John Galliano was considered one of top fashion designers in the world for over two decades. Then in 2011 he destroyed his own reputation by publically stating things that were extremely racist and hurtful while drunk in a Paris restaurant. This incident was news all around the world, severely damaging his reputation. It also cost him his job with Dior and led to criminal charges against him. Now, two years later, John Galliano is seeking forgiveness, saying that his actions were a result of his downward spiral into alcohol and drug abuse.
John Galliano Opens Up To Vanity Fair about His Addiction Problems
In an interview with Vanity Fair, John Galliano opens up about his addiction problems. He describes how he slowly fell into alcohol and drug abuse and how in the beginning these chemicals seemed to be helping him cope with the stress of his jobs. He worked very hard to get his collections ready for public consumption, and to help him unwind after these projects he would go on a chemical binge. Over time, he fell firmly into the grasp of addiction and by the time he realised what was going on, he was already well and truly hooked. He went from being a social drinker and drug user to somebody who would consume any chemical that he could get his hands on.
Galliano says that at the time of his outburst, he was under a great deal of pressure. Even though he was outwardly doing really well, he was hiding the fact that he completely hated himself. He knew that if he continued with his current path he was going to wind up dead or in a mental institution. He describes his outburst in the Paris restaurant as being a way of lashing out and externalising the way he felt within. Galliano allowed his inner self-loathing to reach such a critical mass that he lashed out at innocent people. He wanted to lash out at the world in the vilest way possible, and this is where his ‘I love Hitler’ comments were coming from.
Over the last two years, John Galliano has not talked publically about what happened, and this interview is the first chance we have had to hear his side of the story. This event was a huge wake-up call for him, forcing him to face his addiction problems. In 2011, he entered rehab in Arizona, taking the first important few steps in rebuilding his life and regaining his dignity. He is now sober and ready to begin making amends for his actions. The fact that he waited so long to tell his side of the story is actually encouraging because he has demonstrated that his remorsefulness is genuine by the fact that he has made efforts to repair his life from addiction.
Should John Galliano be Forgiven?
The comments made by John Galliano back in 2011 were very hurtful. If he had automatically tried to defend his actions claiming addiction problems, many would have seen this as a cynical ploy to get off the hook. The fact that Galliano has really made the effort to change shows that he is deserving of forgiveness. Everyone deserves a second chance, and it will be wonderful to see what this top fashion designer will be able to do with his talents now that he is sober.
John Galliano Perfect Example of What Happens to a High Functioning Substance Abuser
John Galliano could be considered the perfect example of a high functioning substance abuser. He was able to use his success to hide his addiction problems and this meant that his slide into dependence went unchecked for a long time. He likely felt that he had earned the right to party hard and used his success as evidence that he did not really have a problem. Like all high functioning substance abusers, he found out that it is not possible to keep this problem hidden forever. Eventually the addiction reaches critical mass, and the individual can hit a breakdown that ensures that their secret is no longer hidden – this certainly seems to be the case with what happened to John Galliano.
