Gia Carangi

I was a teenager during this era, and it fascinates me. Who wrote the book Op?

Gia Giudice's heroin habit makes Gia Carangi look like a girl scout.

The only complaint I have about the kindle version is that there are no fucking pictures.

Stephen Fried wrote the book. He wrote at Philadelphia Magazine at the time. Originally Gia's story was in that mag and in Cosmo too - that is where I first read it. A couple of years later, it became a book. Gia grew up in a burb near Philly. I know some people who went to school around the same time that she did, and some LGBTers who hung out in the bars when she did - namely the DCA. She was by all accounts a nice girl with some serious mommy issues. I don't think Angelina's performance in that cable movie did her any justice.

I agree, I thought Angelina was good in the movie until I read the book. Also Gia was a jillion times more attractive.

Did Gia & Janice Dickinson get along? It seemed like Gia would have been a rival...

once janice hit on gia b/c she "missed her boyfriend" but gia didn't bite

She got hundreds of chances, it's a testament to her beauty. I can't think of any models past or present that are more beautiful. of course nowadays they'd tell her to lose 40lbs.

I knew Gia in passing in 1980s Atlantic City. She was a mess, but certainly not the only one in that very troubled place and time. Gia would sometimes be very friendly and upbeat and other times very dragged out & exhausted...classic addict or bipolar type.

She was a drug addict, not Madame Curie.

Gorgeous

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I read the book too, OP. I kept a copy of it, I read it twice.

[quote]Gia Giudice's heroin habit makes Gia Carangi look like a girl scout.

I can just see Milania pulling up on a motorcycle and Gia hopping on while the Bravo cameras film. Teresa would be yelling, "Gia! Come back!!!" and Milania would wisk a despondent Gia to a crack alley in Patterson.

Another observation...while still very pretty, Gia had a masculine edge and a lot of Philly/Jerseyy vibe, which Hollywood Angie did not convey at all.

[quote]Gia had a masculine edge and a lot of Philly/Jerseyy vibe, which Hollywood Angie did not convey at all.

I thought she did so (briefly) when opening the can with a switchblade and kicking in the window

Yeah, Way Bandy was way ahead of his time.

A friend of mine dated one of her enablers/hangers on, a makeup artist who fetched her drugs. He is homeless now and had never had anything interesting to say about her except to rhapsodize about how beautiful she was. She had a large circle of these types--shallow idiots who admired her tragic "edginess."

And here's Gia.

And here's her girlfriend, Sandy Linter. She looks fucked up in every single picture. Was she into drugs too?

I liked the Angelina movie (it's actually the only thing I've ever seen her in) but it was clear to me watching it that it had to be an airbrushed fantasy.

Like all models, the real Gia looked pretty identical to every other model of her time and didn't project anything you could call an individual personality. By the nature of their work models have to fade into a sort of appealing anonymity so that the product they're selling is the focus of the image. Angelina is a star, so her personality stands out in a way that's the opposite of how a model works. Being a model is for people who do what they're told, and as the film pointed out Gia (like Kate Moss) partly got on because she was willing to get naked.

Gia looking pretty dykey.

I read "Thing of Beauty." Amazingly it was very dull, despite the incredible story it told: trashy little lesbian street becomes a top model and then sytematically destroys her with drugs, eventually dying of AIDS. Fried's writing is uninspiring and his depictions of Gia and her family and lovers and acquaintances have no depth.

Her most important lover was a white trash druggie/criminal from a well-to-do family: Elyssa Golden. Fried was for some reason protective of Golden; in the book he gives her the name "Rochelle Rosen" and in the epilogue at the end says that she is HIV-negative but has liver cancer. In reality, Golden DID have AIDS (did Gia contract it from HER?) and went on to die of it.

Photographer and personal friend Francesco Scavullo was asked what he thought was the cause of Gia’s death. Taking a moment to think, Scavullo answered, “Lack of love. ”

R21, Don't all models (Cindy Crawford) get naked? Why would that matter?

Cindy Crawford was called "Baby Gia" when she started in the industry. They used to airbrush out that mole. But I think Gia was a million times prettier, except for that last tragic photoshoot.

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I worked with aids patients in the mid eighties (pre-meds and all about Marianne Williamson/the healing circle) in NYC. A guy I helped out said he was a former model handler and his job was to get Gia, Patty Hansen and others to their shoots no matter what.

It didn't mean much to me but it was amusing and sad to listen to. It seemed from his story telling that all they did was do massive drugs and get pushed in front of a camera. For what?

