Model: The Ugly Business of Beautiful Women

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 fa?ade to reveal untold truths of the ugly trade in pretty women.

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.