before Christmas 2012: 2008

Generally, women's fashion magazines have not featured models over age 40 to communicate fashion messages to the older population. A counter-balanced de sign was used to test whether age similarity between a message source (fashion model) and a message receiver (fashion consumer) would (1) affect consumers' attitudes toward fashion models and (2) influence consumers' purchase intent of fashion apparel. Respondent and model ages were the variables investigated. Respondents 46 and under were defined as younger (n = 48); respondents over 46 were older (n = 48). A pretest ascertained that models were perceived as younger (established at about 25 years) or older (close to 55 years). Using a ran domized plan, subjects completed two identical attitude measures (each with a photograph of either a younger or older model), a purchase intent measure and a demographic measure. The attitude questionnaire measured perceived age simi larity, source credibility and interpersonal attraction. Age similarity between older models and older consumers resulted in significant positive effects for source credibility and interpersonal attraction. Younger consumers evaluated older models higher than younger models on one dimension of credibility, but indi cated no other significant differences in attitudes toward younger or older models. Purchase intent was not affected by age similarity or dissimilarity.

source >> http://fcs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/14/3/294

I'm sure many of you wondered where the term "supermodel" comes from or better yet who was it given to first. Well, wonder no more boys and girls, I'm about to do a tell all on the first woman ever considered to have reached the top positions of the modeling world, hence the name supermodel. She was named Gia Marie Carangi and even though born in the good old US of A, she was a virtual cocktail of nations (ever notice how the people that hold the most bloodlines seem to be the most attractive?), a rare crossbreed between Italian, Welsh and Irish blood which apparently meant she got the best out of all of them.

Those big brown eyes and those thick wavy locks are the things that got her noticed in the first place but it was her attitude that shot her to fame as she was a rebellious kid and never really took the beaten path. She is credited with being the first to model in usual poses and with facial expressions that hadn't been done up to that point but that all models mimic today. She was born on January 29th, 1960 in Philadelphia, in the home of Joe and Kathleen Carangi, being the third child (she had two brothers, Joe and Michael). All accounts from this period talk about a turbulent childhood as her parents were constantly arguing and gave her little attention.

The constant bickering led to the eventual separation of the parents when Kathleen decided to leave home in 1971. The father was left to manage the family business (a sandwich shop) by himself which meant he wasn't around to look after his kids too much. As you can imagine, Gia was left alone and since we're talking about some of the most tumultuous years in drug abuse in American history, you just know the adolescent girl began experimenting.

By all rights, Gia was a wild child, doing drugs, alcohol and all night parties in places like the Mudd Club and Studio 54. And that is where she got noticed by Maurice Tannerbaum, a photographer, who asked if she would like to join the modeling world. Gia got serious backing from her mother who had always wanted to make her daughter into a model but her dad was not as thrilled. Anyway, Tannerbaum took Gia to the Wilhemina Cooper agency in New York where she began her new career. She moved to New York at age 17 and quickly made a name for herself for being one of the prettiest girls in the business.

One of the most memorable photo shoots was that with Chris Wangenheim who had her pose naked behind a chain-link fence joined by makeup assistant Sandy Linter (Gia actually fell for Linter but their relation never materialized). Some of you may remember this scene from the biopic "Gia" where she was played by a young Angelina Jolie, and I know you still keep it on your computer somewhere as it reveals those perky Tomb Raider titties. Rest assured to know that it really happened.

Aided by photographers like Francesco Scavullo, Richard Avedon and Patrick Demarchelier, she made the covers of Cosmopolitan and Vogue constantly. This offered her enough publicity to raise her status and her paychecks and also gave her the opportunity to shine. The happiness wasn't going to last for very long though because in March 1980, her mentor, Wilhelmina Cooper, died of lung cancer, which totally devastated Gia. She sought refuge in drugs and alcohol and got to a point where she didn't show up for shoots anymore thus endangering her career. She also began having violent fits, sparked by her drug abuse - no doubt about it - but the bottom line is that she wasn't capable of doing her job anymore. Things got so bad that in a shoot for Vogue in November 1980, you can actually see the track marks left by heroin abuse.

In 1981 she entered a detox program but was unable to finish it successfully and soon after began using drugs again. Her attempts to stay clean were again foiled when she heard the news of Chris von Wangenheim's death in a car accident. She allegedly locked herself in a bathroom for hours and shot heroin. By now her career as a model was over, no one would hire her and so she turned to photographer Scavullo who offered her as a "gift" a shoot on the cover of Cosmopolitan in 1982 (which would turn out to be her last).

Counseled by her mother, she joined another rehab facility for six months and then moved back in Philadelphia. At first things seemed to be OK, Gia getting a job at the mall and even signing up for classes in photography and cinematography in a community college, but three months in she mysteriously disappeared from home. Later it was discovered that she went to Atlantic City where was back doing drugs, sleeping with strange men for money (she was raped on a number of occasions). Her condition worsened as she became sick with pneumonia. Her mother came down and checked her into a hospital in Norristown, Pennsylvania and it was there that it was discovered she was also suffering from AIDS. She eventually died of AIDS, a largely unknown disease back in 1986 and had a small funeral where few people attended.

Subject to much debate after her death, she had books written and movies made about her tumultuous life, all depicting what could have otherwise been a blessed soul but turned out into a sad trainwreck story. She is one of the first famous women to die of AIDS and that certainly aided in raising awareness, especially among the modeling world that she identified with for most of her life. That's it, the story is done, the facts have been told, what will you think of Gia? IN or OUT?

Source >> http://www.inoutstar.com/news/Gia-Marie-Carangi-2381.html