Should We Blame the Fashion Industry for Noemie Lenoir’s Attempted Suicide?
Noemie Lenoir in Paris Vogue (ph: Mario Testino)
On May 9, French model Noemie Lenoir was found unconscious after ingesting a potentially lethal amount of drugs and alcohol. Her attempted suicide comes at a time when the fashion industry is still grieving the loss of Alexander McQueen and models Daul Kim and Ambrose Olsen, who all committed suicide recently.
You may recognize Noemie Lenoir from the fall 2010 Louis Vuitton show. She also walked in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and graced the cover of Paris Vogue. She was the face of GAP and L’Oreal advertisements and acted alongside Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in “Rush Hour 3.” She even had a heated televised argument with Karl Lagerfeld about racism in the fashion industry.
According to reports, Noemie was devastated by her boyfriend’s legal troubles. Noemie Lenoir had been dating Swiss millionaire Carl Hirschmann when he was accused of blackmail, extortion and engaging in sex with minors. Noemie is also still devastated that her ex-boyfriend Claude Makelele cheated on her and that he refused to reconcile their relationship. Claude and Noemie have a five year old son named Kelyan.
It has been speculated that Alexander McQueen committed suicide because of financial troubles and the death of his mother, and that Daul Kim committed suicide because of the pressures of being a model. The reasons for Ambrose Olsen’s suicide are still unknown, but I can’t help but wonder whether the industry is to blame in some way for all three deaths, as well as the attempted suicide of Noemie Lenoir.
In a recent New York Times interview, Joerg Koch, editor in chief of 032c Magazine, told Cathy Horyn,
If we were doing the magazine without any fashion stories, life would be super easy. Seriously. You can’t imagine. The magazine would run on auto-pilot. It would be a pleasure to produce.
When asked why fashion makes 032c so difficult to produce, Joerg said,
It’s the people in the industry. I don’t think you will ever meet so many unhappy people. People in the fashion industry are really contaminated with bad habits. A certain human kindness evaporates once you make a career in fashion. In the beginning you’re really treated badly and then you seem to get accustomed to it.
And although I might be taking his words out of context, I found his observations very poignant.
For every success story about a model that rises to the top without succumbing to alcohol, drugs or depression, there are hundreds more stories of people in the fashion industry that end up penniless, unhappy or dead. I’ve been reading MODEL by Michael Gross and House of Versace by Deborah Ball and both books are full of stories about how ugly the beautiful world of fashion is.
What do you think?
Is the fashion industry full of unhappy people with bad habits, or is it just misunderstood? Should we blame the fashion industry for the deaths of Alexander McQueen, Ambrose Olsen, Daul Kim and the attempted suicide of Noemie Lenoir? We want to hear your thoughts on this. As always, let us know with a comment.
Posted on on May 17, 2010 / Filed Under: Fashion News / Tags: Alexander McQueen, Ambrose Olsen, Daul Kim, Models, Noemie Lenoir, Suicide
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Lira Leirner
I don’t think the fashion industry can be blamed. Almost every industry that involves passion for the subject results in a high level of competition, which in turn results in fierce and sometimes inhumanely cruel interaction and rejection. This is not particular to the fashion industry but can be found in most high pressure, competitive industries. Take the movie business, for instance. Marilyn Monroe, among many others (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Actors_who_committed_suicide) and even more deaths indirectly related to the pressures of the industry (accidental overdose of anti-depressants Heith Legder and Brittany Murphy). Take another business at the other end of the spectrum: Brokerage and banking (http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/53341/). Apart from the high profile case of the Enron suicide, the pressure and horrible banking culture have taken, as it seems on the surface, taken their toll.
However, what many forget, is that suicide comes from depression, and depression is a mental illness (don’t forget that mental illness affects one on three people and is sadly misunderstood by the majority of people in society). Yes, there are contributing factors, which enhance and worsen these conditions, but in the end it cannot be blamed on the industry only but includes a variety of factors, including fame. However, we must bear in mind, that such factors simply magnify an already troubled mind.
Can I just add that every industry has both its ugly and good side? Without sounding too grand, this is simply human nature, and fashion reflects human nature as much as and maybe more so than most industries. Whichever industry you happen to land in, you will always encounter horrible, demeaning and incredibly competitive people, whose actions and pressure would impact a person prone to suffer from depression. Hence, I don’t think the fashion industry can be blamed.
m
ditto lira – i think part of it is also personality. not say anything bad about people in general, but some people succumb more easily to depression than others.
i think especially in these high pressure/profile jobs, it’s important to have a good support system behind you – people who will be there for you & are real, who will tell things to you straight up, no flattery or agendas. they help you get through the dark points in life & we all have those, high profile or not.