Bump! More about Patty Hansen please! I though she was just a party girl; didn't know she was into the hard stuff. I loved the Angelina movie, though I'm certain it glossed over some of the more unseemly details.

Didn't Fried allude to some sexual abuse from her dad?

[quote]I loved the Angelina movie

Why? It was horrible piece of shit. You have spectacularly bad taste.

R27, Don't you think that it's extremely contradictory, heavy duty drug use and modelling (or acting, or singing)? It's as if you're playing Russian Roulette with your looks and talent.

[quote] I thought Angelina was good in the movie until I read the book. Also Gia was a jillion times more attractive

What brought this thread back up? Anyway I don't agree at all. Angelina was way more beautiful than Gia. In fact, Cindy Crawford was more beautiful than Gia - before she ruined her eyes with surgery.

The movie wasn't that good but Angelina's performance was excellent which is why she won every award out there for it.

"Angelina was way more beautiful than Gia"

Not in that movie. When AJ was young she wasn't outstandingly beautiful, something (weight loss and plastic surgery) happened in her late twenties and she blossomed into a real beauty. But when she made "Gia", she was babyfaced and snub-nosed and not supermodel material.

I saw that movie when it came out, and kept thinking "She's not beautiful enough for the role".

Angie as Gia, all dolled up.

The real Gia.

Still think Angie was more beautiful. I'm not denying Gia's beauty but I've known a lot of Italian girls who looked that good. She was a bit coarse looking - maybe it's the make-up.

I NEED YOU I NEED YOU I NEED YOU!!!!!!!

GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT!!!!!!!!!

R[30] you have spectacularly low esteem. Your comment is completely useless unless your goal to to elevate yourself by trashing an anon poster.

Hey R38 it was me R30 was trashing. I don't give a hoot what people think about my taste! I enjoyed the movie and whomever has a problem with that can take a hike! Thanks for sticking up for me though!

Meanwhile... who has more dirt on the modelling world of the '70s/'80s? Spill!

Her story is a cautionary tale.

Young Janice DIckinson looked alot like Gia.

She's a mess now. But she's like a cockroach - she did a lot of shit too - but somehow survived.

I never understood why Angelina wasn't required to wear brown contact lenses. She didn't look all that much like Gia to begin with, then add the fact that AJ has blue eyes, I guess the director wasn't going for an actress who looked like Gia?

I always thought Cindy Crawford resembled Gia.

A former work acquaintance worked with Gia, he describe Gia as "always stoned, she basically acted as if she didn't want to be there, as if she was annoyed."

A million young women would have killed to be in her shoes, but she was a white trash fuck up with a bad attitude and a bad drug habit.

A questioned a lot in the film, like the part where she gets clean, they starts doing heroin again. She goes to some loading dock where she tries to score, then some dealers who knew her, beat the crap out of her or IIRC, they beat her then raped her and also took her money. Really?

I doubt many drug addicted models were dealing with those types of street drug dealers. Most wealthy people aren't even dealing directly with the drug dealers, they have someone else do that.

Was her gay male friend a real person or was he created just for the film?

Models did heroin so they could starve themselves.

"Models did heroin so they could starve themselves."

Well then they're fulfilling the stereotype of the dumb model because heroin tends to make people fat, until they hit junkie-ville.

Coke is always a better choice for thinning out.

Angelina Jolie would have never been so popular among the gay population if she hadn't be Gia Carangi in 'Gia'. She owes a lot to Gia's personal story. Actually it was 'Gia' that made the difference in Jolie's career. After 'Gia', she managed to play in some really good movies before she retired to the 'superwoman' movies she is for a long time now!

Could you be married to Keith Richards and not partake a little bit?

R30 is Jen Aniston.

please more gia stories

We'll name a whole phone line after you: GIA!!!

Definitely 1 of the most beautiful white women who have modeled. I thought Janice Dickinson was quite pretty before she fucked her face up but when I saw those shoots of her posing with Gia? Gia blew her away. That said Gia seemed like a typical depressed druggie who was very naive and empty outside of posing for pics.

Did anyone see those videos on youtube from the last few years in which Sandy Linter talked about Gia and had on Carol Alt and a photographer?

For someone who says she is straight and seemed annoyed by Gia constantly pursuing her, Sandy has had a lot to say about her in the last 20 years.

Her last Cosmo cover shoot:

She was so drugged out/financially broke, F. Scavullo and W. Bandy helped her out with the referenced Cosmo cover. She was so high, arms massively messed up by needle marks, they had to prop her up and place her arms in the folds of her dress to hide the needle tracks.

