Model: The Ugly Business Of Beautiful Women (2003) - Plot & Excerpts
I really liked this book, which focuses on the history of modeling, from the 1920s or so up until the mid-1990s. The title and the back copy both make it seem like it's merely a collection of gossip and dirt, and while there's dirt a plenty, it's actually pretty serious. There are a LOT of names to keep track of, and I do think that in order to enjoy this book you need to have not only an appreciation for fashion but also some prior knowledge of prominent fashion photographers and models of the 20th century. My Pinterest is like 90% vintage fashion and fashion photography so I'm probably an ideal audience.The first two-thirds of the book, which focus on the history of models and the industry up until the 1970s or so, were fascinating. The last third was a different story, because a lot of the focus left the models & photographers and instead focused on the agencies as the so-called "Modeling Wars" of the 1980s started. I have NO head for business, so the internecine conflicts within and between different agencies left me cold.The tragic lives of many models, and the abuses perpetrated on naive young girls, are heartbreaking. It's a difficult book because it leaves you thinking, by enjoying these pictures and buying fashion magazines, am I perpetuating an abusive cycle? With art, there is always a question of, if the artist is a bad person, does that make the art bad? The addition of vulnerable human beings as the center of that art makes the question even more difficult in regards to fashion & fashion photography.Anyway, if you have an interest in fashion and/or fashion photography, you'll probably enjoy this book. I give it four stars.
What do You think about Model: The Ugly Business Of Beautiful Women (2003)?
If you're interested in the history of how modeling got started and why models can make so much money just based on their looks, this book is a decent place to start. I was surprised to see so little about Gia, comparative to what another reviewer wrote. Especially since she was not only one of the first "supermodels" - but also because of the industry's reliance on drugs, she also became one of the first female ARC deaths.So this book is interesting but I'm also surprised it didn't go into the pedoephilia that seems to drive a lot of the industry, while still mentioning it, it does seem the author could have dug a lot deeper on these very serious issues. Especially since so many young girls are exposed to modeling as a career they would literally do anything to not only break into, but also succeed at. And this book has two supermodels that were each bedded by the same older man who not only said he would make them stars, but did so. Which will make it something that young girls will think they have to do if they read this book.More indepth research and straightforward discussion would have helped balance the story, as it were.
—Molly Black
