The political poster child who became a million dollar model
Aged four Paulina Porizkova's face was used to show the hardships of Communist Czechoslovakia.
Czech supermodel Paulina Porizkova has posed for countless magazine covers, and walked the catwalks of some of the world's most fashionable cities. But her career in front of the camera began far from the fashion world鈥檚 glamourous orbit when she was separated from her parents as a child and became the face of the hardships of Communist Czechoslovakia.
After leaving Czechoslovakia, Paulina was spotted by an agent and went to Paris at 15 to model. She became wildly successful, earning millions of dollars in the 1980s as one of the world's highest paid supermodels. But after decades of success in an industry she'd first entered as a child, Paulina was greeted by an ugly reality: ageism.
The clip of Late Night with David Letterman came from Late Night with David Letterman, Carson Productions, NBC Productions and Space Age Meats Productions.
This episode was first broadcast in January 2023.
Presenter: India Rakusen
Producer: Olivia Lynch-Kelly
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707
(Photo: Paulina Porizkova. Credit: Jill Greenberg)
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