Jia En
Like with the 2 above, I don’t think the fashion industry is to blame.
As pointed out, every industry has its setbacks, challenges and difficulties and perhaps it’s more pronounced for the fashion and entertainment industry as a whole because the people within are under the media’s eye.
When a death occurs, it’s widely publicized. Hence it seems as though it’s the industry that’s to blame. But if we take a step back and think, i think we’ll realize that deaths due to life’s stresses occurs to every industry. But only those under the entertainment limelight are brought to the news.
Milana
I agree with the comments above!
Fashion to me is something beautiful and fun… There are many different industries where some people are not happy, we just don’t hear about them.
ThatManJustYawned
I’m not so sure. Very few industries are as superficial, demeaning and appearance-oriented as the fashion business. I do think that this can produce, or exacerbate, a certain sense of vapidness, which can adversely affect someone who’s lacking in mental health and/or a solid support system.
Cecile Pham
I do have to agree with #5. While we all like to believe that the fashion industry is fun, I’m sure most of us have a well balanced life to allow for that one area to still be fun. Can you imagine if you were in an industry (hollywood included) where you were based so heavily on your looks and nothing else. No other merits or talents counted except your bookcover.
I act, sing and dance on the side. And when ever anyone asks me why i wouldn’t turn that into a career I always said, because once it becomes a job, it’s not fun anymore. And I’ve been on the audition stage enough times to get just a small tasting of the kind of superficial, judgmental exposure you might get. This isn’t the faults of the casting directors or the people involved in the industry. This is just the industry. If you want to be casted, you have to look the part. But no one wants to be judged solely on their looks.
Honestly, any industry based on the development of vices will end up making that person depressed whether it be vanity or greed. Not to sound preachy or anything. In the end it’s up to every individual person to lead a balanced life so the “career” doesn’t take over.
F
“Honestly, any industry based on the development of vices will end up making that person depressed whether it be vanity or greed.”
I agree with this, but I’m also assuming most people here are in college/university and know of the twin studies. Both environment and biology factor into a person’s emotional state. It just to happens that celebrities matter more to the media than people who are suffering the same types of society pressures and/or mental illnesses without the same type of celerity attention.
nata
I don’t know what to think. For example, recently a Colombian model, who was beautiful also committed suicide. He family claimed that she had a very low self-esteem, she couldn’t even go outside because she thought she was fat, which she wasn’t she was extremely thin. I do think that the fashion industry does affect your self-esteem. You are constantly told that you are not good enough and it has to affect you. I believe that the fashion industry is one of the toughest industries out there and that you need to have a strong core system in order to tolerate it.
dancerina
Clearly the fashion industry makes models suicidal, just like how ballet makes dancers anorexic. Seriously, people! Every industry affects its workers mindset in some way– or is it that people with that mindset are drawn to that industry? Yes, the fashion industry is probably full of shallow, narcissistic and downright nasty people, and I would certainly think that would be hard to deal with, but if you don’t want to be judged on how you look, don’t be a model.
ThatManJustYawned
“If you don’t want to be judged on how you look, don’t be a model.”
Considering the very young age at which many girls start modelling, how can they possibly be fully aware of the impact that the industry might/will have on them? Teenagers are inherently fragile, and might be easily seduced by the – perhaps more visible – seductive aspects of the fashion world. Again, strong support systems are needed.
Tamara
dancerina: your message seems to be “this is the world we live in. life’s a b****”. While I certainly agree that a lot of industries are just as dangerous as the fashion business, I have two things to say:
- Not all of them are. I’m a Philosophy Major starting my carrer as an academic (researching and teaching) and though the environment might be a bit snobby and very demanding, I’m not insulted every day like models are. When I write a paper that’s not good enough I get criticism but not mean criticism: there is a huge difference between “Your paper is no good as it is, you should work in X and Y” and “You’re just not good enough”, in terms of self esteem.
- If there are industries that are more humane and kind, why can’t the fashion and the ballet businness copy that? It might be like this now, but it doesn’t have to be.
runawayinla
I think the fashion industry CAN cause a lot of pressure for certain people, especially models. I guess it’s a price to pay, sometimes.
:( This saddens me to hear about Noemie. I remember watching her in Rush Hour 3, but I had no idea she was a model as well!
xoooxox
alex
also, this is coming from an editor in chief in another extremely high pressure field, and i wouldn’t say journalism (fashion/celeb in particular) is known as a great work environment either.
i mean, look at the devil wears prada, look at entourage. those are embroidered versions of the real thing. and people want into it badly enough that they’re willing to endure until they get it, or until they can’t anymore.
whether or not the fashion industry directly drove these people to suicide is impossible to say, but regardless, i think joerg’s quote stands 100% true.
