Is it true though? Or are the tabloids just running exaggerated fantasies to harpoon mass appeal? It’s hard to know because these grandiose lifestyles are perpetuated by the attention drawn to them (unless the celebrity is actually talented). Case in point — the Kardashian sex tape.

Bad publicity is good publicity, I suppose… especially for the venues that become associated with celebrity attendance (who doesn’t want to go to places where you might see a rockstar in a bar fight or catch Paris Hilton stripping down to… well… a slightly more naked version of her usual self?).

When talking about club publicity, nothing turns up the temp on a particular venue more than the drug habits of the celebrities. The scandalous behaviors of one Miss Britney Spears has made headlines for a variety of clubs in New York including an all time personal favorite, Marquee. Yes, she has been caught using drugs in the public bathrooms all around town and she’s not the only one. The question then becomes, of course, how many drugs are being done in these places? Certainly you run a high risk (pun intended) of being caught abusing drugs if you are a celebrity, but what about us ordinary folk? Are drugs swimming through the clubs as the tabloids would have us believe?

The answer is YES. I would never consider myself a drug abuser, but I know first hand that almost every club I have been to has it’s own underground microcosmic drug scene. Club Stereo was closed last year after several cocaine busts, though this came as no shock as Stereo was known for being “pot friendly” and leaving the club was like opening the Scoobie Doo van (smoke pouring out). Tenjune turns the other cheek when it comes to smoking the reefer in the VIP section and won’t ask why there are so many girls leaving the bathroom with runny noses. The real shocker comes from Le Souk where I witnessed some special k being snorted in the wide open.

I have also witnessed people getting arrested. Again, Club Stereo, you win in this department with flying colors. On two — no three occasions I witnessed drug raids there, but in the end, drug use was far far more frequent than the arrests that were made. This can probably be said true for almost any club and can be said especially true for celebrities. Amongst my celebrity encounters few involved sobriety (or much respect for, I dunno… THE LAW). Indeed, the Studio 54 mentality lives on in places like Bungalow 8 (where you might just order “a rum and coke.. hold the rum”).

These scenes are often under the radar of the public because of tight security. It’s nearly impossible to get in unless you know someone, ARE a celebrity or (at the very least) have your very own assistant. Places rarely have to answer to the law because undercover cops simply do not fit the demographic of these super-dooper (more like super-doper) high-end venues.

This doesn’t mean that the celebrity lives we read about aren’t embellished to perfection, but it certainly adds validity to the stories. The truth of the matter is, we aren’t living lives so separate from those we read about and if anything can be learned from the tabloids, it’s two things: 1) where the drugs are 2) where people get caught doing them.

If you’re not actively involved in the fashion or modeling industry, you may hold a conception of the commonplace high fashion model that is similar to mine: stick-thin, snooty girls who party hard on the weekends and either suffer from some form of eating disorder or unhealthy drug addiction to keep their weight down.

Of course this is only a stereotype based upon a few bad examples (namely Kate Moss), but us regular girls cannot be entirely blamed for these misconceptions.

Take clothing store Sisley’s new ad campaign into account. Two models are pictured snorting lines of cocaine near the straps of a Sisley dress. They look strung out, with their eyes rolled to the back of their heads in thick black eyeliner and tight party dresses.

While Sisley’s message is (somewhat?) clear, the photo in question ignites other underlying themes besides the fact that Sisley’s clothes are addicting.

Not to be a prude, but isn’t this ad inadvertently promoting the use of cocaine? Everyone knows that coke is the rich kid’s drug, popularized by celebs and used in suburbs and cities alike by kids who have nothing better to blow (no pun intended) their money on.

Here, Sisley is acknowledging the rampant use of cocaine by people who have enough money to afford their clothes, associating it with fashion. Much like cigarette ads of the past featuring fashionably clad models, Sisley is somehow acquainting cocaine with style.

With celebrities like Lindsay Lohan already advertising for the drug, does it really need any more exposure?

Although I commend Sisley’s ad campaign for thinking outside of the box, they should be prepared to deal with a whole load of controversy that will soon be coming their way.

There is a Sisley store in the building where I work in NYC, which is frequented by many wealthy middle-aged and elderly people looking for somewhere to drop their cash. Judging by their disapproval of fashion offered at the new Bebe store nearby, I doubt they’ll be thrilled about two girls plastered on a huge billboard snorting cocaine. While their demographic is completely insignificant to the marketers at Sisley, these are the people who are purchasing clothes for their daughters, nieces, and granddaughters. Never mind the fact that this Sisley happens to be in a building where regulars include famous politicians and activists.

Oh yeah, Sisley is going to get some heat for this one.