Julia Fox rose to mainstream fame during her short-lived relationship with Kanye West. Unlike others who had fleeting moments in the limelight, she’s cultivated means to maintain her image in memorable ways. Typically, when a new star rises, society often relates how they rose to fame with their character. This has worn off as I’ve followed Fox’s moves in fashion and her interesting, intelligent takes. Especially in the wake of her new memoir, Down the Drain, she has completely broken out of that box.
In her memoir, Fox has proven to be a shameless, authentic storyteller. Her rise to stardom is only a fraction of what she revealed to have experienced in her 33 years. She was born in Italy, and lived her early life there until moving back to New York City at the age of six. Although, she had experienced homelessness when living in the city for a brief period in between. She came from an untraditional family, living with her father while her mother stayed in Italy. Her grandfather took a majority part in raising her, as she described her father as detached and her mother cold and mentally ill.
The instability she experienced led her to reckless behaviors, such as stealing, in pursuit of self sufficiency from an early age. She developed codependent friendships with girls which led to dark and intense relationships with boys during her early adolescent years. Both wild memories and heartbreak were generated from her early onset mature experiences.
She relays her life with humor, like getting slapped in front of the dead pope. Her stories are also filled with devastation, from receiving her first kiss at age 11 from a 26 year old to having miscarriages. She was prematurely thrusted out of a typical childhood. Although, her darkest experiences were transformed into means of survival. At 18, she became a Dominatrix to avoid violating her parole if she didn’t get a job. Although she was taking home thousands, she vowed not to become like the women who came before her. Fox was resourceful, finding better ways to fund her life. She went on to publish a photography book and even starred alongside Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems. She always took charge of her narrative, like when she refused to sign Kanye West’s NDA, or when she marched to Instagram’s offices to get an impersonation account removed. She refused to be a victim of what happened to her, and rather transformed her experiences into momentum to become the badass she is.
Fox battled vices such as addiction, toxic relationships, and having a lack of familial support. There were a plethora of times when her life was on the brink of going “down the drain”. Although she often got herself into trouble, she always had remarkable ways of getting out of it. Her memoir is a compilation of Fox through many reinventions, each more emboldened than the last. She makes the case that you can change your life tomorrow if you fight for it.
Down the Drain by Julia Fox is available for purchase online, in stores and read by the author on Audible. If you’re in need of a powerful and inspiring read, I highly recommend this memoir.