Ruslana Sergeyevna Korshunova (Russian: Руслана Серге́евна Коршунова; 2 July 1987 – 28 June 2008) was a Russian-Kazakhstani model.[1] She established herself as a rising figure in the fashion industry by posing for magazines including Vogue and designers such as Vera Wang and Nina Ricci. Korshunova's unexpected death, under unexplained circumstances,[2] became a longtime controversial subject of international attention.[3]
Ruslana Korshunova was born in Almaty, Kazakh SSR.[4] Her father, Sergey Korshunov, died in 1992 when she was 5 years old.[5] Her mother Valentina (née Kutenkova) and her elder brother Ruslan live in Kazakhstan.[6] With different degrees of fluency she spoke Russian, Kazakh, English and German.[1]
She was discovered in 2003, when All Asia magazine printed a story on Almaty's local German language club, which Korshunova was then attending. Her photograph, which was featured in the article, caught the attention of Debbie Jones of Models 1; Jones tracked down and signed up the then 15-year-old Korshunova,[7] who was nicknamed the Russian Rapunzel for her knee–length chestnut hair in her early work.[5][6] Korshunova was represented by IMG (New York, Paris, London and Milan),[8] Beatrice (Milan), Traffic Models (Barcelona), Marilyn Model Agency and iCasting Moscow, which was her mother agency. British Vogue hailed Korshunova as "a face to be excited about" in 2005.[4] Korshunova modeled for the covers of French Elle and the Russian version of Vogue. She also modeled in print-ads for Nina Ricci, Blugirl by Blumarine, Clarins, Ghost, Girbaud, Kenzo Accessories, Marithé & François, Max Studio, Moschino, Old England, Pantene Always Smooth, Paul Smith and Vera Wang lingerie.[1]
Death
On 28 June 2008, at around 2:30 p.m., Korshunova died after falling from the ninth-floor balcony of her apartment at 130 Water Street in the Financial District of Manhattan, USA. Police stated there were no signs of a struggle in her apartment and concluded that Korshunova's death was an apparent suicide. One of Korshunova's friends stated that she had just returned from a modeling job in Paris, noting that she seemed to be "on top of the world" with no apparent reason why she would commit suicide.[9] Korshunova planned to celebrate her 21st birthday on Wednesday in Pennsylvania. Korshunova's former boyfriend, Artem Perchenok, stated that he dropped Korshunova off at her apartment several hours before her death after they watched the Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore film Ghost together.[10] "I feel that she came to say goodbye", said Perchenok.[11] "She was a good person", he added to The New York Post. However, Korshunova appeared brokenhearted and angry in some of her postings on a social networking site. Korshunova's most telling message came in March 2008: "I'm so lost. Will I ever find myself?".[12]
Experts did not find any traces of someone else's skin underneath her nails. Korshunova's mother, Valentina Kutenkova does not believe in her daughter's suicide. "She told me about her work problems about a year ago. She said that she wanted to quit the modeling business. Everything was fine with her recently though. If she had problems at work, she would have told me", she said.[13]
Muhammad Naqib, a concierge who worked in Korshunova's building stated, "I was shocked when I saw her on the pavement. She was on the road, small and pitiful, in a puddle of blood, surrounded by a crowd. Her arms and neck were broken", the man said. Naqib was immediately suspicious. "Only next day I realized what was wrong. It was her hair! It was much shorter than when I last saw her that night, lively and happy. It seemed like it was cut in a hurry since the ends were uneven." Moscow mortician Sergey, who worked on her makeup in a Moscow morgue, stated "All I got is a polite 'thank you'. But nobody called me for an interview ... [t]he hair could fall out because of a strong impact, but it could not become shorter. When I was preparing the body for a funeral, I noticed that the hair was in a very poor condition. I even offered to find her a wig, but her relatives refused. The ends were uneven, as if someone had cut it with scissors." According to the testimony of many witnesses, no strangers or suspicious people were noticed on the day of Korshunova's death in her building on Water Street. The back exit in the yard is visible to the concierge, and nobody could pass by the reception unnoticed. During her last visit, Korshunova's mother stopped at the apartment. According to Korshunova's friends, Valentina spent several hours at the door of the apartment. She is still hoping to find the answer from the local police.[14] On July 7, 2008, Korshunova was buried at Khovanskoye Cemetery in Moscow.[15] Her mother stated to Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda that the Russian capital was one of her daughter's favorite cities, and that "[She] would want her beloved Moscow to be her last resting place."[16][17]
British TV producer and filmmaker Peter Pomerantsev has theorised that Korshunova's suicide was related to her involvement with Rose of the World, a controversial Moscow-based organisation which describes itself as "training for personality development". While researching for a documentary into Korshunova's death, Pomerantsev learned that the model spent three months attending training sessions at Rose of the World. These sessions—which encourage participants to share their worst experiences and recall repressed memories—are modelled after Lifespring, whose controversial methods were the subject of multiple lawsuits for mental damages in the US during the 1980s. Korshunova attended training sessions with a friend, Ukrainian model Anastasia Drozdova, who committed suicide under similar circumstances in 2009. Friends of the two women reported changes in behaviour after several months at the Rose. Korshunova became aggressive, while Drozdova experienced violent mood swings and grew reclusive; both lost weight. After three months of training, Korshunova returned to New York to look for work, where she wrote of feeling lost and doubting herself. Rick Ross, head of the Cult Education Forum, argues that organisations such as Rose of the World "work like drugs: giving you peak experiences, their adherents always coming back for more. The serious problems start when people leave. The trainings have become their lives—they come back to emptiness. The sensitive ones break." Only months after leaving the Rose, Korshunova was found dead.[18]
References
^ abc"Profile of fashion model Ruslana Korshunova". Fashion Model Directory. 2005-02-10. Retrieved 2007-12-11.
