Early Life and Career
Elaine Irwin was born in Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania. At 16 she left home to pursue a modeling career. After her photo appeared in Seventeen in 1985, the Boyertown honor student and varsity letter-winner in track and cross country was a much sought-after face for magazine covers, advertisements and commercials. In 1989 she appeared in New Order's video Round & Round. Within a few years, she became one of the Ford Models and had graced the cover of dozens of fashion magazines, including Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Self and Elite. Her American Beauty Vogue cover was shot by Richard Avedon.
She made her move onto the runway for Victoria's Secret and Calvin Klein and soon became a favorite subject of photographers like Herb Ritts, Irving Penn, and Steven Meisel for her natural, soft look.
Irwin made history on May 27, 2001, when she became the first woman to drive the pace car at the Indianapolis 500. She was also an at-large delegate to the 2004 Democratic National Convention.
Read more about this topic: Elaine Irwin Mellencamp
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