The Eighties Club
The Politics and Pop Culture of the 1980s
Supermodels of the '80s
Christie Brinkley
Born 2.2.54 in Malibu, CA, Christie has the distinction of holding the longest-running contract in modeling history -- her 20-year association with Cover Girl (1976-96). During the '80s she appeared on the covers of dozens of magazines, including two Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues. She married pop star Billy Joel in 1985. She also appeared in 1983's National Lampoon's Vacation.




Carol Alt
Born 12.1.60 in Long Island, NY, Carol Alt was attending Hofstra University with the intention of pursuing a career in law when she was discovered waiting tables. Signed by the Elite Agency, she dropped out of school and moved to Manhattan, quickly becoming one of the most successful fashion models of all time. She appeared in Sports Illustrated's first swimsuit issue and had contracts with Hanes and Cover Girl.





Elle McPherson
Born 3.29.64 in Sydney, Australia, Elle McPherson dreamed of becoming a lawyer. But at age 18 she was "discovered" in Aspen, CO, and for six years became a fixture on the cover of Elle Magazine. (She married the magazine's creative director.) In the '90s, "The Body" tried her luck on the silver screen, appearing in such films as Sirens, Jane Eyre and If Lucy Fell.




Paulina Porizkova
Born 4.9.65 in Prostejov, Czechoslovakia, Paulina was discovered by an Elite Agency modeling scout in Sweden. She appeared on the cover of Sports llustrated in 1984, as well as the covers of Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Self and a topless cover for GQ. She garnered contracts with Estee Lauder, Macy's and Maybelline, and appeared in Playboy in 1987. (Her 1988 and 1989 calendars were big sellers, too.) She starred in films like Covergirl (1984) and Her Alibi (1989). She also showed up in two videos for The Cars, and married that band's lead singer, Rick Ocasek.





Cindy Crawford

Born 2.20.66 in DeKalb, Illinois, Cindy was 16 when she was discovered by a newspaper photographer. After two summers of modeling, she entered Northwestern University to study chemical engineering. Leaving school, she went to New York in 1986 and quickly become one of the world's most popular covergirls and fashion models. In 1988 she appeared in Playboy, the first "supermodel" to do so. Acquiring contracts with Pepsi and Revlon, she was named the world's highest-paid model in 1995.