The contrast between her final Cosmo cover and the one she did before is stunning. In the first one she's wearing a skimpy bikini and looks healthy and luscious. In the final one she's bloated and wearing a puffy party dress with her arms concealed under the skirt; in no way does she resemble the incredible-looking young woman she was before. Scavullo got her the Cosmo cover out of pity; he was a kind man and he could see she was no longer going to be able to model much longer.

In the pics shown, Gia has an unusual ability to connect with the camera, and to "bring it," even if she does not really feel sexual or at all elegant at that moment.

You bitches are crazy to think AJ didn't play her part well. It made her career.

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I think Gabriella Sabatini looks a lot like Gia -- too bad she's not an actress.

Take off the salame slices from your eyes, love!

R41

Good Lord! Janice looks nothing like she did in that pic.

Was her plastic surgeon drunk when he worked on her ? There is zero resemblance between then and now.

R57 Sabatini isn't as pretty and has different hair/skin color but some of her features do resemble Carangi.

Gia was very interesting-in full makeup she looked so feminine but without it she just looked like an extremely gorgeous boy. Definitely had lesbian face.

Gia's androgyny had a hot, smoky result. Some models, both male and female, might be androgynous, but the effect is more sterile, less sexy. Gia also looked slightly animalistic, like a panther.

Gia is remembered IMO because of her tragic end.

When I think of great models she doesn't hold a candle to the likes of Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, etc...

I think she is mostly remembered for the movie.

I knew them all. The movie and book were trash. I knew the people who helped make her. Tony V ( died of H over 20 years ago) and Steven Meisel were young and brilliant and considered the taste makers. Believe it or not GIA was considered a model that was considered " ugly beautiful" that sounds crazy given her beauty but after decades of Cheryl Tiegs thin lipped all American girl next door Gia and her ethic look and LIPS was considered a sensation. This moment in time even the ugly girls worked because S.M wanted LIPS and the bigger the better.I was close friends with D Cohen ( hat designer) who knew Gia from the age of 15 in philly. He told me she would not wash her hair in weeks and wore a dirty tee and jeans and when they walked down the street men would stop in shock. Her beauty was something that was unreal. That saying about people who could care less are often the most beautiful is the GIA story to a tee.I was almost the naïve one of the group. I knew little of their drug use. Way B was a major player. Between Steven , Way and Tony Gia became the IT girl overnight. Sadly most all are dead. H, something I thought had been a 60's thing was a major part of many lives. Gia was born at the wrong time. Being Gay tormented her and her family. The stories I could tell..... this was pre aids (late 70's early 80s )and people were fearless. Tony V was one of the most brilliant illustrators of the day and his work is still considered directional.Gia was like a muse. He used her image ....slighty androgynous face Lips symmetry as a model for much of his work. Gia walked like a truck driver. Her few shows ( perry ellis ) were funny in a sad way. Yet she was on the cover of Vogue that season wearing ellis ( pink hand knit sweater I think) Polly M loved her because she was so new and different. In the same way Esme was different a few years earlier for her thick brows . It was a time to love away from the typical ford model norm. Scavullo loved her and his BF sean put her on her final cover, cosmo. She looked terrible. the HIV had already done a number. The story was sanitized. The people then were about talent and newness....now its copying and " branding"

More, R63, more! Am I correct in presuming that you worked in the business? If so, in what capacity? If not, how were you part of that circle?

I didn't know that SM was an established mover in the late 70s and that he had even worked with Gia. I though that he had arrived later.

Did you also know Wilhelmina? The book posits that her death was a huge blow to Gia due to the latter's mommy issues. Do you agree? Do you know what Willie though of Gia?

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Thank you for your post, R63! That was great.

"Didn't Fried allude to some sexual abuse from her dad?"

Her mom said that she said (as a child) that he would come into her room at night, but nothing happened; however, one of her AA counselers or buddies said that she said her abused her. I wonder if it was the junk talking, childish fear, or it really happened.

I don't think Gia was that exceptional-looking either, but 1) I've only seen a few pics of her, and 2) what model is? Very few are incontrovertibly beautiful---striking yes, but imo, that's what maKes them appealing.

"I think she is mostly remembered for the movie."

Lol, I agree.

She would be completely forgotten but for the movie and the early death.

I looked at a lot of pictures of her--she's not a great model at the level of, say, a Suzy Parker or a Lauren Hutton.

