Monday, April 5, 2021

1970s Supermodel

a closeup of Shelley from a 1978 ad
for Bobbie Brooks

Shelley Hack was one of the Supermodels of the 1970s, one of the most successful models of the era. In the 1960s, she was discovered at a debutante ball by businessman Huntington Hartford who incidentally was the publisher of Show magazine. After some convincing, she was allowed by her parents to try modeling, her mother being a former Conover model herself. Since she was still in school, Shelley would model during her breaks. "It beat babysitting," she said. After schooling, she modeled full-time (represented by Ford Models, Inc.) In 1976, she jumped to Supermodel status via a Revlon commercial for Charlie Perfume. She was one of first batch of models who were able to negotiate previously unheard of, lucrative and exclusive deals with giant cosmetics companies. She became one of those models whose names became known to the public. In fact, her name would sometimes appear in the ads themselves - like in the Bobbie Brooks ads she did in 1978.

Shelley in a 1978 ad for Bobbie Brooks