By Michael B. Wright
All of us encounter various kinds of gaps in our lives in addition to the [Gap] clothing store chain of the same name.
There are “generation gaps” like The Gap Band and Cumberland Gap in the Appalachians. I also have gaps in my teeth, fortunately not visible when I smile – Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to eat ice cubes.
In the movie “Dumb and Dumber” (and its sequel, “Dumb and Dumber To”), Jim Carrey was gap-toothed, which made him look, well…dumb.
And yet, in the case of gap-toothed women, some find a certain attractiveness in their appearance. I stand guilty as charged. Case in point: Dakota Johnson. Undeniably beautiful, however the signature gap between her front teeth has closed. She explained that the gap closed on its own after her orthodontist removed a permanent retainer which was glued to the back of her teeth to address neck problems. The removal caused her teeth to shift, thus closing the gap.
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In 1987, Tampa film maker Les Blank produced a 31-minute film entitled “Gap-Toothed Women” in which interviews were conducted with over 100 such women, including model Lauren Hutton and Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
Speaking of Lauren Hutton, she was a supermodel long before Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Kate Moss and Linda Evangelista. She adamantly refused to have the gap in her two front teeth repaired. Her beauty and her success certainly were not hampered by this “imperfection.”
(As a side note, Hutton lived in Tampa and graduated from Chamberlain High School in 1961 and then became one of the first students to attend the University of South Florida. After one year, she dropped out to pursue a modeling career in New York City. Though she was initially dismissed by agents over her signature gap, she signed a contract with Revlon in 1973, which at that time was the biggest contract in the history of the modeling industry.)
By the way, it was in Chamberlain High School’s swimming pool that I was baptized in 1972. I’m sure Lauren would be impressed by this fact. (I’m still waiting to hear from her.)
As a temporary “child model” Michael once promoted a J.C. Penney White Sale by sitting in front of the store dressed as a penguin. (That’s another story). You can ask him about it at micwrighthamo@gmail.com.
