Model: A Memoir

by Cheryl Diamond

Every year, hundreds of the most beautiful people in the world come to New York to become models. At age fourteen, Cheryl Diamond was one of them. Living on her own in a run-down apartment, Cheryl spent her days on go-sees, runways, and shoots, surviving hand-to-mouth, while taking in everything she could about the tough and sleazy modeling industry. She watched other girls make mistakes, and swore she wouldn't be a victim...until a career-altering event changed her life and nearly ruined her shot at her dream. This is the riveting, true account of Cheryl’s triumphant rise, disastrous fall, and phoenix-like comeback in one of the hottest and most demanding industries in the world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Fashion, Chick Lit, Autobiography, Teen

368 pages, Paperback

First published May 20, 2008

Reviews

[Suzette Kunz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kind of loved to hate this book. I can't deny that it's interesting to see what life is like as a New York model. And yes, it's as horrible as you might think it is. The thing that annoyed me was the girl writing it. She was only twenty at publication, so she doesn't have the maturity and insight I expect in a memoir. Her moments of deep reflection are very un-deep. And there's a kind of "everyone wants to be me" attitude that she can't quite squelch. Oh, well, I guess that's what I get for reading the book. And it is interesting.

[Gretchen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Words that come to mind when thinking about this book: annoying, boring, self-indulgent, self-congratulatory, condescending, smarmy, smug...ugh, it was an effort for me to get through this book. The "career-altering event" that "nearly ruined her shot at her dream" mentioned on the back of the book didn't even happen until p. 325 (out of 357). And when it did happen...it was a bad haircut! If she was as wonderful a model as she made herself out to be, wouldn't she have been able to reinvent her image and keep working? Her bad haircut sounded much more interesting than the hair shown in the photos in the book. Yes, her hair was long and naturally blond, but it also seemed boring and without style.

What struck me most about this book was how alone Diamond was. She made no new friends, nor did she mention any old friends. Her parents just let her go and live in New York by herself at 16, and there were no stories of them coming to visit (until after the catastrophic haircut) or her going to see them. She very conveniently blamed the other girls for being horrible as a way to explain away being by herself, but maybe it was her better-than-thou attitude that was a problem. If Diamond had a difficult time in the cutthroat world of modeling, her writing didn't reflect it. I could have saved a lot of time just watching some episodes of America's Next Top Model or Make Me a Supermodel. They would have been more entertaining too.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing of this book is very good, and I did want to keep reading, however the author does not come off very well. She sounds very smug about herself...everyone loves her, she is super popular and perfect, she makes it in modeling right away, shes a smart mouth and always gets away with it and even the super mean booker thinks she's the best thing ever. All of the other models are stupid, but not her, no sirree, she's way smart and SO above this. Ugh. One of the reasons I like Elyse Sewell's blog so much is that even though Elyse often says modeling is silly, she honestly loves and enjoys it. I don't feel that love from Ms. Diamond, I just feel smugness and "read about how amazing I am"

The horrific fall she experiences is simply her hair being dyed and cut (horrible in the modeling industry, I know, but really, that's it?) and her "pheonix-like return" is her getting another job. There's barely any story.

So glad it was a library book and not a purchase.

[Agnė · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, I cannot decide if I love or hate this book because it's quite entertaining but the author comes off as a ridiculously self-congratulatory and condescending smartmouth. The author's sarcasm soon grows tiresome, and I often have been laughing not at her jokes but at her ludicrous belief that she is way better that everyone else and that everyone is simply dying over her. I honestly have a hard time believing that anyone in the modeling business would tolerate such a disrespectful attitude from a nobody.

On the other hand, it's been a while I was so engrossed in a book, because who doesn't like some glamour, gossip and drama once in a while?

All in all, I was thoroughly entertained by this book and simply loved to hate it.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, um, I googled the author before writing this review and HUH. This does explain why her parents were so cool with her living alone in New York at 16 and also her self-assurance. I feel like I should've read Nowhere Girl: A Memoir of a Fugitive Childhood instead because I feel like it would've filled in some many bases. (Not that I knew that book existed until ten minutes ago!)