"I doubt many drug addicted models were dealing with those types of street drug dealers. Most wealthy people aren't even dealing directly with the drug dealers, they have someone else do that."

Please! Addicts (not prescription drugs, but street drugs) usually buy their own drugs. The ritual of getting high becomes so intimate that they only want to be around other druggies or their dealer-patron saint. Having somebody buy your drugs for you is risky because you're left out of the loop; it also takes more time. Theoretically, there's also a possibility that they will run off with your "score," is disconcerting for somebody who's physically dependent on something. It's not like you can pick it up at CVS. Heroin addicts only trust other addicts, for good reason. Who wants to schlep a junkie's drugs? Addicts become increasingly vulnerable as their addiction develops. The real Gia was raped several times as an addict; it would have been surprising if she hadn't been.

I remember her Jan. 1980 Cosmo cover because one of the girls on the dorm floor was into models and she showed it to us and told us how Gia was revolutionary because the covers were usually blonde and blued perky women, not dusky tigresses...

To answer the question I was roommates with Tony V for a year. He was just starting to travel to Paris and I shared his apt on 1st ave. Gia was different. Not to compared but in the vain of Gisele..... Breasts curves and highly sexual to men. The runway models of today are many inches taller than Gia and at least 15 pounds lighter but without makeup a man would not look twice (hetero) Many in real life look like ugly ducklings....skin ,bones and symmetry. Gia was like a goddess thick luxe hair, Lips curves and like an old school goddess. I remember Christy T who is generally known as the face of the century and the camera loves her but in no way even close to the sexuality of Gia. Though there was airbrushing there was nothing like the technology that exists today. She was a bombshell. It was a time that will never be repeated . With the net and hundreds of ways to be exposed for designers models etc none of these existed so its was all about RAW talent and word of mouth. E Ford who just died let many girls stay at her home.They were 16 and in a fast word with no clue. I was 21 and I had no clue so I cant imagine what happened to any of them. If Tony V would have lived he would be one of the biggest stars in the fashion world. Now anyone with a camera and some luck can make it. These people were all under 25, they were just brilliant. I was thrown into a world I did not even comprehend. Sadly I don't think anyone gave a fuck for anyone else....it was all about making magic. If people think things are decadent now they have no clue. It was unreal. To answer the question as far as I know Gia was gay from a young age.. I think she may have slept with men for drugs but I can't say something I don't know. Unlike " baby gia" Cindy Crawford, Gia was self destructive and the flame went out a fast as the rise. When I see gay men make snarky and nasty remarks on DL I cringe because if you lived through a period and you were a nervous wreck like myself watching people get sick and die weekly like flies was more than many could cope with. I give people credit but would could cope, I literally snapped. It was just too difficult for some to comprehend.It was Aids but not only from sex but from dirty needles.

ps SM was an illustrator for WWD while he worked his way into photography and the rest is history. He was crazy for Gia as he is for anything new and different or strange.

Thank you for responding, R63. I am fascinated by that world at that moment in time.

Write your own memoir, R63!

Thanks, R63. This is great. I've always been fascinated with Gia, the movie, and have the book.

"When I think of great models she doesn't hold a candle to the likes of Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, etc..."

She was better-looking than either one of those cows. She had a special quality, whereas Campbell and Turlington were just a couple of models with nothing interesting about them at all. I always thought Turlington's face always looked like some kind of weird bird. And Campbell is no better looking than any other generic model. And poor, trashy, drug-addicted Gia was certainly more likeable and sympathetic than the atrocious Campbell, who is one of the most detestable celebrities on earth.

It's interesting that people are obsessed with a second-rate model whose only distinguishing mark was a penchant for self-destruction.

A pretty girl who was a doper and then ended up dead. Just exactly why does that scenario endear her to us? She's not the first of her kind, btw. Cf. Marilyn Monroe, etc.

Gia was a lesbian, but she'd have sex with guys when high and she'd have sex with men in order to feed her drug habit. Apparently she wasn't that picky when it came to lovers. In the book it said she was having an affair with a fat girl; she said for some reason she was into sex with "fat women." The book said the girl whose pie she was munching was straight.

Let's hear some gossip about Gia's best girlfriend "Rochelle." She was some piece of work, a sleazebag of immense proportions.

I eat shit.

