Written by: Ruth Simonsen | Digital Media Manager

Content warning: this article contains spoilers

Julia Fox, once known as Kanye West’s rebound girlfriend, is best known for donning head-to-toe black latex outfits and hand-drawn eyeliner. In the media’s eyes, she was no more than arm candy to the controversial rapper. 

Since their split in 2022, however, her fame continued to skyrocket and she saw her following grow. Now, she proudly calls herself a female sex symbol, with her bleached eyebrows and lilting voice. 

Once Fox released her recent biography, “Down the Drain,” the world was surprised she was not always this famous.

Julia Fox spent much of her early years in the small town of Saronno in Italy. After moving to New York City to live with her father, her life quickly began to grow rockier by the day. Between her father’s verbal and physical abuse and her mother’s spontaneous wrath, Julia spent most of her childhood couch-surfing and searching for solace in any place that promised even the slightest bit of happiness. 

This mindset frequently landed her in unsafe situations — including a relationship with a controlling drug dealer who stalked and threatened her. However, through her ex boyfriend, she was first introduced to narcotics, many of which would haunt her for the rest of her life. 

The rest of her teen years were spent traveling between Italy and New York City — working as a dominatrix — then settling down as a sugar baby for an extremely wealthy client. Through this resource, she gained her footing by creating a clothing brand leading to a life of extravagance — only to realize she was the one truly being taken advantage of. 

As Julia continued to grow and age, she met and lost many people in her life. Between her near- death experiences and the deaths of many she knew and loved, Julia weaves a cautionary tale with heroin, its use and addiction, as one of the primary villains.

Now, at Julia’s celebrity status, I thought of her as another Kim K, Megan Fox or Hadid sister. I was quick to judge and even quicker to dislike. It was not until I saw an excerpt from her book that my curiosity was piqued. From there, it was pure, unabashed adoration of her and the life she persevered through. 

I found myself on an emotional rollercoaster, first laughing at her snark, then suddenly crying as she described her feelings and experiences of loss. Now, as she finally feels comfortable in who she is and the role she plays in the world today, she ends her biography with this: “Sometimes you just have to say f-ck it and throw your whole life down the drain just to see where you come out on the other side.”

9/10.

Contact the author at howldigitalmediamanager@mail.wou.edu