ANYWAY. I deliberately read this book close in time to Smile for the Camera: A Memoir since they both dealt with modeling and this one got way more into the nitty gritty of modeling, which I appreciated a lot.

Oh, the description of the book is very bad. For one, the "career-altering event" doesn't happen until very late in the book. And it's a very bad haircut and dye job. Now granted, this would upset me, too, but it was not at all what I was expecting. And the "phoenix like comeback" is, like, 10 pages long and just her giving the modeling thing another try. No real sense of how successful she ends up being. Which is part of the reason I googled her!

Lesson: Either do or don't google authors before you review their books!

Owned physical book 2/2 for the month
Overall owned book 5/5 for the month

[Suzie Quint · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read somethings about this that makes me think this is aimed at the YA market which may explain why the industry is so whitewashed. I also felt like the author whitewashed herself because she comes across as a bit of a Mary Sue.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up after enjoying this author's memoir Nowhere Girl last year- I have to say I enjoyed the book,but it's not as good as her newer one. This book also kind of seems like it was HEAVILY fictionalized, as its pretty unrealistic and I'm not even sure it fits into the timeline of her more recent memoir. That said, I suspect it portrays a pretty accurate picture of the NYC modeling industry in the 90s. The narrator/author is irritatingly precocious and freakishly confident/assertive/independent for a teenager who hasn't even finished high school. It makes the book read as insincere in some spots, but definitely adds to the everyone-wishes-they-were-me aspect of being a young up and coming model that would make this book sellable when it was originally published. 3 stars- good but not great, and who knows how true it is, but it paints the scene and profession vividly.

[Mabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Isn't a model suppose to have the best job ever? just walk around, strike a pose and get paid? Not quite.

This memoir talks about the journey that Cheryl Diamond (an inspiring model) took in order to even become known by figures in the modeling industry. She tried to become a model at the age of 14 but gets rejected because of her age and height. She refuses to give up and arrives back in New York City at the age of 16 to become a model. She gets signed into a modeling agency and the fun begins... not yet! With her beautiful natural blonde hair and perfect figure, she becomes the envy of many "friends" and she finds out that modeling isn't all fun and games. Living in a small apartment and with hardly any money Cheryl decides that she has to step up her game. She learns to fight for what she wants and shows her determination along with the dark side of modeling.

I thought that this book was a pretty good book because it really showed how people would do anything to be famous and it showed the other side of what everyone thought is a good thing. I think if the author gave a little more detail of what happened in the time off the runway then it would have been much better. but overall i think this is a good book.

[Deborah LaRoche · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't typically like to slam on books/authors because I realize how hard it must be to actually get that many thoughts on paper in a coherent manner, but this book actually made me MAD it was so poorly written.

This is the memoir of a 16 year old whose parents (for reasons still unclear) felt it was okay for their teenage daughter to move to Manhattan by herself for the summer and try her hand at being a model. It is important to note that by my math, the author was all of 20 when she wrote the book, so it's not like a nostalgic romp through yesteryear, but rather a model detailing how savvy and "above it all" she was (and presumably still is), and how everyone in New York pretty much falls in love with her on sight. Those who don't fall in love with her obviously have their own issues to deal with and are to be pitied. If there ever was a 16 year-old with this much self-control, wisdom, insight, natural beauty, and magnetic charm, she likely would not want to be a model in the first place. She'd want to win a Nobel Prize.

Spoiler alert: the "career-altering event" mentioned on the book jacket turns out to be a bad haircut. Really? C'mon.

Awful.

[Angela · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was not enjoyable. The back of the book mentions a career altering event. I read about 330 pages before the career altering event happened. I realize it was a big deal to a model, but really, it was nothing earth-shattering. This book had a small conflict toward the end of the book. It appears to be written as an attempt at a narrative style biography, but falls flat. It does not follow the story arc, nor does it give compelling events causing the reader to continue reading. This book was also the most self-congratulatory book I've ever read. She appears to feel that she has never made a mistake or done anything wrong. She says the right things at the right time and always knows more than anyone else around.