^"Suicide Model Said to Be Confused About Life, Lonely". foxnews.com. 2008-06-30. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
^ ab. vogue.co.uk. 2005-02-10. Archived from the original on 2009-03-03. Retrieved 2007-12-11.
^ abBelenkaya, Veronika; Siemaszko, Corky (2008-07-01). "Camera loved 'Russian Rapunzel' from first shoot, photographer says". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2008-07-03.
^ ab"SUPERMODEL'S DEATH PLUNGE". New York Post. 2008-06-30. Retrieved 2008-07-01.
^McNamara, Paul; Xana O'Neill; Carrie Melago (2008-06-29). "Russian supermodel with 'fairytale' beauty, age 20, plummets to her death". Daily News. New York. Retrieved 2008-06-29. The nearly 5-foot-9 model's interest in German led to her discovery in 2003. A journalist from All Asia magazine visited her German language club and featured her photo in a story, according to an article in Continent, a Kazakh magazine.
^. IMG Models. Archived from the original on 2008-07-02. Retrieved 2007-12-11.
^. 2008-06-29. Archived from the original on 2009-06-24. Retrieved 2008-06-29.
^Elsworth, Catherine (2008-06-30). . London: Telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2008-06-30. Retrieved 2008-06-29.
^Model's suicide shocks boyfriend NY Daily News. (06/30/2008). Retrieved June 10, 2009.
^Belenkaya, Veronika; Harmon, Brian (2008-06-29). "Model's Web rants pined for love". New York: NY Daily News. Retrieved 2008-06-29.
^"Russian model Ruslana Korshunova died because of 500,000-dollar lawsuit". Pravda.ru. 2009-01-20. Retrieved 2008-07-09.
^"Russian Model Ruslana Korshunova Was Killed Because of Her Hair". Pravda.ru. 2009-09-21. Retrieved 2009-09-21.
^Sheremetova, Elena (2008-07-07). "Ruslana Korshunova buried at Khovanskoye Cemetery in Moscow" (in Russian). Moscow: Komsomolskaya Pravda. Retrieved 2008-07-21. Как мы уже рассказывали, поначалу предполагалось, что модель похоронят на Митинском кладбище – этот вопрос обсуждался еще в Америке во время прощания с Русланой. Однако уже в Москве все "перерешили" – место для могилы «Русской русалки» выбрали на Хованском кладбище.
^Belenkaya, Veronika; Oren Yaniv (2008-07-06). "Model Ruslana Korshunova will be buried in Moscow Monday". Daily News. New York. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
^"Heartbreak drove Kazakh supermodel to suicide". India: Entertainment.OneIndia.in. 2008-07-05. Archived from the original on 2012-07-15. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
^Pomerantsev, Peter (2011-05-01). "The Lost Girl". Newsweek. Retrieved 2011-05-21.
