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Kelly Rissman
US News Reporter
Kate Moss says that the parents of girls with eating disorders would harass her in the street during what in the Nineties was branded her “heroin chic” look.
The supermodel, 50, stars in new Disney+ documentary, In Vogue: The 90s, and said that she was targeted for being “skinny” and having a “different” body shape.
“Parents would come up to me and say, ‘My daughter’s anorexic’. It was awful,” she said.
“I think because I was just skinny, and people weren’t used to seeing skinny. But if I’d been more buxom, it wouldn’t have been such a big deal. It’s just that my body shape was different from the models before me.”
Moss faced backlash after she said, “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” in 2009, but later distanced herself from the statement. She said it was a “little jingle” her flatmate would say and was not intended to promote harm.
Body image campaigners accused Moss of promoting eating disorders.
Heroin chic was associated with a waif-like frame, pale skin, and tired eyes. Vogue editor Anna Wintour commented on the look in the documentary as she said, “That look – very undernourished-looking model – made people uncomfortable.
“Many of us at Vogue worried about heroin chic or anorexia, all the things that are associated with that look. It got to such a fever pitch. I remember physically being in the White House when the Clinton administration took the issue on.”
Fashion editor Catherine Kasterine reflected on the backlash that was received following the then 19-year-old Moss’s Vogue cover, in which she posed in lingerie.
“The public were not ready. They were absolutely appalled,” she said. “Immediately, the pictures were completely vilified and slammed. Perhaps we’d underestimated how that look had in our minds been quite normal.”
At the time that “heroin chic” emerged in the culture, it was criticised by designers including John Galliano and Stella McCartney. They hit out at the “glamourising” of addictive substances and the potential influence on younger people.
“We also disapprove of the fashion industry glamorising the use of addictive substances,” a statement by thirteen designers said in 1997. “This could have a detrimental effect on the lives of young people, many of whom are greatly influenced by the appearance and actions of members of our industry.”
For anyone struggling with the issues raised in this article, eating disorder charity Beat’s helpline is available 365 days a year on 0808 801 0677. NCFED offers information, resources and counselling for those suffering from eating disorders, as well as their support networks. Visit eating-disorders.org.uk or call 0845 838 204
If you have been affected by this article, you can contact the following organisations for support: actiononaddiction.org.uk, mind.org.uk, nhs.uk/livewell/mentalhealth, mentalhealth.org.uk.
