Eileen Ford and Ford Models helped define what American beauty looked like

Eileen Ford ran her modeling agency for more than 40 years, and in that time she cast a maternal but demanding eye on the young women -- and eventually young men -- that she represented. She was a blunt boss and a fierce competitor. And she believed that modeling was a profession and that its practitioners should act accordingly. But most importantly, she crafted a definition of all-American beauty that endures today.