Jenice Armstrong: Gorgeous girl syndrome?

WAS THE 20-year-old Russian model's apparent suicide Saturday a case of yet another beautiful woman having achieved too much career success too soon?

Did Ruslana Korshunova fall victim to what I call the gorgeous girl syndrome in which high-profile models or actresses are so worshipped for their external attributes that no one, including themselves, tends to what's going on inside?

At this point, we can only speculate. Korshunova, the rising supermodel nicknamed the "Russian Rapunzel," is gone now, our last fleeting glimpse of her provided courtesy of Fox News, which tastelessly aired footage of her partially uncovered body lying on a New York City street. Her delicate, possibly blood-stained profile was visible in the clip. Even in death, this young woman's beauty was exploited.

It was a disturbing end to what could have been a career with much promise. Korshunova had gotten the kind of opportunities most wannabe models only dream of. She'd been featured on European magazine covers and strutted down catwalks for Nina Ricci, DKNY, Christian Dior and Marc Jacobs.

Even the story of how she was discovered is pure Hollywood: A native of the Soviet republic of Kazakhstan, Korshunova was plucked from obscurity by a modeling booker who saw her picture in an airline magazine.

After arriving in the United States while still a teenager, Korshunova managed to make inroads in a high-stakes industry known for chewing up girls faster than you can say America's next top model. But she was one of the so-called lucky ones; she was able to help financially support her family back home.

Still, it had to have been difficult for Korshunova, living so far from her family and having to compete in a high-stakes game in which participants are essentially professional clothes hangers. Gain weight, or do something else to fall out of favor with the designers and editors who do the hiring, and a model's career can just vanish.

Friends told the New York Post that the svelte 5-foot-8-inch model - a size 4 - had lost a significant amount of weight in recent weeks and had complained of a stomach ailment. On Saturday afternoon, Korshunova apparently jumped from the ninth-floor balcony of her New York City apartment. As other women her same age were going about their own lives, perhaps readying themselves for a night out with friends, Korshunova was ending hers, days before her 21st birthday.

A social networking site, on which she posted earlier this year, offered a few clues. One posting read, "I am so lost. Will I ever find myself?"

It's too late for Korshunova. But maybe her experience will serve as a warning for the next starry-eyed girl who dreams of making it big as a model. *

Have you peeped a hot trend that hasn't been reported? E-mail heyjen@phillynews.com and let me know what you know.