Kate Moss or Aphrodite?

It might be the new Mona Lisa. It might be that after 300 magazine covers Kate Moss had to be depicted in a new way. Or it might be the prospect of a 1.5 million British Pound bidding.

Whatever the reason, Marc Quinn has not wasted his gold. Kate Moss is once more on the front covers, but this time in a strange (and rather unattractive) yoga-like pause which she feels "lifts her into a mythic level" Quinn told the press.

I am not sure I see the mythical side of the whole thing. And the various comparisons to Aphrodite are a bit of an overstatement in my opinion.

Celebrities do tend to be adulated like Gods. Whether this adulation overshadows their real talent is debatable...

I do concede Kate Moss promoted a new fashion "waif" look in the 1990s. And she did some very good campaigns for Calvin Klein. She certainly has a knowledge of the industry.

However... Aphrodite? For some reason I cannot assimilate the icon of heroine chic with the Greek Goddess of love, lust, beauty, prostitution and sexual reproduction.

Beauty? Fashion models represent 8% of the population, so chances are they are not chosen for their striking beauty representative of current society. They are spotted because they have the required body type and possibly a striking characteristic. Basically models are scouted if they smell like money. They are meant to last in the industry and sell well.

Love and sexual reproduction? I am not sure Kate Moss is famed for these either. One just needs to think of Pete Doherty...

But who am I to question Marc Quinn's interpretation of our civilization's aesthetic ideal? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.