For decades, models were lanky, attractive, but nameless individuals who strode down fashion-show runways wearing the latest creations of clothing designers. Their faces and bodies appeared in fashion advertisements printed in women's magazines, or on the covers of such publications. Occasionally, a model earned acclaim by becoming a movie actress. However, the rise of the "supermodel" in the 1980s and 1990s resulted in an individual model winning fame simply for being a "personality." Her earning the title "supermodel" meant that she was a superstar, as celebrated as any top film, television (see entry under 1940s—TV and Radio in volume 3), or sports star.

The supermodel is the creation of a media eager to promote a familiar and beautiful face. A supermodel mingled publicly with the rich and famous. She was cited in gossip columns, appeared on television talk shows, and partied at the trendiest nightspots. No longer anonymous...