by Hurst

Created on: February 17, 2007   Last Updated: May 09, 2007

Kate Moss is one of the most iconic faces of our generation - perhaps the most photographed woman on the planet. She has also been beset by enough scandals to end her career several times over. What is her appeal?
To answer this, you need to know a little of her origins and a bit of popular psychology. Kate was "discovered" by Storm modelling agency at JFK airport at the age of 14 - a skinny, snaggle-toothed girl who had not yet grown into her own face. But she epitomised the new Zeitgeist: people were getting tired of contrived, manufactured 80s "beauty" and wanted something more authentic. Kate was in the right place at the right time, and a series of controversial but effective ad campaigns (including for Calvin Klein) ensured her rise to the top of the industry.

Kate lives her own life under her own terms: sleeps with who she wants to, drinks, smokes and takes whatever else she feels like. When she was snapped taking cocaine in 2005, the tabloids signalled that it was the end of her career. Instead, she came back even more popular than ever before - she earned three times as much in 2006.

You have to understand that celebrity is as much a reflection of society as an influence on it. Essentially, we pick the celebrities we want because they are a projection of our own aspirations and values. It's a sorry statement about our culture that we pick the ones we do. But we can hardly act surprised when they misbehave: that's all part of the allure. We can look at them and say - "I want to be like that - the money, the adoration of others". What we desire is actually the desire of others. But of course, most ordinary mortals can't be like Kate or other celebrities (this, of course, is the attraction of reality TV - everyday people being elevated to celebrity status with no talent and little input of their own). So it really sweetens things when our heroes fall. We can say, effectively, "even with all that privilege, she still can't keep her life together." Fallen heroes are much more attractive than supermen and women.

Kate's got it down perfectly. She came into the public eye because she possessed unusual looks - later, beauty - and some flair on the catwalk. And she stays there because she gives the public exactly what they want. Check out the new biography on Amazon for more.

Learn more about this author, Hurst.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.