We’re obviously in changing times now, but back in the 80s, glamour models and pin-up models were certainly a big part of the (male dominated) culture. Many UK teens were enamoured with the likes of Samantha Fox and Maria Whittaker. Sam Fox even had a ZX Spectrum computer game named after her. But the supermodel was also becoming a thing. High-end models who were gaining respect around the world, adorning the covers of hugely popular magazines and several of them becoming top business women as a result of it. Here is a quick look back at some of the most successful female models of the 1980s. These smart, powerful and beautiful women made a real contribution to their sphere of activity and helped changed the course of their industry. We’ll let you Google photos of them yourself, if you are so inclined.
1. Janice Dickinson
It is Janice who is often called the first supermodel of the world: earlier the models did not receive the prefix “super” because they did not have such wide popularity as Hollywood stars. Dickinson was the first top model whose fees were close to Hollywood. Besides, her love affairs with famous men were discussed by the whole world. Janice appeared dozens of times on the covers of the world’s top magazines and was the muse of Versace and Valentino.
2. Christie Brinkley
Often regarded as the main blonde model of the 80s, Christie Brinkley is a real symbol of the era – she was slender, bright, and white-toothed. The blue-eyed blonde managed to keep up with everything: she acted (in movies such as ‘National Lampoon’s Vacation‘), sang, and even worked as an illustrator, but she was often respected for being best at posing for the camera.
3. Iman
The Somali beauty became a star back in the 70s, but in the 80s, her career gained even more momentum. Long before Naomi, Iman became the first black star of the catwalk. She owed her success to the broad views of Yves Saint Laurent, which launched her career. Designer Michael Kors repeatedly called Iman an “icon for all time.” She was of course married to David Bowie for 24 years, until his death in 2016.
4. Paulina Porizkova
The Czech beauty was 18 years old when she became the first model from Eastern Europe to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Paulina has made a convincing journey from the Playboy star to the face of Estee Lauder – her image is still considered the benchmark in the Estee Lauder brand’s philosophy. She helped show the power of a single photo to affect aspirational shoppers. The kind of people that over the years would look to buy anything including perfume, clothing, or even experiences such as spa retreats or the best single over 50 vacations. The beauty of the supermodel could help sell anything and advertisers were becoming very savvy to this.
5. Gia Carangi
Gia was one of the most provocative and sensual top models of the 80s. Almost every photo session of her became a sensation and was accompanied by scandals, since Carangi inspired photographers to take extremely bold experiments for the time.
6. Carol Alt
A beautiful, brown-haired woman with blue eyes who is even ahead of Cindy Crawford on the official list of major supermodels of all time. She was equally successful at beach shooting and serious art. For many years, her civil husband was the Russian hockey player Alexei Yashin.
7. Kathy Ireland
Kathy Ireland is the most successful Sports Illustrated cover model: it was Ireland who appeared on the front page of the annual special issue of Swimsuit Issue for 13 consecutive years! She is also a successful actress and extremely successful entrepreneur.
8. Kim Alexis
One of the main blonde models of the 80s, Kim was the most popular and replicated character of the era. It was Alexis who was chosen in 1983 as the face of Revlon, replacing the star of the 70s Lauren Hatton in this position.
9. Helena Christensen
Helena Christensen began her career on the catwalk at the age of 20 and achieved incredible popularity, working with all the major fashion houses in the world. She signed a contract with Revlon and perhaps most famously starred in Chris Isaak’s music video ‘Wicked Game‘.
10. Linda Evangelista
Canadian Linda Evangelista had begun her career in her hometown before she was discovered by international agents. A few years later, the girl was photographed for the world-famous magazines and even became the muse of Karl Lagerfeld. And in 1988, she cut off her beautiful hair and soon after received the title of ‘supermodel’. She was one of the supermodels who appeared in George Michael’s ‘Freedom! ’90’ and ‘Too Funky’ music videos in the early 90s.