Luana
I really enjoyed this article, I would love to see more of them in CF.
As for whether the fashion industry is to “blame” I would disagree. But I would say the industry is at fault at not providing more help its own who feel helpless. I have read articles/works stating how lonely in the industry is and wish that these people understood they have sources. This is just one of the many things the industry has to work on.
I too am reading MODEL by Michael Gross!
Priscilla
Comparing the fashion industry’s stress level and another field is not accurate. So goes for the acting, singing, fame relating fields. These industries requires the people in it to satisfy everyone’s expectations, its also like working 24-7 in your life without holidays to create a new idea, create a new aesthetics for the world to see, getting bashed because you didn’t exceed their expectation of you being gorgeous, being creative or being thin enough. The people don’t go to work just from 9 till 5. They have to socialize with people, they have to live their life in the public eyes too. I don’t think its entirely the industry’s fault, but its the fame that got a lot of people into trouble. Fashion ,we were contented of having something to wear, something to keep you warm. But it is different already as publicity and money and fame comes in the picture. Everyone wants a piece of it.
aish
sad story
but u cant really blame the fashion industry
these things can happen to anyone
some choose to end thier life and some face the music
Elle
I think it’s a difficult call to make…while I don’t think the entire blame should be put on the fashion industry, it is gruelling, and, as it was mentioned above, the girls are often just that, GIRLS. They are young, plucked up, and put into a pressure cooker. However, it was not the industry that killed two models, A. McQueen or harmed Noemie. Maybe she was under loads of stress? Maybe the lifestyle was getting to be too much for her…whatever the reason, I think it’s more important to wish her well, and hope she gets help. Ali Michael, a Texan model, went public with the news of an eating disorder last year…
People who commit suicide or attempt it need help, regardless of industry.
girl
well since i have a brain and i’m very capable of using it, i’d say the fashion industry is to blame…for 80% of these deaths! we can sit here and talk about depression as a mental disorder…. but the fashion industry pushes people over the edge! the fashion industry is responsible for bulimia anorexia….. look at those models…. look at the samples….. are they made for normal humans??? the media is destroying our future….our kids are all going to be anorexic or bulimic etc so yes i do blame the fashion industry for the deaths of these people… they are victims of a cruel business
Jamie
When you claim depression as the fault, then you have to ask: what caused this depression? The fashion industry. When it comes down to it, the world is far too difficult to survive in. Everything is constantly changing and generally, the “it” girl lasts for about 15 minutes before another one is found. I can’t imagine how tough it must be to deal with this everyday.
If you watch the interview with Karl Lagerfield and Noemie Lenoir, you can see how passionate the two are about the business. Lagerfield incessantly denies racism, while Lenoir tries to prove her point.
nyx
People are accountable for their actions, but we can’t deny that we’re not influenced by society. Its bad enough we live in a society that judges us by our looks from the get-go, so I can’t imagine what it must be like to make a living from a looks oriented industry.
Lets face it: Modelling, Acting, Music…all base success on looks and talent, talent matters, but without looks its hard to make it. I believe that being around such a difficult industry can make people cold, shallow, paranoid, etc. No wonder most famous people struggle with drugs,anorexia, bulimia and other depressing issues.
I would see how those models that committed suicide, probably thought to themselves that no one would love them for them but for what they looked liked. They were people and wanted things that we all want: love, friendship, trust, honesty, etc. Humans come in all races and nationalities, but at the end of the day we all want the same things, which is to be loved, to be happy, to live a good and healthy life.
I’m sure they couldn’t get those things from a shallow industry, and you know what I feel sorry for them. No industry is worth committing suicide for. Honestly, sometimes I believe its better to go into a boring industry like accounting or programming, because at least then you don’t have to deal with all the backstabbing and impossible pressure of being perfect.
The thing is that we think fashion is fun, the industry thinks fashion is business, to them its not just fun, to them its completely business, first and foremost. They take it very seriously, and cut out people who they think aren’t cut out for modelling. Its just a very sad thing and my heart goes out to those people and to their families.
The fashion industry takes themselves too seriously and yes I believe they put too much pressure on their models. I don’t envy models and what they go through. Also just because people know your face and name, doesn’t mean they really care about you, you have to know someone for awhile (6 months to a year or more) to know them really well and to care for them as an S.O. or friendship wise.
Who do models call when they’re feeling sad? They certainly can’t call their fans. Also not all celebrities come from good homes, some come from sad homes and can’t rely on their families for support. Sorry I rambled but I just feel very passionate that we’re creating such intense and impossible pressure on people, I feel sorry for these models and any people in modelling or otherwise who have impossible standards to live up to.