Tuesday, July 14, 2009

"F***ing irresponsible" - Emma Balfour weighs in on fashion's heroin chic enablers


priscillas

Frockwriter told you about Emma Balfour’s runway comeback in September at Marc Jacobs and Alexander Wang. Her appearances at RAFW in May. And her Bondi backyard. So it was with some interest that we spotted her throwing down in this interview from Sunday's The Sun Herald which has just gone online. Balfour dismisses vogue.com.au’s recent glib portrayal of her as “the face of heroin chic in the 1990s” as "boring", before telling the paper, “You know, there were girls who were junkies. And they were being propped up, and people loved their out-of-it, glazed-over thing that was happening, and it was just f---in' irresponsible. People used to find it hilarious because I was the only girl who had never tried cocaine, let alone anything else. It ... didn't apply to me. But I was thin and overworked. I know lots of people who, when they get busy, just drop weight and that's just what I was like, for more natural reasons than having a heroin habit." In handing the smack chic crown to Balfour, vogue.com.au overlooked several other '90s "superwaifs", notably Kate Moss - who, of course, is no stranger to cocaine. Balfour says that Moss has “always been quite emotionally fragile and I don't think she's been really looked after well enough, especially by herself." As for Balfour's return to the business at the age of 40, she notes: "Once the economy goes down, you need to do as many different demographics as you can and bring the old birds in who people are familiar with."

4 comments:

Eleanor said...

I love how a model is finally taking a stand against the whole crack-addict-as-fashion scene. It is so irresponsible and sends such a shit message to young girls; you only look good if you're super super thin, and you can only become super super thin by taking drugs that will ultimately fuck up your life.

Anonymous said...

Quite a sick, strange time in fashion history wasn't it? The behind the scenes stuff (propping people up?) sounds even sicker...

Anonymous said...

Many of today's super-skinnies are so because they were malnourished as kids (the Eastern European contingent)--just like Twiggy and crew in the 60s. Sad. Let's all celebrate starvation and drug addiction in the name of fashion. Anyway, welcome back Emma--you're a breath of fresh air! And have you all noticed the number of the "old gals" who are back in the spotlight (even Anna W. has put old lady Turlington on a cover).

Style On Track said...

As a young girl in the magazine reader demographic, I would LOVE to see more full figured normal healthy girls in magazines, girls such as Daisy Lowe and Lara Stone are gorgeous and not stick thin. Also loving that although Kate Moss is still tiny, she does seem to be gaining some weight and looking more gorgeous then ever :)

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