Model: A Memoir

This book is risible in so many ways. A young person writing a memoir is laughable enough, but I also worked as a model in NYC, and I thought there would be moments here I could relate to. Delusional is not a strong enough word to apply to this pathetic work of "prose"-- I use the term loosely. This book is like if there was a Latin verb declined only in the first person and only to mean, "I am like so beautiful." (Has Cheryl never heard the expression: the lady doth protest too much?)Delusion #1: the author barely worked as a model-- the photographic evidence of her tenure working as a model seem to consist of a few paltry test shoots, and not even very good ones at that. (A test shoot is a shoot a photographer does with model's whose books need developing. They're common, generally pretty low-key affairs-- as in they're no big deal. Almost ANY ONE can do a test shoot. Anyone. It's no biggie as this author tries to imply. Certainly not evidence of being a professional model.) This sort of misrepresentation of facts and experience riddles this narrative with problems throughout.Delusion #2: For example, a hair show is about as low on the totem pole of modeling work as you can get and still call yourself a model. Any girl with hair on her head can subject to herself to the experience. Hair shows are CONSTANTLY going on, and they're desperate for heads of hair to play with.Delusion #3: I don't mean to be cruel, but I could read between the lines and I could tell Cheryl was being criticized often for her large schnozz. The fashion industry is cruel, and there's no way her sizeable schnozz was not critiqued. She chooses to omit any direct reference, and I found this omission telling about her level of transparency and honesty in relating this story. She desperately wants to believe, and wants us to believe, she was a successful model in NYC, but it's just a marketing ploy. This book is not the story of an industry insider. It's a sadder tale: it's a fantasist, pressing her large nose to the glass, unable to see in, making up stories about what's going on inside, and trying to pass them off as expert advice/ truth.If you're looking for a primer or a how to begin a career in modeling in New York, this is not your book. Or maybe it is your book if you want a "what not to do." I don't know. All I know is, I wish I had saved my money and time. A MUCH better book if you're looking for a primer is Model: The Ugly Business of Beautiful Women. There's also a book about how to become a non-agency model, I forget the name of the author, but she actually seems to have modeled once or twice.

When she was just fourteen years old, Cheryl Diamond ventured to New York City to become a model. She experienced rejection after rejection until she finally found an agency that would offer her a contract. But then came September 11, and her agency went out of business before she could even land a job.At sixteen, Cheryl returned to New York, hoping for a second chance. She got it. Now she is faced with the task of building her portfolio and making a name for herself--no small job when the head booker is always giving her a rough time and the manager of her agency is seeking revenge on her for standing up to him and refusing to let him yank her around. But Cheryl is tough and sensible, and if anyone can make it in this ugly modeling business, she can.And she's making it...until one man lies to her, destroying her image and bringing her career to a screeching halt. Desolate, she's sent home. But she's determined to do what's unheard of in the modeling biz...make her comeback.Model: A Memoir will leave you shell shocked. Cheryl Diamond is an extraordinary young woman who is role model material for girls everywhere. Without succumbing to the many temptations models are exposed to on a daily basis (eating disorders, drinking, drugs, excessive partying) and without losing a grasp on her values (like refusing to change clothes in front of a roomful of people just to land a job), she has built her career without allowing herself to be bullied. Her novel is a whirlwind of shoots, castings, runway shows, and showdowns with her boss that besides being completely enthralling, are all true. Her writing style has the fast pace that is present in biographies and memoirs, but is as detailed and gripping as any work of fiction. Teens especially will delight in this resilient, strong, and intelligent heroine who is beautiful inside and out, and will eagerly anticipate more from this talented model and writer.

You don't have to be interesting in modeling to appreciate this light, candid take on the industry from the perspective of a young woman/teenager who decides to do her best to establish a modeling career without her own personality/beliefs/person. The book is episodic and reads quickly as you learn one by one about certain elements, dangers and quirks of the modeling industry. As the book goes on, I found myself rooting for Cheryl (author) and celebrating her many small victories and ability to bounce back from lesson-learning defeats. For me, that was the lesson we can learn from Cheryl - resilience and genuineness - no matter in what area we work in. Beyond this, having lived in New York at the time the book is set (early to mid 2000s), it was a fun reminder of what its like to move to New York and let the city wash over you. The book wrapped up quite quickly and left me wanting to know more about Cheryl's time away from New York near the end, and also more about her life before the age of 14, which she eluded to with teasingly little detail at time throughout the book. I recommend this for its being a not so serious introduction to a new world through the eyes of a unique and talented narrator.

This provides a juicy inside to the career of a model.

Mi ha fatto piangere, mi ha fatto ridere. Vera storia di una modella a New York per la prima volta. Leggetelo!!!