The tragic fate of Regina Zbarskaya and other Soviet fashion models (19 photos)

They were loved by men and hated by many women, they were famous and very beautiful. They had fame and money, but unfortunately this did not provide them with a happy life. This means that it is not without reason that the famous saying “don’t be born beautiful, but be born happy” says...

Regina Zbarskaya “Soviet Sophia Loren”

It is still unknown exactly who the parents of the Soviet podium star were and where she was born. According to one version, Regina is from Leningrad. She was born into a family of circus performers who died during a dangerous stunt. Regina grew up in an orphanage. According to another version, Regina was born in Vologda, into an ordinary Soviet family: her mother is a civil servant, her father is a retired officer.

The biography of the “Soviet Sophia Loren” has become transparent only since 1953 - from the moment when 17-year-old Regina arrived in Moscow and entered VGIK. The girl, like most of her peers, dreamed of being an actress, but for some reason she chose the Faculty of Economics. However, Regina was invited to screen tests several times, but was never offered to act in films. But the girl made useful contacts: Regina was noticed by fashion designer Vera Aralova and invited to work at the All-Union House of Models on Kuznetsky Most. In the early 60s, Regina's popularity went beyond the Union: the French called her “the most beautiful weapon of the Kremlin.”

But her colleagues on the podium called Regina differently - “The Snow Queen.” She was reserved, did not make close friendships with anyone, and therefore many considered her arrogant. But perhaps it was not the complex character of the star, but the problems that accompanied her marriage.

In the early 60s, Regina married Moscow artist Lev Zbarsky. The couple was happy until Regina became pregnant. The husband insisted on an abortion. At the same time, instead of supporting his wife, he started an affair on the side - with actress Marianna Vertinskaya. And soon he left for another actress, Lyudmila Maksakova, and she gave birth to a son from him. Regina Zbarskaya, who was depressed, ended up in a psychiatric clinic.

After treatment, the model returned to the catwalk and tried to improve her personal life. Again, no one knows the details. According to one version, Regina began dating a young Yugoslav journalist who used her to become famous. Allegedly, he wrote the book “100 Nights with Regina Zbarskaya,” which described in detail the work of the fashion model for the KGB. No one saw the book itself, but nevertheless a scandal broke out, after which the model tried to commit suicide. According to another version, Zbarskaya decided to commit suicide because she could not get back into shape. One way or another, the model ended up in the clinic again. There was no talk of returning to the podium. Vyacheslav Zaitsev offered her a job as a cleaner - it was the only thing he could do for her.

In 1987, at the age of 52, Regina Zbarskaya finally committed suicide. But again it is unknown where and when - in a psychiatric hospital or in an apartment. No one came to Regina Zbarskaya's funeral. Where she is buried is unknown.

Leka Mironova “Soviet Audrey Hepburn”

Leka (full name Leocadia) Mironova dreamed of being an opera singer, ballerina or architect. But in her youth she damaged her vocal cords and could no longer sing. But she entered the Vaganova School, but even here her health failed: she developed osteoporosis. Leka also did not become an architect - due to vision problems. But she became one of the most famous fashion models of the Soviet Union.

But first she entered the theater and technical art school, where she often had to act as a model. The teachers appreciated the student’s beauty and invited her to try herself as a fashion model. So Leka ended up in the Model House, where Slava Zaitsev noticed her. The fashion designer and model collaborated for more than half a century.

Leka was not allowed to travel abroad, but she was well known outside the USSR. When the Americans were filming the film “Three Stars of the Soviet Union,” Leka became the third star next to Maya Plisetskaya and Valery Brumel. But even after filming, Mironov was never allowed to go abroad. Maybe because she became the first fashion model who dared to speak out about the harassment that models endured.

Mironova’s personal life did not work out. Leka was married, but her husband turned out to be pathologically jealous, and the model left. Then Leka met a photographer from Lithuania. This relationship was broken by the system: the couple faced serious threats... She never got married again.

Galya Milovskaya “Russian Twiggy”

Galina Milovskaya was the main competitor of Regina Zbarskaya: an almost cinematic confrontation between a blonde and a brunette, a dispute between a bright, southern type and gentle Slavic beauty. At the same time, Galya Milovskaya was very different from her colleagues on the catwalk: with a height of 170 centimeters, she weighed 42 kilograms and was definitely too thin for a Soviet fashion model.

But Galina was perfect for a photo shoot in Vogue. In 1968, French photographer Arnaud de Ronet arrived in Moscow. The government issued permission, and they planned to film on Red Square and in the Kremlin Armory. The shooting took place, but cost Galina her career.

In one photo, Galya is sitting in a free pose. But then, sitting on Red Square with your legs spread, and even with your back to the portraits of the “leaders” was considered blasphemy. However, the fashion model was forgiven for her first “sin,” but soon Galya took part in an even more risky project: Galina became the first Soviet body art model. Nude (albeit painted) photographs of her appeared in an Italian magazine. This was the end of Milovskaya’s career: a model with “anti-Soviet” sentiments could not appear in Soviet magazines.

In 1974, Milovskaya left the USSR. In France, she met a banker, got married and said goodbye to the modeling business, becoming a director. One of her films won several awards at international festivals. It was called “Those Crazy Russians.”

Valentina Yashina "Soviet Greta Garbo"

The classic, cold beauty of Valentina Yashina may have been inherited from her father, but Valya knew only one thing about him: he was Swedish. Valentina's mother soon married a man who adopted the girl and gave her his last name.

Before starting her modeling career, Valentina managed to get married, give birth to her only son, and get divorced. Before her marriage, Valentina graduated from theater school, and soon after the wedding she was invited to Riga to play in the play “Silva”. Valentina began an affair with her stage partner, which became known to her husband. He filed for divorce, his son Alexander remained with his mother. Valentina did not return to the stage, but decided to try herself on the podium. And she became one of the most successful fashion models of that time.

Valentina Yashina was courted by many, including Joseph Kobzon, but the model was in no hurry to get married again. Only at the end of her career did she agree to accept the offer of the director of the House of Artists, Nikolai Malakhov. The husband idolized Valentina, but the happiness was short-lived - Malakhov died. Yashina remained a rich widow: her husband bequeathed her about $5 million. No one still knows why Valentina Yashina ended her days in poverty.

Valentina's friends and relatives blame the two Alexanders for everything - the son and grandson of the fashion model. Allegedly, Alexander Sr. could not find a job and lived at the expense of his mother, wasting his fortune on financial adventures. As a result, Yashina spent the last 6 years of her life at the dacha, and the luxurious apartment in which she lived with her husband evaporated. One of the most famous women of the Soviet Union ended her life alone. The son and grandson almost never visited Valentina, so the body was not immediately found.