Celebrities reach the headlines in today's news only for two reasons - they had a good image to brag about, or they had a bad image reported by an unwitting witness and worth dumping away. Take the cases of Paris Hilton, Kate Moss, Christina Aguillera, Avril Lavigne and Angelina Jolie, and how they got over their past setbacks and bounced back for the better.
The Hardworking Heiress
Paris Hilton is not just the heiress to the Hilton hotels fortune, but she was also a victim of a sex scandal videotaped by her ex-boyfriend. Aside from this, people branded her as someone who "doesn't work for a living" and who "just gets her money from her family." In an interview with CNN's Larry King, she bragged, "...a lot of people don't know I'm a businesswoman, and I run several businesses...I've been earning on my own, by myself...I work very hard...
The Model Addict
Kate Moss was a buzzing supermodel when she got caught in a drug scandal in September 2005. Her million-dollar endorsements withdrew their contracts, and her daughter was almost taken away from her. But she fought to retain her rights as the mother. She apologized, "I take full responsibility for my actions. I also accept that there are various personal issues that I need to address and have started taking the difficult, yet necessary, steps to resolve them." She went into rehab, revamped and reinvented herself. From top model to a fashion designer, she launched her first collection for UK label Topshop last May 2007. She did not give up; she fought addiction; and she won! As Topshop owner Sir Philip Green said, this could be "the next stage of her life."
The Humanitarian Rebel
Angelina Jolie was known as the rebellious Holywood daughter. Born of famous parents, she suffered from criticisms and expectations from them, until she finally denounced her own childhood. She had eating disorders, mutilated herself, and engaged in scandalous relationships before. Angelina admits, "I've been self-destructive my whole life and had times when I wasn't healthy." But all of these were forgotten until she decided to become a parent for her first adopted son, Maddox. Angelina catches up: "For me, becoming a parent changed everything. My priorities straightened out. My life is all different. I feel I'm finally living the life I should be living." Today, Angelina is not only known as an A-list movie star, or as the partner of hottie Brad Pitt, but also as an humanitarian ambassador to the UN.
The Growing Diva
Christina Aguillera, pop artist turned dirty siren, turned pin-up girl, with blond, curls and red lips, reminiscent of the 30s and 40s, follows Madonna's steps of constantly reinventing herself. She shares to OK! magazine, "You know, I do get bored easily! I think that life is all about changing and trying to continue your growth as a person. If I wasn't changing and evolving, then I wouldn't think that I'd be growing personally at all."
The Glamorous Rocker
Avril Lavigne embraces her womanhood when she sported a Vera Wang wedding gown last 2006 to finally get married! Although the relationship didn't work so well, her appreciation of her feminine side showed when she replaced her punk-rock look - the military boots, fatigue-pants and heavy-metal blings - with her laid-down blonde hair and spontaneous designer gown. Avril explains, "I was a tomboy before. Now, I'm more girlie. When I started on the scene, I was straight out of high school and a skater. Now I'm 23, and I'm a woman. People do change their hairstyles! Girls tend to wear a little more makeup and high heels when they get older so it's a natural process. I want the rock look but I also want to be a little more feminine, so I think I've got a rock-glam thing going on." Avril Lavigne may not like beauty, but everyone knows that she's got the right to be pretty.