The book from which the movie was made was flawed in my opinion. I believe when I read it many of the original players were already dead. Because she was so damaged I don't think anyone except Sandy Linter thought of her as more than eye candy or a dollar sign. I think no model in history wanted to be a model less than Gia. That's the whole contradiction, she was everything. People that say she is remembered because of the book or Aids don't get it. She will be remembered because she was a complete original. This was a period that bookers and stylists overused the word "flawless" and she was. Who else would eat greasy chicken with her hands while wearing YSL.....not RTW, Couture.

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r83 = Sandy

I'm still trying to understand what "ethnic look" is supposed to mean.

Not Daisy in the Dell blonde blue-eyed or Grace Kelly blonde blue-eyed or Kim Alexis

please more

r86 yes I just meant it's a ftoopid use of the term.

bump

Cheyenne Tozzi

OMG PC has gone way too far. The term Ethnic is not bigoted. Ethnic from ethnicity just means the mix of someones heritage. I have no problem referring to Gia as Ethnic though no one would even say that now since most every successful model is a interesting mix. The main reason she was so wanted was exactly for her unusual heritage mix. When blue eyes blondes were a dime a dozen Gia was a breath of fresh air.

people say "ethnic" when someone clearly doesn't look like a boring WASP/British person which sadly has been "standard" in white culture for decades.

What was Gia's "unusual heritage mix"?!

IIRC, she was Italian on her dad's side and her mom was Irish/Welsh, which is not exotic at all. Sometimes people simply look exotic, but their background is not. I'm Italian, Scottish, Spanish and French, I get mistaken for German or Swedish because of my blond hair and green eyes.

A female cousin, who was actually stopped by a Ford agent and it was legit. I gave the name to a friend who booked models from Ford, it turned out the agent was someone my friend knew. My cousin looks Eurasian, but she's simply Italian and Irish. For some reason her Irish mother has Asian eyes, pale skin and black hair.

If anything, Gia looked Italian or Hispanic, or what people perceive an Italian or Hispanic person looks like. Back then, Gia might have looked 'unusual' compared to the type of models Eileen Ford preferred, Wasps with upturned noses!

Jolie is a billion times more beautiful than Gia.

If she were starting out today, would she make it? Is her type of look what editors/photographers want?

r95

No chance. She would be considered too 'big' to be a high fashion model.

The point is at that moment in time,the late 70's Gia was one of a kind. Gia was like a sensation because as I said earlier the taste makers and bookers would talk about no one at that short moment but Gia. Every other model was like "who" ?. That "mix" was unusual because it created this unusual beauty that was exquisite yet could be in your face sex or could be chic. She could do anything if time would have been on her side .Angelina is a gorgeous girl,that's not the same thing as being a model.It would take an hour to explain the difference. When models would be sent on go see's I would see top girls dressed in white pristine lauren shirts and beautiful pants.... or fresh as new tee's and jeans. Gia would go out to see new clients in worn " wife beater" tee's in need of a good washing ... the fabric was so worn you could see her nipples which were unreal because they were REAL.Over this wife beater she would go to see Armani or YSL with a studded home made ( embellished) thrift store black leather moto jacket. If you look at RL recent underwear Ads they could be Gia 40 years later. She was original and that's a huge thing. Everyone in the business said she had the most beautiful breasts in the world and unlike the hideous reality show freaks of today it was not because they were huge....they were just perfect. No matter how far plastic surgery has come Gia's natural breasts and the way they looked in clothes was something. We have become so conditioned to fake that when you look at Gia on old Cosmo covers her chest looks amazing,her breasts, never vulgar no matter how little she wore. Helmut Newton who will always be known for his over the top editorials said she had the best body ever. Her proportions were perfect and she never saw the inside of a gym or thought about carbs. Cindy, Gia's heir lasted for decades because she thought of her body as her commodity. Gia had no clue what she had.

Thanks R97. Really interesting. I grew up in Phila and Gia was a local girl who became a star. And then obviously crashed even more dramatically. I remember her on the cover of Philadelphia Magazine when she was about 19.

Any other gossip from those days? I loved all the beautiful Ford blondes. What about Nancy Donohue (who married Jeff Aquilon for a time)? She grew up in my partner's hometown of Lowell, Mass. Her father was the CEO of a big company.

And I knew Willow Bay at Penn. She appears to have led an absolutely charmed life.

Angelina as beautiful as Gia? Everyone has their own opinion but Angelina come from Hollywood royalty and Gia from a Hoagie shop in philly. Prior to becoming an actress was Angelina a famous, maybe the most famous international Model of her day? As I said, a beautiful girl does not make am A list model.

