Peaches Geldof: The tragic and premature death of a supermodel

Childhood among guitars and cameras

Childhood among guitars and cameras, The legacy of her mother, A teenager in the media spotlight, Model, presenter, and party girl, The cult of the alternative and the occult, A punk wedding and two children in two years, Sobriety as a mirage, An ordinary day in Kent, The immediate judgment of the media, A broken doll of pop culture, An industry that watches but doesn't see, The obsession with aesthetic tragedy

Daughter of rocker Bob Geldof and presenter Paula Yates, Peaches Geldof was born in a golden cage, surrounded by fame, emotional chaos, and magazines that wouldn't let her grow.

The legacy of her mother

Childhood among guitars and cameras, The legacy of her mother, A teenager in the media spotlight, Model, presenter, and party girl, The cult of the alternative and the occult, A punk wedding and two children in two years, Sobriety as a mirage, An ordinary day in Kent, The immediate judgment of the media, A broken doll of pop culture, An industry that watches but doesn't see, The obsession with aesthetic tragedy

Peaches Geldof was 11 years old when her mother died from excessive drug use in the home of Michael Hutchence (INXS). She inherited more than a surname: a sweet sentence flavored with white powder.

A teenager in the media spotlight

Childhood among guitars and cameras, The legacy of her mother, A teenager in the media spotlight, Model, presenter, and party girl, The cult of the alternative and the occult, A punk wedding and two children in two years, Sobriety as a mirage, An ordinary day in Kent, The immediate judgment of the media, A broken doll of pop culture, An industry that watches but doesn't see, The obsession with aesthetic tragedy

At 15, she was writing columns as though she had spent decades in editorial offices. She didn't seek fame; fame found her in a school uniform, and the tabloids smelled blood and never left.

Model, presenter, and party girl

Childhood among guitars and cameras, The legacy of her mother, A teenager in the media spotlight, Model, presenter, and party girl, The cult of the alternative and the occult, A punk wedding and two children in two years, Sobriety as a mirage, An ordinary day in Kent, The immediate judgment of the media, A broken doll of pop culture, An industry that watches but doesn't see, The obsession with aesthetic tragedy

She walked runways, hosted events, danced in clubs, was a muse for designers, and a nightmare for press assistants. She was a true it girl with an expiration date.

The cult of the alternative and the occult

Childhood among guitars and cameras, The legacy of her mother, A teenager in the media spotlight, Model, presenter, and party girl, The cult of the alternative and the occult, A punk wedding and two children in two years, Sobriety as a mirage, An ordinary day in Kent, The immediate judgment of the media, A broken doll of pop culture, An industry that watches but doesn't see, The obsession with aesthetic tragedy

Among selfies and rituals, Peaches Geldof turned her life into a digital performance with tarot, magical symbols, decorative skulls, and dark hashtags. A postmodern witch with WiFi and a modeling contract.

A punk wedding and two children in two years

Childhood among guitars and cameras, The legacy of her mother, A teenager in the media spotlight, Model, presenter, and party girl, The cult of the alternative and the occult, A punk wedding and two children in two years, Sobriety as a mirage, An ordinary day in Kent, The immediate judgment of the media, A broken doll of pop culture, An industry that watches but doesn't see, The obsession with aesthetic tragedy

She married in white, had two children in two years: an express motherhood, carefully edited for Instagram with vintage smiles, warm filters, chaos off-camera.

Sobriety as a mirage

Childhood among guitars and cameras, The legacy of her mother, A teenager in the media spotlight, Model, presenter, and party girl, The cult of the alternative and the occult, A punk wedding and two children in two years, Sobriety as a mirage, An ordinary day in Kent, The immediate judgment of the media, A broken doll of pop culture, An industry that watches but doesn't see, The obsession with aesthetic tragedy

She swore she was clean. She gave interviews talking about yoga and kale. But behind the renewed mother look was someone rehearsing a life she didn't entirely believe in.

An ordinary day in Kent

Childhood among guitars and cameras, The legacy of her mother, A teenager in the media spotlight, Model, presenter, and party girl, The cult of the alternative and the occult, A punk wedding and two children in two years, Sobriety as a mirage, An ordinary day in Kent, The immediate judgment of the media, A broken doll of pop culture, An industry that watches but doesn't see, The obsession with aesthetic tragedy

She died as she lived: at home, made up, surrounded by magazines and silence. One of her children was there, playing, not understanding that mommy would never wake up again.

The immediate judgment of the media

Childhood among guitars and cameras, The legacy of her mother, A teenager in the media spotlight, Model, presenter, and party girl, The cult of the alternative and the occult, A punk wedding and two children in two years, Sobriety as a mirage, An ordinary day in Kent, The immediate judgment of the media, A broken doll of pop culture, An industry that watches but doesn't see, The obsession with aesthetic tragedy

The headlines came quickly: “Another mother who leaves orphans.” Columnists wrote obituaries that sounded like déjà vu.

A broken doll of pop culture

Childhood among guitars and cameras, The legacy of her mother, A teenager in the media spotlight, Model, presenter, and party girl, The cult of the alternative and the occult, A punk wedding and two children in two years, Sobriety as a mirage, An ordinary day in Kent, The immediate judgment of the media, A broken doll of pop culture, An industry that watches but doesn't see, The obsession with aesthetic tragedy

Peaches Geldof was a perfectly imperfect character. Raised in the public eye, sold as an icon, consumed as content. When she broke, it was too late for anyone to ask if she was okay.

An industry that watches but doesn't see

Childhood among guitars and cameras, The legacy of her mother, A teenager in the media spotlight, Model, presenter, and party girl, The cult of the alternative and the occult, A punk wedding and two children in two years, Sobriety as a mirage, An ordinary day in Kent, The immediate judgment of the media, A broken doll of pop culture, An industry that watches but doesn't see, The obsession with aesthetic tragedy

Everyone sorrowed, but no one spoke of contracts that reward chaos, nor of the cult of self-fiction. No apologies were made. No one thought to be at fault.

The obsession with aesthetic tragedy

Childhood among guitars and cameras, The legacy of her mother, A teenager in the media spotlight, Model, presenter, and party girl, The cult of the alternative and the occult, A punk wedding and two children in two years, Sobriety as a mirage, An ordinary day in Kent, The immediate judgment of the media, A broken doll of pop culture, An industry that watches but doesn't see, The obsession with aesthetic tragedy

Her death was aesthetic. Images of her house, her face, her children: all suitable for a glam nostalgia feed. A digital altar for a millennial saint without miracles.

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