DREAM GIRLS: HBO’s documentary “About Face” tracks down the supermodels for a frank chat. (
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Once upon a time long, long ago there was a land called Fashion, where beautiful women who all looked vaguely 35 lived and worked.
They were called models but most people back then — the 1940s and ’50s — thought that “model” was a euphemism for “hooker,” so no one adored the beautiful women.
Then, big-time advertising came along and people realized that the beautiful women who always looked vaguely 35 weren’t hookers and so they became known as “clothes hangers.” And even though their faces and forms became familiar, they were still, sadly, anonymous.
Then, through an act of nature, the clothes hangers woke one day to find they were now called “supermodels,” and not only did they make huge bucks but some became their own brands like say, Pepsi or Teflon.
Tonight, HBO presents an almost satisfying documentary, “About Face: Supermodels Then and Now,” by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders.
Greenfield-Sanders has rounded up some of the most famous supermodels of the past 65 years — yes, you read that right — to talk about what the job was like back when.
The models included here are: Carmen Dell’Orefice, who began modelling in 1947 and is still working today; China Machado, one of the first “exotic” ethnic models; Bethann Hardison, a black model in a white world; Pat Cleveland, who became famous despite being a mix of several races; Beverly Johnson, the first African-American Vogue cover girl; Jerry Hall, the Texas wildcat; Marisa Berenson, the rich granddaughter of designer, Elsa Schiaparelli; Isabella Rossellini, the intellectual daughter of Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rosellini; as well as American icons, Cheryl Tiegs, Lisa Taylor, Christie Brinkley, enigmatic beauty Karen Bjornson, Kim Alexis, Paulina Porizkova, Dayle Haddon and Carol Alt.
What you will learn is fascinating. But what you won’t learn would have been much more fascinating.
Because I was a beauty editor for both Elle and Cosmopolitan (during the Lincoln Administration), I can tell you that what you won’t hear from the exquisite mouths of the middle-aged-and-up models is how it really is to be them.
That is not to say the women aren’t fascinating — they are.
But it’s hard to be unfascinating when you are born a genetic mega-lotto winner.
While all the models are given some time to talk about their stints in the biz, I wanted to know more from ,say, the exquisitely gorgeous 81-year-old Dell’Orefice. She drops gems like this with no explanation about how modeling gave her the means to “send my mother to college and buy my first husband.” What?
Ditto Taylor’s modeling druggie days, and finally how modeling brought all these women into affairs and marriages with extraordinary men, which isn’t touched on.
Fewer models with more time to talk about themselves and much less about the “fabulous people in the industry” that treated them like goddesses would have made this documentary as good as it is glamorous.
Kim Alexis Age: 52
Carol Alt Age: 51
Karen Bjornson Age 60
Nancy Donahue Age: 54
Dayle Haddon Age 63
Christie Brinkley Age: 58
Patti Hansen Age: 56