The boom in romance novels in the mid-1980s propelled cover model Fabio to the heights of superstardom. With his broad, bare chest and long (dyed) blond hair, Fabio became an international sex symbol. Although his subsequent film and television career was limited to cameos playing himself, in the 1990s he parlayed his fame into a job as a spokesperson for I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and made it onto MTV with a spot in Jill Sobule's music video for "I Kissed a Girl." As his career as a model has faded, Fabio has returned to romance novels, this time as an author.

Further Reading:

Fabio. "The Trouble with American Women." Penthouse. September 1994, 128, 130-36.

Paul, Peter. Fabio. Livonia, Michigan, Stabur Corp., 1993.

Romantic Conventions. Bowling Green, Ohio, Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1999.