External links
Wikiquote has quotations related to Ruslana Korshunova.
ruslana, korshunova, this, name, that, follows, eastern, slavic, naming, conventions, patronymic, sergeyevna, family, name, korshunova, ruslana, sergeyevna, korshunova, russian, Руслана, Серге, евна, Коршунова, july, 1987, june, 2008, russian, kazakhstani, mod. In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming conventions the patronymic is Sergeyevna and the family name is Korshunova Ruslana Sergeyevna Korshunova Russian Ruslana Serge evna Korshunova 2 July 1987 28 June 2008 was a Russian Kazakhstani model 1 She established herself as a rising figure in the fashion industry by posing for magazines including Vogue and designers such as Vera Wang and Nina Ricci Korshunova s unexpected death under unexplained circumstances 2 became a longtime controversial subject of international attention 3 Ruslana KorshunovaBornRuslana Serge evna KorshunovaRuslana Sergeyevna Korshunova 1987 07 02 2 July 1987Almaty Kazakh SSR Soviet UnionDied28 June 2008 2008 06 28 aged 20 New York City U S Cause of deathFallResting placeKhovanskoye Moscow RussiaOther namesRussian RapunzelOccupationFashion modelTitleUSA Top Model 2008Modeling informationHeight1 73 m 5 ft 8 in Eye colorBlue Contents 1 Early life and career 2 Death 3 References 4 External linksEarly life and career EditRuslana Korshunova was born in Almaty Kazakh SSR 4 Her father Sergey Korshunov died in 1992 when she was 5 years old 5 Her mother Valentina nee Kutenkova and her elder brother Ruslan live in Kazakhstan 6 With different degrees of fluency she spoke Russian Kazakh English and German 1 She was discovered in 2003 when All Asia magazine printed a story on Almaty s local German language club which Korshunova was then attending Her photograph which was featured in the article caught the attention of Debbie Jones of Models 1 Jones tracked down and signed up the then 15 year old Korshunova 7 who was nicknamed the Russian Rapunzel for her knee length chestnut hair in her early work 5 6 Korshunova was represented by IMG New York Paris London and Milan 8 Beatrice Milan Traffic Models Barcelona Marilyn Model Agency and iCasting Moscow which was her mother agency British Vogue hailed Korshunova as a face to be excited about in 2005 4 Korshunova modeled for the covers of French Elle and the Russian version of Vogue She also modeled in print ads for Nina Ricci Blugirl by Blumarine Clarins Ghost Girbaud Kenzo Accessories Marithe amp Francois Max Studio Moschino Old England Pantene Always Smooth Paul Smith and Vera Wang lingerie 1 Death EditOn 28 June 2008 at around 2 30 p m Korshunova died after falling from the ninth floor balcony of her apartment at 130 Water Street in the Financial District of Manhattan USA Police stated there were no signs of a struggle in her apartment and concluded that Korshunova s death was an apparent suicide One of Korshunova s friends stated that she had just returned from a modeling job in Paris noting that she seemed to be on top of the world with no apparent reason why she would commit suicide 9 Korshunova planned to celebrate her 21st birthday on Wednesday in Pennsylvania Korshunova s former boyfriend Artem Perchenok stated that he dropped Korshunova off at her apartment several hours before her death after they watched the Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore film Ghost together 10 I feel that she came to say goodbye said Perchenok 11 She was a good person he added to The New York Post However Korshunova appeared brokenhearted and angry in some of her postings on a social networking site Korshunova s most telling message came in March 2008 I m so lost Will I ever find myself 12 Experts did not find any traces of someone else s skin underneath her nails Korshunova s mother Valentina Kutenkova does not believe in her daughter s suicide She told me about her work problems about a year ago She said that she wanted to quit the modeling business Everything was fine with her recently though If she had problems at work she would have told me she said 13 Muhammad Naqib a concierge who worked in Korshunova s building stated I was shocked when I saw her on the pavement She was on the road small and pitiful in a puddle of blood surrounded by a crowd Her arms and neck were broken the man said Naqib was immediately suspicious Only next day I realized what was wrong It was her hair It was much shorter than when I last saw her that night lively and happy It seemed like it was cut in a hurry since the ends were uneven Moscow mortician Sergey who worked on her makeup in a Moscow morgue stated All I got is a polite thank you But nobody called me for an interview t he hair could fall out because of a strong impact but it could not become shorter When I was preparing the body for a funeral I noticed that the hair was in a very poor condition I even offered to find her a wig but her relatives refused The ends were uneven as if someone had cut it with scissors According to the testimony of many witnesses no strangers or suspicious people were noticed on the day of Korshunova s death in her building on Water Street The back exit in the