Jolie's looks are fine tuned through surgery. This needs to be noted. Gia was natural beauty. Gia was hardcore beauty, as the good lord intended. Jolie is the result of meetings with surgeons, "corrections" etc. Jolie's lushness has been de-emphasized. Something essential is not there, maybe the randomness of natural beauty. It's the difference between many black and white beauties vs. babes of today.

She was a MODEL, not Albert Schweitzer.

Stop romanticizing self-destructive behavior.

Gia would be as much of a sensation today as she was years ago. A face and body like that come along once in a lifetime. As far as size there is a difference between couture runway and editorial/ ads. Thanks to people like Carine Roitfeld larger girls, smaller girls and everything in between have had major exposure. Magazines are in the business to make money,period. Gia made fortunes for Cosmo and every major designer from Versace to Armani Ferre Dior who were all major in the 70's paid huge fees for Gia. At the time Scavullo shot every cover and have almost complete control by HGB..... Cosmo was not considered trash as it is today.People refuse to understand that thousands of models have died tragic deaths. Gia is Gia not because she died a tragic death but because she was such a huge star and fell so quickly.

It' typical that some nobody would say anyone is making her story out to be some romance novel. Her life was filled with sadness and self destructive behavior and having sympathy for a tragic and very painful death is nothing to be snarky about.

Funny but I never cared much for Nancy Donohue who I would call the anti gia.... the girl next door. Jeff Aquilon is a whole other ballgame. GQ and Weber made him the most outrageously sexual male model of that moment. Again, they used the term ugly beautiful because he simply was not the classic male model.BTW Gia should be credited with making fortunes for plastic surgeons. I never remember a single girl in NY every talking about lips...pillow lips and trying every trick to make their lips larger until Gia and again her naturally gorgeous lips became a craze. Models of that period all had something but I remember bookers talking the hair lips breasts body eyes skin ( until the drugs destroyed her) which was olive and flawless.Jeff with his unconventional features was like sex on a stick. His body was unreal before male models had unreal bodies. The famous pic of him on the bed at the time was like a shot heard round the world.

R101 What a douce. No one said a bad word about her and no one said she was some saint. She was a girl with a disease called addiction. You should grow up get an education and a life.

Is Jolie really attractive? I don't find her attractive at all, and I'm a lesbian. I know there are a few gay men here who think Jolie is gorgeous but, then, they're not sexually attracted to women.

Gia Carangi, on the other hand, was gorgeous - a combination of being naturally beautiful and a bit butchy.

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I would say that straight men would for the most part think Angelina is a knockout but I agree 100% as I have said before a pretty girl is not a model.

R108, etc., should write a book.

Dunno, r108, the only comments on Jolie I've heard from actual straight men - and not the media - are that she has chicken legs.

There's a whole bunch of way more attractive actresses than Jolie out there. She just got picked up by a media/PR system that wanted someone a bit "quirky" as that would be something novel and could sell more, and Jolie, thanks partly to playing Gia and to being "bisexual" (and having a film star father) fulfilled that role.

Someone who knew her said "she would have been a casualty in any life." That's true.

R91 oh good Lord: nope, that wasn't a PC bullshit LOL... blonde/blue eyed is "ethnic" too duh. It's just a stupid use of the term. Anyway, my 2 cents on Gia/Angelina: apples and oranges, and Gia was definitely a model with capital M, while as someone else said before Angelina is a plastic beauty and not a model (I like her, though)

Disagree with r102, Cosmo had the same rep in the 70s as it does today. It's always been quizzes about your sex life. Not even remotely on the level of Vogue and Bazaar. (Gia did have one Vogue cover.)

I knew Gia and her GF very tangentially from the Jersey shore/Philly suburbs. As a slightly younger lesbian I was initially drawn to them because they were good-looking, stylish, and cool. Although by now she had rough edges, Gia was still very striking. The GF thought I was a sissy but tolerated me.

At a certain point I became afraid of those two and pulled back. I once saw them have a huge fight that scarily accelerated from a casual remark into a knockdown dragout. Also a rumor went around that they had beaten another woman really badly. I was very sorry to hear years later that Gia had died, but not surprised.

R114, thanks for the post. From what you say, it sounds like Gia would have had a complicated life anyway, and died too early, even if she had not had AIDS.

R 113 sorry all wrong. Cosmo was the highest money maker in the 70s and that's what counts... Scavullo shot every cover. Maybe one of the ten greatest beauty photogs that ever lived HGB was a brilliant EIC and she used Gia so much because GIA sold like no one else.COSMO had as many ad pages as Vogue. American Vogue now is a joke.

