One Direction Take Note: How Celebrities Survived And Thrived After Their Drugs Scandals
So the clean-cut guys of One Direction (two of them, anyway) have been caught on video smoking weed. It’s not entirely surprising, especially to anyone familiar with celebrity culture. In fact, the drugs bust is now a rite of passage, as common as the coming of age album or the risqué awards show performance. And while for some celebrities, the drugs bust spells the beginning of the end, others have managed to build careers (or transition into adulthood) on the back of drugs charges.
5. Kate Moss’s waif-ish look and thin frame have attracted accusations of drug abuse ever since she first came on the scene in the late 80s/early 90s. Back then, Moss kept pushing away claims of drug use and eating disorders, but the rumors never died down – until she was actually outed for taking cocaine in 2005. But the then 31-year-old model had never had a spotless reputation to begin with, so instead of ruining her career, the drug scandal re-started it. In the wake of her cocaine scandal, Moss was hired by eighteen top fashion and cosmetic brands, including Rimmel, Agent Provocateur, Virgin Mobile, Calvin Klein Jeans and Burberry. Moss designed a collection, in collaboration with Katy England, for Topshop. One year after her drug scandal, Moss won the Model of the Year prize at the British Fashion Awards, dividing public opinion once again.
4. Rihanna. RiRi played the good girl card for like two seconds at the very beginning of her career (she did start performing as a teenager, so that makes sense even for legal reasons.) As soon as her third album was out however, the claws also came out or, in her case, the suspicious, cocaine-like substances, taken from a random guy’s head at Coachella. These days, Rihanna is the queen of scandal – be it with her music or personal life. Clearly, it all worked out for her.
3. Demi Lovato. Lovato is a former Disney starlet, so the fall from grace sort of goes with the territory. We had to put her on the list, though, if only because of the way she has handled herself since. Lovato went into rehab for her eating disorder in 2010. She then returned with a moderately successful, emotionally charged album in 2011 and took a job as a judge on the X Factor. While Demi might not be the subject of teen mania these days, she remains an outspoken advocate for healthy living, mental health and self care. Hats off to you, Miss Lovato.
2. Miley Cyrus. Miley also walked the well trodden path of the Disney starlet, until she turned 18 and went rogue. So far she's twerked on Robin Thicke, made frequent and clear drug references and even lit up on stage at the MTV EGSUnlike a lot of her fellow actress/singers however, Miley’s image change looks completely intentional and controlled. Don’t be fooled by the references to weed and Molly or the on-stage twerking – this is no train wreck. Miley Cyrus knows exactly what she’s doing.
- This one is debatable, but we’re giving the top spot to Cara Delevingne. Why? Girl dropped an actual bag full of *cough* “a suspicious white powder substance”, as per the Daily Mail out on the street earlier this month, but still managed to avoid an actual scandal. Maybe it’s expected at this point or maybe Cara just has a killer PR team, but when that kind of blunder doesn’t even slow down your career, you know you’ve made it.
Watch Rita Ora And Cara Delevingne Hit A London Nightclub in the video below.
So don’t worry, 1D. This doesn’t have to be the beginning of a Bieber-esque spiral into chaos. If these celebrities can come back stronger, better and even more successful from complete meltdowns, that pot smoking video isn’t even worth worrying about.