Once Upon a Time When I Modeled in New York in the 70's
Once upon a time (1978) in a sleepy little fiefdom (Kent) in the land of Ohio, lived a fair maiden (me) who toiled at mastering her craft (graphic design) amongst the jolly boys (gays) and evil sheriffs (nasty gay professors) who attempted to thwart her every contribution (portfolio reviews) and banish her from their castle (department).
They (two professors in particular) felt their domain was not a place for a GIRL. I kid you not. The maiden, however, felt differently, and went and won a national art contest in spite of them.
“Mademoiselle Magazine is looking for entries in it’s annual competition for Guest Editorships in NYC.”
“So THERE, ya big assholes,” could be heard around the world.
Yes, she was chosen as 1 of 14 (out of thousands) to come hither out of the bailiwick of mediocrity and receive senior year credit as a contributor to the (then) modern-day bible of fashion; not as a copy editor, not as the fiction & poetry editor, not as the career editor, no no nooooooo… but as the associate FASHION editor- in a FASHION magazine.
Score one for the girls.
When the evil sheriffs received the news they were s-t-u-n-n-e-d.
“What have you done? And how could you do this without our help?” They spit through thousands of dollars of orthodontic intervention and faces that reddened under a tub of bronzer.
“Help? What help? Ever?” Was her reply, as she ran a perfectly manicured, red-lacquered fingernail over the certified congratulations letter.
“This can’t be possible!” They whined.
Oh, it was w-a-y past possible. And was done. And the University President was thrilled, though a bit confused as to why the evil sheriff’s department hadn’t signed-off on her portfolio when Conde Naste Publishing had such confidence in it.
“Ya may want to do that soon.” She smirked.
So, off she went in her carriage (airplane) to live in a castle (apartment in the Barbizon Hotel), eat Big Apples (Le Cirque), scale the towers of Gotham (Madison Ave.), dance the night away (Studio 54), make a few new friends (Perry Ellis), and even do a little work, all with her magic bag (black velvet) under her wing (vintage Chanel coat) and the wind at her back… for exactly two months before the fairy dust cleared and she realized that all of the things she had been reading, believing in, and using to chart her course between the pages of a ‘glossy,’ were just made-up, willy-nilly, around a big table by a slew of unhappy poorly paid people that had access to really good tickets but couldn’t pay the rent.
It was time for her to go home.
Sometimes you just have to write your own ending.
Modeling in the September 1979 issue of Mademoiselle Magazine.
My Before & After published in August 1979 Mademoiselle Magazine.
Cheryl chronicles life at Royal Balls, wearing really expensive ruby slippers, while trotting the globe, and gardening naked at midnight- because she can. Join her at A Pleasant House to celebrate the elegance of decay at Midlife! You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram.