One good thing I can say is that it does give some insight into the world of modeling, for those who are interested.

[Anuja · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, for a YA memoir, I guess it was okay.

But Cheryl Diamond is, first and foremost, a model, not a writer. So although she does her best to stay entertaining, the story gets dull. The so-called "climax" of the story occurs withing a few pages of the end. And it's not even that thrilling.
It is suspicious how well everything seems to go for this young woman. MANY facets of this story are rather unbelievable. Surely, the idea that any parents would allow their 16 year old daughter to move to New York to attempt to break into a field in which very few get attention and even fewer succeed is rather implausible.
So, due respect for this writer, I did not find myself taking it very seriously.

[Liralen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit it: I expected to dislike this book, and the author/narrator, wholeheartedly. I'm not even sure why I read the book (and it wasn't a spur-of-the-moment thing; I saw it in a bookstore over a year ago and have been meaning to read it ever since).

But, surprise! It was funny.

Although the author at times comes across as a know-it-all, she also displays a remarkable amount of insight and self-awareness. She doesn't take herself - or the modeling industry - too seriously, interspersing her analysis of the modeling scene with stories about sleeping in a storage unit and sneaking into a candy convention (perhaps one of my favourite scenes).

All in all, a fun, quick read.

[Erin Chute · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book Model: A Memoir was okay in my opinion. Cheryl Diamond takes us on a journey through the risky business of the fashion industry in the perspective of a model. She uses her own accounts to tell us happened in her own experience as a young model at the age of 16-17. Diamond has a hilarious sense of humor that would put a smile on anyone’s face. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to know what it is like to be a model and who wants to know the deep dark secrets of what really happens off the runway!

[Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book because it was a first hand account of a life in the modeling industry, not cutting out the brutality and making it seem like a fairytale. Cheryl Diamond wrote with an honesty that was painful at times, but made me feel as if I was actually there. I enjoyed the overall feel of the book, but found a few parts lacking in details that I would have liked to have.

[Linda]

Written by the young woman who lived it, the book seems geared toward a younger audience, and her story didn't hold my interest.

[Bella Starr · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the riveting, true account of Cheryl's triumphant rise, disastrous fall, and phoenixlike comeback in one of the hottest and most demanding industries in the world.

I went into this thinking huh, a memoir about a novel. I bought it, so let's read it. I went in with very few expectations, and somehow they were met in some ways, but not in others. It was interesting, but Diamond was annoying at times. I know it could annoy other people because of her personality. She's very...sharp and sarcastic with dark humor, which I enjoyed because I'm the same and used to people talking like that to me. My issue is somehow she got away with it. And she got a million good job offers and we didn't really get to see her rejected for jobs.

The disastrous fall didn't happen until page 325 and lasted at most 25 pages. And all the fall was was Diamond's hair being dyed and cut. Yes, I understand that hair is important in the modeling industry, but couldn't she have just made a new look? She did fine for a fourteen-year-old model and she left the industry and then came back. Her phoenixlike comeback was just her joining the industry again with somewhat still dyed and somewhat damaged hair.

So this was an interesting experience from a book from 2008.

[Kathy Digoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This non-fiction memoir had me not wanting to put it down. Cheryl Diamond is an entertaining writer especially when you consider that she was so young (20?) when she wrote this debut novel. Getting the insider's view of the modeling agency was enlightening, although predictable. I was much more interested in her documenting the fact that she was living alone in a bad neighborhood in Jersey at 16! There was no reference to her parents visiting her there after dropping her off to fend for herself. She even had to find her own apartment and be financially responsible for her bills.