John Stember Gia Carangi

Someone states Gia had one Vogue cover...and how many did you have? Gia in a very short span had numerous Vogue covers. You are aware that V publishes dozens of editions all over the world, most being far more important and directional than American Vogue. Not a single mag came close to the over million NS sales than 70s Cosmo. They were a money making machine. Sales are ALL that matters, Ad pages. HGB used Scavulo the best of the best for every cover. They used Gia because she sold and sold big. American Vogue has always been a follower, never a leader hence the fact that it now hold almost no interest in the fashion industry.You talk rag ? I give you Kim K

R114, thank you for your story! Wow what a memory. Do you remember the year? What did her gf look like? Was she Elyssa Gordon or another girl?

[quote]as I have said before a pretty girl is not a model.

Yes,but you have to agree she IS like a melody.

I loved that book, but found it incredibly depressing. It's been years since I read it and maybe it's time for a re-read. She absolutely had some undiagnosed, untreated mental health issues. I believe that was at the root of her problems. She self medicated as drug addicts do.

114 here. I remember a lot as I do about all my younger years. It is now that my memory fails me ;)

GF was Elyssa. There were other women in their circle but she was numero uno. Lots of energy, flirtatious but would suddenly cut off conversations or rapport. Very demanding and upfront about wanting her way. Gia was kinda goofier, more easygoing but could surprise you with some of her observations. She had traveled and was more worldly than I. Both were good-looking but sometimes looked drawn, flat and exhausted from partying.

I kept quiet around them and their friends that I was in college, doing well and intended to finish. That was another world to them. When she found out I was going to a womens' college, Gia teased me about being a "dog" picking up girls right and left. Would that it had been true!

They were f-ed up but kinda thrilling...

Knew Gia well as I discussed in earlier posts. Have often thought about the quick and severe fall .Often though that if there was someone with no self serving motives and the determination to save her things would have been different. Silly but the person that often comes to mind is Britney Spears. Could she have been a bigger mess? I think her dad is never given the credit that's due him. Went to court and basically have her life taken away from her so her could save her. Think of all the talent that would be saved if people has someone who cared that much to defy their kid and do what's needed to save them.

Yeah but it's hard to do that, it takes a lot to prove to the court that someone can't run their own life. For good reason I'm sure, but still, when you have a family member bent on self-destruction, there's only so much you can do.

I wonder how things would have been for Gia - and us - if she hadn't died. It would have been interesting to see how society would have reacted to an obviously lesbian and stunningly gorgeous super-model, especially one with the slightly dykey-butchy edge that Gia had.

Any pictures of Elyssa Golden on the internet?

The dad was an older guy and tired. Not very sophisticated -- maybe Britney's parents were younger/more energetic and got better advice. People know more about therapy now.

Britney's parents made her who she was. Gia was a fluke; besides, she didn't have 1% of the money Brits had.

From the book it seems as if a lot of people did try to help Gia, and not all from self-serving motives either. No one likes to see a beautiful, vital young woman self-destruct. I guess she had low powers of concentration and a heavier addiction than usual.

B.S dad as far as I know was a chef. Whatever it was 1000% MORE difficult to take control of the life of a girl worth mullions. She had fortune to fight him.I give the man all the credit he fought to save her and he deserves kudos.

Now way do I trust Britney's dad, but I appreciate what you're saying. Britney's parents turned her out, JonBenet style, then hauled her back in and put her back on stage, heavily doped out - a cash cow. Britney Spears should be on a farm in the country by now if anybody really cared about her.

She was on a fucking mouse club cause she was a pretty and talented girl. That's far from making her turn tricks. I thunk the dad saved her life and her career unlike hundreds who were one hit wonders she continues to make millions and appears very healthy compared to a very sick mess.This is not rocket science. She was I think close to complete destruction and he saved her.

great video. almost the entire piece is focused on Gia. She was unreal....who said Angelina Jolie was more beautiful ? :-) lol not in this lifetime

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeECslNJLBk#t=325

Gia...

I met Gia way back in the day in NYC and Philly. She would be at the GBLT bars with her then girlfriend rochelle or whatever. Gia wasn't very nice. At least not to me. They would go to the public bathroom and be in there for like thirty minutes or more. Looking back and putting it together, they most likey were getting high.They were always fighting. And Gia's girlfriend wasn't even attractive! And it was rumored that she would cheat on Gia with men and women when Gia was away. But Gia being messed up, would ignore those rumors. I guess it's true what they say, cant help who ya love.

elyssa golden pictures please

elyssa golden pictures please

Happy World AIDS Day

Thing of Beauty How Gia Carangi carried the seeds of her own destruction.