yard is visible to the concierge and nobody could pass by the reception unnoticed During her last visit Korshunova s mother stopped at the apartment According to Korshunova s friends Valentina spent several hours at the door of the apartment She is still hoping to find the answer from the local police 14 On July 7 2008 Korshunova was buried at Khovanskoye Cemetery in Moscow 15 Her mother stated to Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda that the Russian capital was one of her daughter s favorite cities and that She would want her beloved Moscow to be her last resting place 16 17 British TV producer and filmmaker Peter Pomerantsev has theorised that Korshunova s suicide was related to her involvement with Rose of the World a controversial Moscow based organisation which describes itself as training for personality development While researching for a documentary into Korshunova s death Pomerantsev learned that the model spent three months attending training sessions at Rose of the World These sessions which encourage participants to share their worst experiences and recall repressed memories are modelled after Lifespring whose controversial methods were the subject of multiple lawsuits for mental damages in the US during the 1980s Korshunova attended training sessions with a friend Ukrainian model Anastasia Drozdova who committed suicide under similar circumstances in 2009 Friends of the two women reported changes in behaviour after several months at the Rose Korshunova became aggressive while Drozdova experienced violent mood swings and grew reclusive both lost weight After three months of training Korshunova returned to New York to look for work where she wrote of feeling lost and doubting herself Rick Ross head of the Cult Education Forum argues that organisations such as Rose of the World work like drugs giving you peak experiences their adherents always coming back for more The serious problems start when people leave The trainings have become their lives they come back to emptiness The sensitive ones break Only months after leaving the Rose Korshunova was found dead 18 References Edit a b c Profile of fashion model Ruslana Korshunova Fashion Model Directory 2005 02 10 Retrieved 2007 12 11 Suicide Model Said to Be Confused About Life Lonely foxnews com 2008 06 30 Retrieved 10 January 2011 Model Ruslana Korshunova s suicide conspiracy theories telegraph co uk 2008 07 01 Retrieved 10 January 2011 a b A FACE TO BE EXCITED ABOUT vogue co uk 2005 02 10 Archived from the original on 2009 03 03 Retrieved 2007 12 11 a b Belenkaya Veronika Siemaszko Corky 2008 07 01 Camera loved Russian Rapunzel from first shoot photographer says New York Daily News Retrieved 2008 07 03 a b SUPERMODEL S DEATH PLUNGE New York Post 2008 06 30 Retrieved 2008 07 01 McNamara Paul Xana O Neill Carrie Melago 2008 06 29 Russian supermodel with fairytale beauty age 20 plummets to her death Daily News New York Retrieved 2008 06 29 The nearly 5 foot 9 model s interest in German led to her discovery in 2003 A journalist from All Asia magazine visited her German language club and featured her photo in a story according to an article in Continent a Kazakh magazine Ruslana IMG Models Archived from the original on 2008 07 02 Retrieved 2007 12 11 Kazah Model Ruslana Korshunova Dies In Apparent Suicide 2008 06 29 Archived from the original on 2009 06 24 Retrieved 2008 06 29 Elsworth Catherine 2008 06 30 Ruslana Korshunova plunges to her death in New York London Telegraph co uk Archived from the original on 2008 06 30 Retrieved 2008 06 29 Model s suicide shocks boyfriend NY Daily News 06 30 2008 Retrieved June 10 2009 Belenkaya Veronika Harmon Brian 2008 06 29 Model s Web rants pined for love New York NY Daily News Retrieved 2008 06 29 Russian model Ruslana Korshunova died because of 500 000 dollar lawsuit Pravda ru 2009 01 20 Retrieved 2008 07 09 Russian Model Ruslana Korshunova Was Killed Because of Her Hair Pravda ru 2009 09 21 Retrieved 2009 09 21 Sheremetova Elena 2008 07 07 Ruslana Korshunova buried at Khovanskoye Cemetery in Moscow in Russian Moscow Komsomolskaya Pravda Retrieved 2008 07 21 Kak my uzhe rasskazyvali ponachalu predpolagalos chto model pohoronyat na Mitinskom kladbishe etot vopros obsuzhdalsya eshe v Amerike vo vremya proshaniya s Ruslanoj Odnako uzhe v Moskve vse perereshili mesto dlya mogily Russkoj rusalki vybrali na Hovanskom kladbishe Belenkaya Veronika Oren Yaniv 2008 07 06 Model Ruslana Korshunova will be buried in Moscow Monday Daily News New York Retrieved 2008 07 07 Heartbreak drove Kazakh supermodel to suicide India Entertainment OneIndia in 2008 07 05 Archived from the original on 2012 07 15 Retrieved 2008 07 04 Pomerantsev Peter 2011 05 01 The Lost Girl Newsweek Retrieved 2011 05 21 External links Edit Wikiquote has quotations related to Ruslana Korshunova Ruslana Korshunova at Fashion Model Directory Ruslana Korshunova s death Killed under unexplained circumstances Ruslana Korshunova at Find a Grave USA Top Model 2008 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ruslana Korshunova amp oldid 1134604202, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
