“Hi, I’m Billy. You’re very pretty. I’ll bet you’re a model.”
“Why? Do I look stupid?”
There are so many reasons why I like the movie Gia. Part of it is because I love the story of an everyday girl becoming a supermodel. I mean who wouldn’t love that story? Gia took what was acceptable in fashion and turned it upside down. Whereas she started off looking ‘different’ she quickly became the standard of what was considered beautiful. She was unapologetic about it too. Unlike some wanna-be starlet, Gia took what was hers in true model-fierce fashion.
Yes, world; you will love me.
I mean if you are beautiful and you make demands, why wouldn’t people bend?
Gia is great because it brings out a fact that many regular people don’t understand. Models are not stupid and they aren’t fragile. If we were, how in the world would we survive the constant criticism we take. I mean, Gia is the perfect example of this. She knew she was beautiful, and she knew exactly what to do with it. Her success was partly luck, but it was mostly talent- no one scouted that fiery girl on the street. She walked right into the industry as if to say:
I’m here, bitches.
But Gia also illustrated something ugly about modeling – that huge void that professional modeling can leave. If you think about it, it makes sense. Models spend their careers being something else. They act; not with words or gestures. They act with their bodies. They become something someone else dreams up.
If you are constantly being someone else, at what point do you get to be you? And, if you start off modeling at 17, as many of us do, at what point do you figure out who the fuck you are.
I guess that happens between casting calls and make-up applications, because it definitely does not happen on the runway or in front of the camera.
For Gia, and so many else, partying lets us stop being someone else and just let us enjoy the pleasures of our bodies for ourselves. Everyone else enjoys looking at our bodies; shouldn’t we have fun with it too? I mean, hanging out with a model means you are big stuff, right?
So why wouldn’t any of us use that perk (the drinking, the drugs, the all-night partying) to our advantage? I mean, I’ve negotiated many photoshoots in the back of VIP. It’s just part of the game.
Gia, unfortunately, was not ready for the lifestyle, as it came too quickly. Sure she grabbed the industry by the balls, and had her way with a few along the way, but ultimately the thing that got her there, her determination and spirit, was the one thing she couldn’t keep in check.
Being a supermodel didn’t make her happy, it made her feel empty. What’s left inside when everything is so exposed? For models who lose themselves behind all of the makeup, it’s easy to feel that way.