I've always wondered - how did people find out Elyssa died of AIDs? Google is giving me nada.

Gia was raped on a mattress in the seaside ghetto of Atlantic City during the years of her life. How in the name of God do you fall that far that fast.

She probably got it from dirty needles, r23.

Just watched Gia again. I do love that movie. I realize the music is key. Hadn’t noticed before - subtle jazz but really impactful, sorrowful retro. Perfect score. And Angie really rocked the kickass personality. Not sure a lot of actresses could have got the beauty and attitude so right - and seemingly the drug craving/withdrawal/lying as well.

Something about her always resonated. Ethnic girl form Philly suburbs like me. But a few years earlier than me, so she didn’t have the benefit of fear - of drugs, AIDS, users. There but for the grace of God.....

I could swear I saw her at a dance club in Philly called Kurt’s. But that was in 1985-6 and I doubt she would have been looking that good. But I remember a stunning Gia lookalike dancing with a blond on the dance floor. Charisma and glamour that didn’t exist in Philly. I often wonder if it could have been her. Didn’t think about it until years later - 1998 - when I saw the movie.

Famke Janseen gave me Gia vibes. Not so much for Jolie.

Sad she was raped so many times. Was it because prostitutes in general are treated terribly, or did some men hate her because she a butch lesbian?

Of course, NYC in the 70s/80s was a very dangerous, crime ridden place.

This thread is EIGHT fucking years old!

That has got to be a record!

R144, my guess would be that it happened because she spent so much time doing drugs with horrible shady people.

R31 - models (along with actors, public figures and so many others) have used stimulants for decades to stay thin (think coke, meth and other amphetamines). Heroine is will definitely ruin your looks and career, but uppers maintain your thin, sexy look until they too start to ravage your face, skin and teeth (and...). That said, a modeling career is a short-lived one. Many feel that the pros outweigh the cons. As for heroine...well, that has no redeeming positives when it comes to looks or modeling. Sadly, one drug can actually become a "gateway" to another (I hate to admit that as I fucking hate all the right, conservative propaganda - but it is true for some).

R147 I heard she carried a knife to defend herself though. Maybe she was so fucking out of her mind she didn't even know what was happening.

I assume a knife isn't much use when you're blitzed or passed out, R149.

She was a thuggish white ethnic. That Italian and Irish combo is volatile combination.

Angie didn’t have Gia’s body. Not with those chicken legs and non existent buttocks.

Can anyone recommend another good book about her or similar stories?

R153 the documentary Vanished is on youtube if you haven't seen it.. I watched it 20 yrs ago and it made a big impression on me

R153, Haven't read it but there is another book on Gia.

R153, Still another book on Gia.

The clients want summer and you're fucking winter.

For money, R27. Lots of money. Modelling is not an interesting business. There's that guy who talks about it in Shortbus. It's boring as fuck.

I never heard of GIA. I saw the movie as a teen and thought it was ok. I saw the movie recently again and that movie is total crap. Jolie is so miscast and she's a garbage actress. She looks nothing like her at all. Once I saw the real Gia I was like WHOA now I get it. Gia was naturally cute but with makeup she was a total bombshell. stop the haters. She doesn't sound like the sweetest girl in the world and definitely a big tragic mess but that is what makes her so alluring. The dichotomy between her image and her true self. Cindy Crawford definitely resembles her. A new film should be made. It's always intriguing when a person looks one way but is completely another way.

When Gia was on her game, she was really so jaw-dropping that any supermodel from any era would turn green with envy. She was long and lean yet curvy where it counted. Her face was angelic, dangerous, edgy, luscious and utterly perfect - all at the same time. Her hair was so thick yet so soft and silky (a rare combination). She had just enough exotic to entice, but not enough to scare off a very judgy, prejudice late 70's/early 80's view of beauty. Sad ending for a drop-dead gorgeous model.

That face:

r157 not just winter, nuclear fucking winter! Hang up the phone.

Stunning in casual photos, too, if trashy.

AIDS killed her. She was too young but loved dope.

Is r114 and r134 still around? We need more dish.

Heroin it’s my life it’s my wife.

Janice Dickinson was beautiful. Now she looks like Caitlin Jenner on her best day.