Ruslana Korshunova 2nd June 87 to 28th June 08
30-06-2008
Police are investigating her death as a possible suicide as no clear evidence of any occurring violence was apparent; however a hole had been ripped in the construction netting that covered the balcony from which she fell.
The Russian Rapunzel, renowned for her lavish locks was found dead at the base of her block wearing blue jeans and a purple tank top with no sign of any footwear. Not only blessed with picture perfect features and impeccable beauty, Korshunova spoke fluent Russian, German and English. Born in former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan, and found at 15 via an article in All Asia magazine featuring the local German language club in her then home town of Almaty Korshunova was attending at the time, which Debbie Jones of Model 1 quickly spotted, hunted down and signed within weeks.
At 17 years old, her fairytale like features deemed her as “fashion’s muse of the moment” by the Sunday Times, and British Vogue called her “a face to be excited about”. This tragic end to such a gifted, talented beauty poses many questions regarding the supposed luxurious lifestyle such key public eye holders’ lead. What drove this stunning specimen of our human race to end her own life, if this indeed is the case?
Are the overwhelmingly monumental pressures models face today taking away the sheer essence and inner beauty of our timeless icons? If so this issue clearly needs to be addressed however such speculation over no clear trend can lead to copycat scenarios such as that of this horrendous self inflicted syndrome sweeping the village of Brigend, Wales taking a total of 7 lives within such a small time period and geographical region.
Can we blame the ongoing uphill struggle against anorexia on taking the face of so many brands away from the world as we know it? Who knows, again eating disorders within the fashion industry need to be taken seriously and acted upon appropriately, glorifying skeletal like figures throughout catwalks and magazines portrays negative images of what beauty should be and encourages the general public to adhere to such unattainable standards. However new BMI rates have been introduced to many events promoting a healthy happy lifestyle as selling fashion in turn is selling a particular lifestyle concept to the consumer.
Korshunova was a frequent visitor to popular networking sites writing, “My dream is to fly. Oh, my rainbow is too high.” In January, she wrote, “I’m so lost. Will I ever find myself?” Could her pending death have been prevented had someone taken action to this evidently desperate cry for help? We will never know, however we can all increase our awareness when surfing through our own social network for any messages of a similar nature to save precious lives in the future.
