Gia Carangi

Gia Carangi

March 19, 2026 · 1h 15m · Season 3 · Episode 36

About this episode

This episode explores the life of Gia Carangi, the first supermodel, focusing on her rise and fall influenced by her sexuality and gender presentation.

Gia Carangi, considered by many to be the world’s first supermodel, was once so renowned she was known simply as GIA. Her stunning rise from a troubled Philadelphia childhood to the top of the New York fashion scene preceded an equally dramatic downfall, marked by heroin addiction and wild on-set behavior. She died in 1986 of AIDS-related complications. In this episode, Lena and Alissa follow the ups and downs of Gia’s life, with a particular focus on how her sexuality and gender presentation shaped her career and enduring legacy. This episode was first published on 01/28/2021. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People in this episode

Hosts: Lena Dunham, Alissa Bennett

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