Janice Doreen Dickinson (born February 17, 1953 in Brooklyn, New York), is an American supermodel of Polish and Belarusian descent who started modeling at the age of 14. At 5’10″, she has appeared on the covers of Vogue, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar Swimsuit Issue, Cosmopolitan and Playboy. She has also appeared in ads for Revlon, Max Factor and Clairol. Dickinson is the author of three books, including No Lifeguard on Duty: The Accidental Life of the World’s First Supermodel, Everything About Me Is Fake… And I’m Perfect and Check, Please! : Dating, Mating, and Extricating. Besides writing and modeling, she is a photographer and a mother of two, Nathan and Savannah. She has been divorced 3 times. Her former husbands are Ron Levy, Alan B. Gersten, and Simon Fields.
Dickinson claims to have coined the title “supermodel,” which she still applies to herself in the present tense. Though she proclaims herself the world’s first supermodel, the term was first used regarding Jean Shrimpton in the 1960s.
“Back in the day I was doing runway, editorial, advertising, spokesmodeling, and public appearances. Those are five different categories. Your Twiggys and your Lauren Huttons weren’t doing that. I was Versace’s muse, I was Valentino’s muse, I was Alaia’s muse, Lancetti’s muse, Calvin Klein’s, Halston’s. I could go on and on – but won’t ’cause my brain hurts!”
Dickinson is upfront about her extensive plastic surgery. “Everything about me is fake” as the title of her book proclaims. The US book cover lists her numerous “enhancements.” Dickinson also talks about the physical and sexual abuse she and her sister, Alexis, suffered at the hands of her late father, Ray Dickinson, when she was young.
She has appeared on 37 covers of Vogue. Dickinson also starred as a judge on the reality TV series America’s Next Top Model during the first four seasons. After quitting (or possibly being fired) in the spring of 2005, she was replaced by Twiggy. She appeared in the fifth season as the photographer for one episode’s photoshoot (with the theme of the photoshoot being plastic surgery), and twice during the sixth season (giving proper interview and posing tips). Dickinson has expressed disapproval for the winners of America’s Next Top Model, saying that they do not have enough potential to be successful.
In 2005, Dickinson starred in the fifth season of The Surreal Life. Dickinson’s actions during the show cast her in a negative light in some people’s eyes, with her erratic, volatile behavior and a recurring feud with Omarosa. On one episode, she held a knife close to Omarosa, causing the others, especially Omarosa, to become uncomfortable. While referring to Omarosa, Dickinson claimed to have seen “the scars of current American Society.” Omarosa herself brought up allegations that Dickinson was an alcoholic and a crack addict, though Dickinson’s alleged addictions were never proven on the show and no cast member said they witnessed any drug use.
Dickinson’s current ventures include starting her own Hollywood-themed restaurant known as “The Couture Cafeteria”. She is also starting her own modeling agency and is in the middle of creating a reality TV show, somewhat similar in concept to America’s Next Top Model. It will air on Oxygen Network and titled The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency. The series will debut on June 6, 2006.
