thought was really hypocritical.”
Asked why she had apologised publicly, Moss replied: “I kind of had to apologise really because if people were looking up to me, I had to apologise.”
Earlier this week, Moss joked about her love of “coke” as she was named the new creative director of Diet Coke.
Speaking at an event in London, Moss told the audience at the launch event that she has “always loved coke”.
If you or someone you know is suffering from drug addiction, you can seek confidential help and support 24-7 from Frank, by calling 0300 123 6600, texting 82111, sending an email or visiting their website here.
In the US, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration can be reached at 1-800-662-HELP.
For anyone struggling with the issues raised in this piece, eating disorder charity Beat’s helpline is available 365 days a year on 0808 801 0677. You can visit their website here.
NCFED offers information, resources and counselling for those suffering from eating disorders, as well as their support networks. They can be reached by phone on 845 838 2040 or their website here.
