A girl of extraordinary beauty, Gia Carangi was one of the world’s first supermodels and the most popular model in the late 1970s. According to the philadelphianka, she became famous for how quickly she made a successful career and for her too short life with a terrible ending…
A rebel since childhood
Gia Marie Carangi was born on January 29, 1960, in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Her father was Italian-American. Her mother was an American with Welsh and Irish roots. Probably, as a result of such a blood mixing, Gia got a special appearance. The girl’s father owned a fast food chain. Gia worked there during her school years. Until the age of 11, Gia was raised primarily by her mother. But then she left the family, leaving the children for her husband. Gia had a hard time with her parents’ breakup. She constantly lacked her mother. Perhaps that is why, according to biographers, in her adult life Gia chose female attention. She was not interested in men at all… Her brothers were engaged in the family business. As Gia grew up, she mostly took care of herself. The girl was independent, self-confident and fearless. As a teenager, Gia often chose dubious friends. On the street, she could approach a stranger and kiss them passionately. With those she knew more closely, she did not hesitate to explore her sexuality. Gia eventually realized that she was more interested in girls…
At the age of 17, the rebel decided to conquer New York. Relatives recalled that Gia always wanted to become a model and was confident in her beauty. Later, her family regretted letting Gia go on her own. It is said that during one of the night parties in Philadelphia, the girl was noticed by local stylist and photographer Maurice Tannenbaum. He took her photos and sent them to his colleague Arthur Elgort in New York. The latter had successfully collaborated with many celebrities in the fashion industry. For this reason, Gia moved to New York. Her mother would sometimes visit her daughter, often to at least put things in order in her home. For the most part, Gia embraced loneliness.
Changed the laws of the fashion world
The owner of a modeling agency, Wilhelmina Cooper, took a liking to the thin, bold and pretty girl. The offer of cooperation was instantaneous. The meeting resulted not only in a contract, but even in Wilhelmina’s maternal relationship with Gia, which she had always lacked.
Within three months, the Philadelphia woman had reached the level of sought-after models. The photographer Arthur Elgort put her in touch with his famous colleagues. Gia had meetings with Marco Glaviano, Francesco Scavullo, Richard Avedon and Chris von Wangenheim. This had a great impact on the start of her modeling career. Gia’s life changed dramatically. She had a busy schedule, popularity, in part due to her non-standard appearance. There were photo shoots for Vogue, Cosmopolitan, contracts with Armani, Versace, Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Dior. At that time, blonde models were in demand. Gia changed the situation and backed it up with her ability to perfectly embody radically different images in front of the lens. The world has learned about 18-year-old Italian-American Gia Carangi! With her atypical appearance, she was able to make her way to the podium of the fashion world. Camera flashes, glossy magazine covers, fabulous money and the same popularity among thousands of fans. The most famous photographers and fashion designers sought to collaborate with the supermodel. Her most famous photo shoot took place in 1978. Gia was offered a nude photo shoot for Vogue magazine. The pictures of the model posing naked behind a fence became one of the most scandalous. Even more famous magazines wanted to work with her.
Inadequate model
There was one nuance in the life of the promising supermodel. It seemed to her that early adulthood and constant loneliness since her teenage years would be calmed down by… marijuana. Her fame was followed by other types of drugs. Living independently in New York and having a lot of money gave Gia too much freedom. She was often seen in establishments with a dubious reputation, primarily in the Studio 54 club, where debauched parties with all kinds of “doping” were traditionally held. When Gia’s mentor Wilhelmina Cooper died in 1980, she decided that heroin would help ease her pain. That was another big mistake… Later, Gia left the Wilhelmina modeling agency. She ended up with a new and strict boss, Eileen Ford. Even this did not affect the model’s return to normal life.
Photographers and other participants in the shoot noticed that Gia was using illegal substances frequently and actively. The model often came to the set under the influence of alcohol and drugs. The status of the brightest star of the generation forced producers, photographers and others to tolerate the model’s addictions. Gia threw tantrums, scandals, swore, criticized fashion designers and stylists and was often late. She would leave in the middle of the shoot. She even fainted during work from drug delirium and disappeared for weeks, despite her contracts. Photos for Vogue and other well-known magazines had to be processed to hide the injection marks on the model’s arms… Drugs were increasingly affecting her mental and physical condition. The face of the top model, who was in her early 20s, was losing its freshness and her hands were unpleasant to look at. Gia’s health and beauty were in decline. One by one, specialists began to refuse to work with her.
