World's Most Valuable Models

Earnings down but Bundchen still managed to rake in $25 million

(NEWSER) - The downturn didn't spare the catwalk, but the world's top-earning models are still a long way from the breadline. Forbes lists the top 10 earners over the past year.

1. Gisele Bundchen ($25 million, down $10 million from the previous year)
2. Heidi Klum ($16 million)
3. Kate Moss ($8.5 million)

Show features Liu Wen, the first-ever Asian Angel

(NEWSER) - The Victoria's Secret fashion show airs tonight, and the New York Daily News is here to tell you that—believe it or not—getting into those $3 million bras and humongous angel wings isn't as easy as it looks. "People don't realize that there are about 20 layers of makeup on my butt alone," says one model, adding that one of her "looks," a 30-pound lightning bolt with sharp edges, required adding a 15-pound sandbag on her hips. The 38 models spend three to five hours getting hair and makeup done—at the hands of five stylists each. More»

Crystal Renn is the most successful, but others hope for more work

(NEWSER) - At 5 feet 9 and about 165 pounds, Crystal Renn doesn’t look plus-size in person—but she is the industry’s most successful plus-size model, and potentially the face of a new movement in fashion. “You’re not big,” said a surprised creative director when he met her recently for her appearance in V magazine’s “size issue”—but photographers often purposefully emphasize her size. More»

The better idea would be to incorporate the models into every issue

(NEWSER) - V magazine is the latest to jump on the plus-size models bandwagon, and it’s making news—but should it be? The New York Post —in the delicately-titled article “Heavy Changes”—broke news of the January issue, featuring models like Crystal Renn. But Amy Odell think this is just the latest “publicity horse” for a magazine that recently made headlines by featuring models in blackface. More»

Britain's Missing Top Model tries to make contestants into heroes

(NEWSER) - A British reality show about disabled women competing to win a spot as a fashion model has mostly admirable intentions, but ultimately does more harm than good. "There is something both bold and troubling about Britain’s Missing Top Model," writes Alessandra Stanley in the New York Times . "It’s a contest designed to raise the profile and confidence of disabled women but makes a spectacle of their hunger for acceptance." More»