I admired Cheryl's maturity and ability to handle situations that individuals much more mature would have been unable to handle. I will say that the book did start to drag and her smugness and superior attitude did start to wear thin - if it is really truth, then kudos to her. I did not like that the climax of the book happened in like the last 20 pages - I kept thinking where was this dramatic fall referenced on the back of the book cover? I though she glossed over an obvious breakdown she suffered after this event dedicating a few pages before her miraculous comeback - but I guess that is consistent with the smug, somewhat annoying attitude, she displays in the rest of the book. It is a quick, albeit longer read, that our youth could probably pick up a few pointers from - talk about cutting the apron strings!

[Maria C · Rating 3 out of 5]

14 year old Cheryl Diamond had a dream her whole childhood, which was to become a model. One day she decided to go to New York to seek it out. Her book "Model" takes us on a journey around the modeling career. The book shows us the hard work and effort that has to be given to become a model. Cheryl tells us the hard and rough truth about the model industry. All the ups and downs before getting to the top. 14 years old Cheryl used her days walking runways, getting taken photos of and doing every little low paid job to get as known as possible in the business. You have to take everything you can before you get better offers. It is all about making a name for herself. Cheryl was competing with hundreds of girls to get every model contract she could possible get. She learned to get used to the hate, and get comments on her appearance became a daily thing. They don't hold anything back. She watched girls make mistakes, and swore she would never do the same, before she almost ruined her career.

Cheryl Diamond reveals how the model career really is, and she describes it with good humor. She gives us the inside information, how the model world is not a glamorous world like it maybe seems like, and takes up important subjects like how model industries treat the models.

[Kitsa · Rating 2 out of 5]

So a chapter in to this book, & thoroughly disliking the author. What was to like she was portraying herself as always the one with the smart retort, the most savvy, at 16? While living alone in NYC? Trying to break into the modeling world? It was too unbelievable.
But then I remembered what led me to this book. NOWHERE GIRL, the book she wrote about her fugitive girlhood. Living in 12 countries, 5 continents, under 6 assumed identities by the age of 9! She never went to school, as her family lived "off the grid" So I cut her some slack.
Cheryl does not glamorize the world of modeling. And for me her take was pretty eye opening. But the writing was far from polished, and the characters seemed pretty 1 dimensional, but then maybe they were.
2.5 stars

[sahithi! · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an entertaining read. The book does brand itself as a memoir, but I find it hard to believe some things happened and are not embellished or made up for the purposes of being entertaining. While if read lightly this book is pretty fun, Cheryl does kind of come off as a not-like-other-girls type of character where everyone surrounding her is always jealous or has some fault with them that makes it impossible to be friends with her. Even so, Cheryl is very silly and the book is pretty funny and definitely a fun read. I read this around 4-5 years ago and remembered it enough to look for it and read it again!

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read at the peak of America's Next Top Model popularity and stoked my love of memoirs. Cheryl is a great story teller, and while I'm sure it's easy to embellish some details in the fashion industry (which is already embellished with some colorful personalities), I still gleaned a basic understanding of casting calls and general wild of the fashion industry. Looking back, I wish she talked about the lack of sustainability in the fashion industry a bit more.

[Stacy Egan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have very mixed feelings about this book, which may define it as an excellent book. Throughout, I thought it was fiction as I listened on audiobook. Only when it was complete did I discover it is a memoir. Now I have to rethink everything. I felt constantly frustrated by the main character…. Several times as I listened with earbuds in I would audibly groan. Now that I know the story to be mostly true, I think I would have cried instead.

[Dawn Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this more than I thought i would
"I already decided not to sleep with anyone til I'm married just to confuse the heck out of everyone" my favorite part, finally I'm represented in a book and she stuck to her guns on so many things.

[Cailin C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Het is moeilijk om in het verhaal te komen, maar zeker de moeite waard om te lezen!

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of my favourite books as a kid. I really like Cheryl’s writing style - her attention to detail is quite good - but I found her blasé attitude towards everything rather juvenile at times. I suppose that’s the author’s immaturity showing. Nevertheless, I consider this a personal classic.

[colette ⋆˙⟡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 // This was a completely spur of the moment library pick that I honestly regret wasting my time on reading. It was overall very bland with not much to be said about it. Just ok.

