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On Being And Beyond... LOL: Is the public's perception of the model different now as opposed to 5 or 10 years ago? Is there any mystique left in being a model, is 'bad girl' behavior still the norm? What role has the media played in fashion? Diane: WWD is still the bible, but the new media has brought such immediacy to the whole scene. In 1993, when the George Michael Video came out, models became Hollywood. The tables have turned now and everyone wants to know about movie stars. They sell clothes, In Style has more ad pages than Vogue. DM: People want to relate to their superstars. Look at today's music scene. The girls are all nice - Christina, Britney etc. are not in clubs strung out on drugs. Instead, the media portrays them as these powerful girl-women. The same goes for modeling. This is the renaissance of the beautiful voluptuous girl, like Magdalena. Everything about her is very positive, she's the gorgeous girl next door. Heidi Klum of Victoria's Secret is squeaky clean. Very importantly, these girls sell their product. Girls have become more accessible because of the fusion of music and fashion, which Gianni Versace started. The public is very involved in music. You get a girl involved in music like Molly Simms who's hosting MTV, and all of a sudden everyone knows who she is. Conversely, fashion designers like Calvin use music stars in their ads, and there's always Madonna, of course. Veronica: Thanks to the media shows like E!, there is no longer the mystery associated with models that there was before. Every model has to keep moving and do something else with the exception of Carmen (dell Orifice) who's 60 years old. The media machine needs to feed and constantly needs new material. Modeling has been demythologize to a certain degree, but so has Hollywood, where everyone knows what everyone else makes. Paulina: Every time you get seen on TV, it builds your name, you become a 'face', a celebrity. Once you're a celebrity, it's a whole different ballpark. 'Supermodeldom' is about being a celebrity. This brings me to the media highway, fashion is spreading and going everywhere. It's in your face everyday and you can go and buy it for a nominal price at H&M. Its a wonderful thing that you don't have to be part of the Super Elite to participate. I've noticed over the years that the bigger a girl gets, the more confident and warmer a person she seems. It's the mid-level players who are insecure who have a lot of pretensions. The girls today seem to be more bonded than we were maybe because there's more money to go around. When I was doing runway, the wealth wasn't evenly distributed and that made a lot of girls angry. I wasn't uncomfortable with it though, I'd paid my dues and had no problem making more money than the others, no apologies there. LOL: The media has undoubtedly accelerated the pace of everything it touches, fashion included. As a 'face' you become a household name and reach more people than ever before. What effect does this have on a model? Paulina: It took me a long time to realize what effect my modeling had on the public. I used to be down on being a model, it seemed so irrelevant to the world. I thought, 'what am I doing this for It's like being a hooker.' Then, this girl walked up to me and told me how wonderful she thought my work was. She said to me, 'I look at you and I dream that if I turn my face to the left I'll look a little bit like you.' And then it dawned on me that we provide an escape factor fantasy in the same domain as a movie does. The best models should look as mediocre as possible so that the most people can identify with them like myself, Christy, Cindy so that people will buy what they're selling. Fashion has this built in thing about constant turnover. Because of the media highway, we are at the point where we're measuring in picoseconds. It's 'over' before you take a breath. Sometimes it's pathetic to see this manic search for the next hot trends. As a model, you don't have time to be in because of all of the technology and computers. Everything now is accelerated to warp speed and the attention span is nil. Girls are getting and removing implants to keep up. Look at Kate Moss, in fashion speak, she's 'over'. Today's trends are not Giselle, it's about the newer girls, whoever they are. Veronica: Girls coming into the business today have so much information and with that comes greater expectations. They want the money, the campaigns, etc. right away. Every time you use yourself in a purely commercial way it takes away from the fantasy you've created about yourself. 'Commercial' is not a bad word to me though. I didn't get into modeling because I wanted a photo album. The media has accelerated the speed at which girls have to develop themselves. They don't seem to last as long and don't have the chance to develop a wide range of looks and a runway walk that's really original. So, do all models marry rich rock star, have a couple of kids and go live in London or out in the country? What's a girl to do after her day is done? LOL: Have you been able to use the fame you've garnered from your modeling career to do something else? Are you interested in any of the new opportunities the media explosion presents? Paulina: My hosting the NY shows for Style Network happened after I did some promos for E!'s style channel. After I did those, they called me to do the fashion thing. It was interesting to be behind the cameras instead of one of the herd trotting down the runways. Someone wrote the scripts for me, but I did have input on my backstage interviews. It was fun but do I want to become the new Elsa Klensch? No. I'm considering doing it next season because I really liked working with the people at E! but I have absolutely no ambitions to become a talk show host. I'm into film and have been for a long time. I've done 10, but most people have only seen one or two. I just wrote and directed a feature film called 'Roommates' and am getting it together for the festivals. I've always found that while making a transition into anything else, my modeling opens a door. Sometimes it's good - like someone will look at my film because it's mine and not Joe Smith's from Oklahoma. Expectations can also be considerably lower. If they're looking for a babe and I show them that I can actually act, that's a good thing. Unfortunately, people STILL don't want to cast me in the more serious roles and feel I should be hanging out as a babe in a bathing suit. They still think of me in that babe context or as the Estee Lauder ice queen in a wedding gown. Veronica Webb: I've written books, columns (Interview Magazine) and have been a correspondent to 'Good Morning America' as well as having acted in some movies ('Jungle Fever'). I want to continue to write and model, those are the things that make me happy. Diane: I am in broadcasting now. I'm a spokesperson for PR companies and talk about children's fashions on the weekend 'Today Show' on NBC. I've also done 'The View' in which I represented Saks Fifth Avenue. My ambition is to be a host or co-host for women's issues which includes subjects like fashion and life-style. Magdalena: Wonderbra had been looking for a spokesperson for a while. I did a hair and makeup test with Michael Zeppetello and got called back to meet the PR person. I was petrified, I'm Polish and not super secure about having to speak to the press in English. My booker, Leigh, made me feel confident and made me feel I had a chance. I was stressed out at doing the press conference in August and the morning show. The guy from Page Six called and said I seemed really nice. I was thrilled to be on the morning show, but I'm taking my good fortune piece by piece, whatever comes. I prefer to be a pessimist and think, 'I'm not going to get that'. That way, if I do, I'm thrilled. |
