NWPosh

Model; The Ugly Business of Beautiful Women October 16, 2007

On my recent honeymoon to Curacao, I was in the health club/spa waiting for an island massage when I stumbled upon a book I had been searching for since its release in 1995.

I do not think it was an incredibly successful book and it is unlikely that one would find it at the local Borders or Barnes and Noble either.

The book is Model; The Ugly Business of Beautiful Women by Michael Gross.

I have always been fascinated by models since I was young. I recall recording every talk show, movie premiere and any other televised event that featured the enticing creatures known as models.

I remember Michael Gross with his glasses and thick, dark hair, although I do not recall the last time I saw him on TV.

Model was an interesting lesson on the history of modeling with incredible interwoven tales of models turned US Presidents and models turned alleged CIA operatives.

At certain times, Gross becomes a little too detailed with his explanations of all of the key players and it is easy to get bogged down with the who’s who, who sleeping with who, etc.

Overall, this book was well worth the wait. I finished all 580 pages in two days and had a hard time returning it to the health club library.

Some interesting facts I came across…

In 1940, Clyde Matthew Dessner coined the term “Supermodel” in his “how to” modeling books. So the term was not, in fact, created by the crass, big mouthed model Janice Dickinson. And seriously, if I see another picture of her not wearing her underwear and flashing her crotch, I think I might scream. She is worse than Britney. Is she a grandmother yet?

1914 was the birth of the catwalk. This seemingly uncomplicated structure was first showcased at a trade show in Chicago changing the very existence of fashion shows forever.

Model is full of interesting pieces of history and upon finishing the book, you feel like you know Christy, Cindy and Veruschka a little better.