The 1980s: the age of Cindy, Naomi, and Claudia, the era of stirrups and spandex. Against this backdrop Midwestern teen Emily Woods plunges into the glamorous but grueling world of modeling. But Emily is more than just a small-town beauty with stars in her eyes: She's been accepted to Columbia University, and she's not about to let couture and klieg lights get in the way of an Ivy League education.

Right. Emily tries to juggle it all but keeps dropping the ball: cramming new bikini poses instead of for finals; gaining the freshman fifteen and busting designer seams; spending more time with Clairol than Cicero.

As Emily pursues her chic fantasy of Vogue covers and prestigious cosmetic campaigns, her priorities start to shift. In the ultra-competitive quest for supermodel fame and fortune, strutting off the runway to study Shakespeare might mean letting another pretty face snag her stilettos, and Emily's thisclose to getting a leg up on her dreams.

Before long, the seamier side of the fashion industry—cocaine and cads, collagen and implants, fad diets and eating disorders—becomes close up and personal, making for one model student who's hardly exemplary and ultimately forcing a choice between style and substance.

Dazzling, dramatic, and as real as it gets, Model Student shines a spotlight behind the scenes and reminds us why you can't judge a book by its cover girl.

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