The chasm of addictions
Gia had never had a soul mate and was disappointed in relationships every time. Only a few people ever talked to her. There came a time when Gia decided to fight her addiction. She went to rehab at a special clinic in Philadelphia. It was when she began a relationship with a drug-addicted student named Rochelle that Gia’s addiction became even more severe. In 1981, she was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. Later, she tried to steal money from her own mother. In total, there were several treatment attempts, as well as breakdowns. At the end of 1981, during another confrontation with addiction, Gia was seriously determined to succeed. She even gained weight and planned to return to New York.
She made a brief return to the fashion world in early 1982. Gia used to choose who she worked with and could refuse to shoot because she simply didn’t like the clothes or hairstyle. Now she was ready to agree to anything to regain her success. She changed several modeling agencies. She even modeled for Vogue again. This cover, which was planned to be the best of Gia’s career, was also the last. Photographers noticed that the former supermodel had lost her talent. The shoots and the photos were bland. She had to hide her hands repeatedly. When Carangi appeared in an ABC program about supermodel stories in 1982, she claimed that she did not use drugs. Her appearance and behavior said otherwise. Her agent tried for some time to influence the catastrophic situation, but to no avail. Photographers increasingly shunned the inadequate Gia.
No trace of the best model in the world
In 1983, Gia Carangi’s career came to an end. While she was working on another photo shoot in North Africa, the model was caught using drugs… After that, the elite fashion model went through a lot of hardships. She moved to the suburbs of Philadelphia and worked as a department store clerk and cashier. She showed some interest in cinema and photography. It is said that Gia even went to college. Then Carangi disappeared. It turned out that she had gone to Atlantic City, where her addiction intensified. Subsequently, the world-famous supermodel became a prostitute to sell her body for the next dose… Gia was raped several times… Her addiction was getting the better of her, although her own mother tried to be there for her. However, the help of family and friends did not work. There was no question of a career, it was all about survival. There was no trace of Gia’s beauty left. At the age of 26, she looked like a 50-year-old exhausted sick woman whose body had begun to decompose during her lifetime… Her mother took her to the hospital with signs of pneumonia. It turned out that from the inside, Gia was being exhausted by AIDS. Doctors in those years did not know how to fight it. Once, Gia even tried to film a story to show what drugs can do to a person, but she didn’t have the strength to do it.
On November 18, 1986, Gia Сarangi died, having achieved her childhood dream: her mother, although in a hospital room, was by her side around the clock. Gia also became the first American model to die of AIDS… It had so disfigured her body that it was advised to bury it in a closed coffin. Gia Carangi was buried in the cemetery of Feasterville, Pennsylvania. The funeral was sparsely attended. The fashion world did not know about her death for a long time. AIDS was considered a shameful disease and the family kept it quiet.
Unable to change herself, she changed the fashion world
This was the end of the life of one of the most beautiful women of the twentieth century and perhaps the first supermodel in the world. Her successors were Claudia Schiffer and Cindy Crawford. By the way, Cindy was called “little Gia” for a certain resemblance. She was indeed 6 years younger and appeared in the fashion world just when Gia was foolishly doing everything to disappear from it. Cindy was an excellent student, a well-mannered and disciplined possessor of divine beauty. This “hooked” fashion houses, advertisers and many who collaborated with the scandalous, alcohol and drug addicted Carangi. Yet, not so long ago, Gia was called a model with a perfect body, stunning hair and exciting lips. They called her stylish, spectacular, unique and with an incredible set of qualities for success in the fashion industry. A model was not afraid of any professional experiments… It was Gia Carangi who changed the fashion world by making not only blondes but also brown-haired, brunette and generally girls with radically different looks appear on the covers of glossy magazines.
In 1998, the story of Gia Carangi became the basis for the biographical film Gia. Angelina Jolie played the role of the supermodel.