[Lucy Granroth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Absolute drivel. I give it a 2 because I did finish it and I only give a 1 to books I could not finish.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as the violet series but a great memoir

[HeavyReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had very low expectations for this book, so I was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be entertaining, written by a smart, funny, sassy young woman who also, it turns out, is conventionally beautiful (particularly tall and thin) enough to enjoy success as a model.

I like memoirs, especially memoirs by women who’ve done things I’ve never done and will possibly (probably) never do. I’ve never been a professional model. (Does posing for tasteful nudes for a fine art photographer for $10 an hour really count?) I didn’t lived alone in the big city (NYC to be exact) when I was 16. I’ve never written a book. Cheryl Diamond has done all of this (and probably more). And did I mention she is smart and funny?

(Here is my favorite smart and funny thing Diamond says in this book: “I have only one problem with romance novels: They give people completely unrealistic expectations. Mostly it’s that the male heroes are far too sensitive and perfect. These men do exist in real life, but in real life they are gay.”)

Diamond doesn’t just write of the glamor of modeling or the money earned. She writes of the bookers who expect models to kiss their asses in order to get chances for good assignments. She writes of all the people who try in multiple ways to intimidate and manipulate models into doing things their way. She writes of models (even teenage models) being expected to get naked in front of whoever is standing around (clients, bouncers, whoever), and her refusal to do so. She writes of how some models are sweet and nice and supportive, while others cattily sabotage anyone they perceive as a threat.

This book is not a demanding read, but the writing is good, not trite or embarrassing. I read it in less than twenty-four hours, and I enjoyed every page. I laughed out loud a few times, and smiled throughout. (The label on this book’s spine reads “Teen Nonfiction,” so as I suspected, this book is marketed to young adults. I thought it was a good read, and I’m 43.)

I think I would enjoy hanging out with Cheryl Diamond, despite our difference in age and life experiences. Diamond comes across as real, down-to-earth. She does a good job of showing that while modeling can be a lot of fun, it is also a lot of work.

This book is a must read for any young person considering a career in modeling.

[erinbobarin94 · Rating 3 out of 5]

"There are 6.5 billion people in the world. 16 of them are supermodels."

I didn't think too much of this book at first: What does a gorgeous model have to complain about besides an eating disorder? But then I started reading. It was fascinating and entertaining from the beginning. The best thing about this book is Cheryl's obvious intelligence and sharp wit. (A model with a brain? Who eats McDonald's? Before reading this I thought it was a myth.) Especially funny are her comments on the model "walk".

"Until that day I had foolishly thought that I'd already learned to walk when I was 9 months old, but it turns out that thing your parents taught you is all wrong. Rico informed me that I had no idea at all of how to walk... Apparently, at age 14 I had finally learned how to walk."

You would think because of her mocking tone on the whole modeling/fashion industry that she would hate it. Especially when she has the ability to see through all of it's superficiality. But she doesn't. She loves it.

"Pretty girl. Ugly business."

Cheryl's first modeling experience was at 14 years old, in New York. (One of the fashion capitals of the world. New York, London, Paris, Milan.) She watches as other girls are promptly turned away, but she is immediately picked up and sent off to a photo shoot. However, after 9/11 the business collapses. 2 years later, she returns to New York and is signed to a modeling agency. She lives by herself at 16 in a motel, her cash supply dwindling. She loses her cat, goes broke, and manages to survive it all through a massive head cold, spending a night in a storage facility. She is asked to help out at a runway show and to be in a photo shoot for a magazine. *UPDATE* For the next couple of months Cheryl is ripped off by her agency, over-booked for castings, photo shoots, & runway shows, and hit on by a lot of older men. After reading the full text, I have discovered that while it is entertaining to read Cheryl's sarcastic take on her business, the book is entirely a puff piece. In the end, Cheryl is lied to and gets her hair dyed orange and cut off, so her career is ruined... until her natural blond grows back in. So boohoo, she was traumatized, but is still a gorgeous model. And... the reader learns nothing.