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Model: The Ugly Business of Beautiful Women | 
 enlarge | Author: Michael Gross
Publisher: Warner Books
Category: Book
List Price: $7.50
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Avg. Customer Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 601326
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 611
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.2
ISBN: 0446603465
Dewey Decimal Number: 659.152
EAN: 9780446603461
ASIN: 0446603465
Publication Date: May 1996
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com
Michael Gross exposes the day-to-day business of beautiful young women, sex and drugs. Through hundreds of in-depth interviews with models, photographers and agents, he develops a flowing narrative history of the modeling industry from its birth to the present day supermodel craze. It's a story of serendipitous careers like that of industry creator Richard Powers, an out-of-work actor who created a niche for himself by providing beautiful people for the newly-developed fields of photography and advertising.
Product Description
Model is the definitive story of the international modeling business -- and its evil twin: legalized flesh peddling. It's a tale of beautiful women empowered and subjugated, of vast sums of money, of sex and drugs, obsession, and tragic death. At its heart is the most unholy combination in commerce: beautiful, young women and rich, lascivious men. Investigative journalist Michael Gross has interviewed modeling's pioneers, survivors, and hangers-on, telling the story of the greats: Lisa Fonssagrives; Anita Colby; Candy Jones; Dorian Leigh and her sister Suzy Parker; Jean Shrimpton and Twiggy; Veruschka and Lauren Hutton; Janice Dickinson and Patti Hansen; and the supermodel Trinity: Christy, Naomi, and Linda. Taking us into the private studios and hidden villas where models play and are preyed upon, Gross tears down modeling's carefully constructed faÇade to reveal untold truths of the ugly trade in pretty women.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 8 more reviews...
 awesome read April 24, 2007
A look inside the real world of modeling and it's past and present stars. TONS of information about the history of modeling in here. It drags on a little bit at times but is otherwise very interesting and entertaining. I'd def recommend it to anyone in the biz or interested in becoming a part of it. :)
 Impressive historical documentation; not easy to get through December 7, 2006
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I very much enjoy following fashion and modeling, and I have to give credit to author Michael Gross for touching on virtually every aspect of the modeling biz from 1915 - 1995. However, what started out as an interesting historical perspective turned quickly into essentially a blow-by-blow account of influence peddling and [sort of] slave trading over many decades. "Ugly business" is right.
For me, the major problem with "Model" is that it reads like a massive chronology of "who's screwing whom" (literally and figuratively), and practically everyone gets an entry: agents, bookers, photographers, backers, models and the playboys who pursue them. In the author's own words (p. 494): "The model business remains, as it has always been, a seething morass of beauty and money, grace and envy, sensuality and lust, yearning and backstabbing, glamour, greed, and glory beyond measure.
The progression of the business story is well thought out. The title of each main chapter relates to a time frame associated with the prevailing modeling fees. In between the main chapters are dialogues/interviews with key models of each period (Veruschka, Lauren Hutton, Janice Dickinson, and Veronica Webb, to name a few). I would have preferred more focus on the models as the primary subject matter, but the business is huge, with many players influencing everything from an agency's viability to which models get work (or don't). For me, there were too many never-heard-of-before names in the cast of characters. One look at the index proves that Mr. Gross has undertaken an exhaustive accounting of modeling business: 14-pages of tiny type, consisting of virtually every name associated with the modeling business one can think of. Yet, in a book of 500 pages, I'm wondering why Gia Carangi's life encompassed but a couple of paragraphs.
It's tough to put a number value on "Model," so consider me on the fence with a 3. For me the soap opera-ish tone of this book detracted far too much from the exhaustive historical accounting. It's a monumental work, but I just can't recommend it to everyone.
loved it long time!!!!! December 4, 2006
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
God..... this book was a hot mess and I loved it!!!
I wish that I could have been a top model in the 70's.
Making a truck load of money......doing blow at studio 54 with liza, halston, truman, janice, gia, andy, bianca and all the rest....getting banged in the balcony by all the hot male models and photographers!!!!!
Or hanging out backstage at the versace show with naomi, cindy, christie, claudia and linda.....smoking, drinking, cussing and fighting!!!
Christ....I loved this book...now I may not get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day!!!!!!!!!!!!
 Terrific book, should be read by all by Baird Jones October 28, 2006
This is a wonderful read with a perfect pace. It has a variety of viewpoints from a balanced business analysis, to a thoughtful integration of modeling into the cultural fabric to a taste for gossip which sizzles. Where else could one find out that Grace Kelly was turned down for a beauty contest because she was too thin or that Lauren Hutton chose her first name after Lauren Bacall because her first choice Laurence was too long for her Playboy bunny name tag? I was also impressed by Gross' skill at giving the reader a sense of the individual life story in just a page or two in an almost complete sense without any sense of skimping, no small feat. He covers America and Europe with a true feel for both areas, he zooms in close and also moves quickly. This is a remarkable book.
Great History Lesson on the Modeling Business February 16, 2006
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
This book was less gossipy than I thought it would be. The first 2/3rds are great. The book serves as a wonderful primer for anyone going into the modeling industry or just interested in its origins.
The book starts out with the first official models, which were generally socialites. You get to read about how modeling agencies first formed and who the first models and clients were. The book follows along as agencies and models fall out and new ones come along. Close to the chapters around the 1980s/1990s you learn more about the all out "model wars" and the switching of models between agencies. Mixed in with all this history are bio chapters highlighting the stories of specific models along the years.
The book is very interesting and makes me miss seeing the models on the cover of magazines! The book is slightly dated now but the history provided is still accurate and informative.
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