Published in 2022
5 hours and 13 minutes
Paulina Porizkova, one of the original supermodels of the 1980s/1990s, appeared on two consecutive covers of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, was twice chosen by People magazine as one of the “50 Most Beautiful People in the World,” graced dozens of Vogue magazine covers, was the face of Estée Lauder, starred in several films, and was a judge on America’s Next Top Model.
Paulina has written a novel, co-authored a children’s book and contributed to an anthology of travel stories about her native country, the Czech Republic. A voracious reader, she covers at least 100 titles a year. Her latest op-ed can be found in The New York Times (“America Made Me a Feminist” June 2017).
What is this book about?
“A book about a rare life, profound love, profound grief, anxiety, self-assurance, empowerment, aging, loss, and joy. It is nuanced, complex, insightful, helpful, and constantly surprising.” —Ann Patchett, New York Times bestselling author of These Precious Days
Writer and former model Paulina Porizkova pens a series of intimate, introspective, and enlightening essays about the complexities of womanhood at every age, pulling back the glossy magazine cover and writing from the heart.
Born in Cold War Czechoslovakia, Paulina Porizkova rose to prominence as a model, appearing on her first Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover in 1984. As the face of Estée Lauder in 1989, she was one of the highest-paid models in the world. When she was cast in the music video for the song “Drive” by The Cars, it was love at first sight for her and frontman Ric Ocasek. He was forty at the time, and Porizkova was nineteen. The decades to come would bring marriage, motherhood, a budding writing career; and later sadness, loneliness, isolation, and eventually divorce. Following her ex-husband’s death—and the revelation of a deep betrayal—Porizkova stunned fans with her fierce vulnerability and disarming honesty as she let the whole world share in her experience of being a woman who must start over.
This is a wise and compelling exploration of heartbreak, grief, beauty, aging, relationships, re-invention and finding your purpose. In these essays, Porizkova bares her soul and shares the lessons she’s learned—often the hard way. After a lifetime of being looked at, she is ready to be heard.
