The Suicide of L’Wren Scott: Or Can Everyone Please Stop Referring to L’Wren Scott as “Mick Jagger’s Girlfriend”?

Okay, we get it. When you’re in a relationship with another famous person–or any person for that matter–people like to define you by it. But the suicide of L’Wren Scott has found the media to be in a markedly poor state. The fact that her identifier throughout every article chronicling her death has been sure to include “Mick Jagger’s girlfriend” in it is absolutely disgusting. Is she not more than that? Is she not a person worth mentioning on her own merit? I mean, the woman hung herself with a black satin scarf–that in itself should be more noteworthy for chicness alone.

Although Scott had been known for her alliance to Mick Jagger before she started her first line in 2006, her designs and costuming were renowned almost immediately. In 2009, Madonna (Scott had previously worked with Herb Ritts, a favorite photographer of the pop star’s) used Scott’s clothes for a W Magazine photo shoot entitled “Blame it On Rio.” Scott’s fame also landed her costuming gigs for such films as Eyes Wide Shut and Diabolique.

Scott’s motives for suicide were purportedly caused by her mounting debt (somewhere in the millions) and a fledgling label–in addition to the usual rumors about relationship woes with Jagger. And so, for her to be referred to merely as the girlfriend of a man who is more “successful” than her just seems like unnecessary salt in the wound. At least let the innovative fashion designer rest in peace by honoring her talents and not the person she happened to be with at the time of her death.