DUTCH MAGAZINE OFFERS DRUG ADDICTS FASHION, BEAUTY TIPS

A fashion magazine launched by a non-profit organization in Amsterdam is
taking the notion of "heroin chic" literally. The term, coined in the early
'90s to describe the emaciated appearance of a generation of fashion
models, subtly implied drug use among the industry's elite core.

But there's nothing subtle about Mainline Lady, a glossy Dutch magazine
aimed at a readership of drug addicts. Within its pages are many of the
standard elements of a women's magazine -- beauty, sex, health, horoscopes
and, of course, fashion -- but the perspective is a marked departure from
the norm. Beauty tips include how to soothe skin dried out from excessive
drug use.

The health section, Dear Doctor, cautions intravenous drug users about the
hazards of AIDS. Fashion models are recovering addicts. Wijnie, a cocaine
and heroin addict from Amsterdam, is given a makeover.

Mademoiselle it's not, says editor Jasperine Schupp. But addicted women
deserve a publication that addresses their interests and needs. "Female
users are not just skinny hags. They have lots of interests, and that's
what we wanted to reflect in the magazine," Schupp said.

Published by the Amsterdam-based Mainline Foundation, the magazine takes
its title from Shaman Woman, Mainline Lady: Women's Writings on the Drug
Experience, an anthology published in 1982 that included work from such
noted writers as Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Edith Wharton and Louisa May
Alcott. Mainline, which is devoted to helping users live productively with
their addictions, had previously published a general newsletter.

The foundation decided to produce the magazine because readers surveys
found that leaflets about drug use and risks were not widely read. "If you
want to sell your message, you've got to package it right," said Schupp.
Indeed, the fare on offer includes audience-minded horoscopes -- Capricorn
is counselled to "make sure you have enough condoms," while Cancer learns
that "your dope will taste better than usual."

But much of the magazine is given over to the grim reality of addicted
life. Features on prostitution and disease fill the volume's 31 pages.
Nonetheless, Schupp said, the magazine refuses to preach to readers. "We
treat people like adults, offering them information so they can make
healthy choices. Getting them to kick the habit is not our first priority."