models, one of victoria's secrets favorite. tonight, the controversial methods that may shock you. why is this superstar questioning the beauty that made her rich and famous? raising gladys. not even thr3 months old, the radical ways zoo keepers are saving one loveable primate. women want hill. men want to be him. ryan gossling announces an acting time-out. but why are so many so heart broken? we go on a hunt for the gossling factor. we go on a hunt for the gossling facto[ male announcer ] with citibank it's easy for jay to deposit checks from anywhere. [ wind howling ] easier than actually going to the bank. mobile check deposit. easier banking. standard at citibank.

makes it easy for anne to manage her finances when she's on the go. even when she's not going anywhere. citibank for ipad. easier banking. standard at citibank. from new york city, this is "nightline" with cynthia mcfadden. >> good evening, thank you for

joining us. whether walking across the catwalk or on the pages of the magazine, one member of this much envied clan of gene pool winners is biting the han of beauty. calling it unhealthy and unreal. my co-anchor bill weir reports. >> reporter: on the victoria's secret runway, there's no shortage of visual stimulation. when was the last time you saw these models hang around for an intellectually stimulating q&a after the show? on the pages of "vogue" there's no shortage of genetic or cosmetic perfection, but you never see the women give an insightful essay on the human condition. in fact, we rarely know their names. because our beauty-obsessed culture decided that models are to be seen not heard. >> 1,000 people staring at me. >> reporter: which is why this model, cameron russell, is creating such a buzz. not for how she looks on the

cover of magazines, photo shoots for "vogue." and not for her moves on the victoria's secret runway -- >> and it doesn't always make me happy. >> reporter: no, it's what she said on the stage of a ted conference. >> i should not have worn this dress. >> in front oof a group of gape jawed intellectuals, she changed into a sensible dress and flats to change her impression of herself. >> i'm a pretty white woman. and that's what we call a sexy girl. it's a legacy i've been cashing out on. >> in just 10 minutes, she yanked back the curtain on the glossy photos, showing how the industry creates a mirage of sexuality on the flawless bone structure of girls too young to have boyfriends. >> this picture was the very first time i had worn a bikini. i didn't even have my period yet. this is what i looked like with my grandma just a few months earlier. >> reporter: she described frustration with a society that

stops and frisks a disproportionate of young black men while she enjoys the perks of being a thin white girl. >> because i'm a model, because i've been in magazines looking a certain way, there's a lot of people interested in hearing what i have to say. i think that's very superficial. i'm quite young. i don't have an impressive resume. >> reporter: and despite all the perks, she then shared the one tip to models -- aim higher. >> it requires a genetic lottery win really and just a lot of luck. don't aspire to be a model. it's not something you have control over. >> reporter: were you biting the hand that feeds a little bit and saying it's all an air brushed facade? >> what i was getting at there is the barrier to entry to being a model is not hard work. you don't need a degree. you don't need to win an award, it's just about how you look. >> reporter: hang out with her around town or in the studio and you can see how any mention of

her looks makes her kwirsquirm. >> she's beautiful. she has amazing bone structure. >> oh, please. and personality will. >> reporter: she eats whatever she wants. only exercises for fun. >> i go to yoga. i bike around the city. >> reporter: further proof of her point that models do not work their way to stardom. instead, they are born lucky. they won the genetic lottery. the universal attraction that comes with near perfection symmetry. if the distance between your ears is almost exactly two times wider between the distance of your eyes? strangers will want to mate with you. because symmetry equals health. but while our biological definition of gorgeous is unchanging, today's models also won the fashion lottery with rules that change through time and culture. the mona lisa might have a tough time getting booked for "vogue" today and cameron would be way too skinny this model for the

renaissance masters. but being born into a culture where tall and thin is in, can create body image angst, even among the women in the pictures. >> you just need to meet a group of models. they have the most shiny hair and thinnest thighs and they're the most unhappy women on the planet. >> i am promoting an ideal that's maybe not attainable. and for that, i have to feel guilty and assume some blame for that. >> would you ever consider leaving the industry out of principle? >> no. i mean, i don't think fashion is evil. i think some people definitely got at that issue when they said yeah, but you still work in this industry and still promote a skinny white beauty ideal. i have to say yeah, that's true and that is unfortunate. i hope that the benefits outweigh the costs. >> reporter: russell is not the first to wrestle with perceived perfection. a few years back, dove soap waded in this territory with the real beauty campaign. they made a short film to show how makeup and digital wizardry

can transform a real woman into a model. they made a splash but did little to change the industry. cameron is going the other way. >> i think there's a very interesting perspective especially for women in media. >> reporter: transforming feminist writers and artists and organizers into runway ready glamazons in order to get their voices heard. >> our goal is to make these women look powerful and cool and sort of play with the power of a fashion image. >> jimmy: as >> reporter: marissa jumped at the chance to be seen in a whole new way. >> i think if you see this version of me, you should also see the real version of me. >> reporter: it seems like there's a bit of cognitive disdense. you have to put a feminist through this fashion car wash in order for people to pay attention the other side.

>> we said what if we did a mockery of what mass media wants? all this hair and makeup. what if we did that and then we gave you a moment to have your voice next to that picture. >> reporter: she admits she's still figuring it out as she goes along, but the next time you see this face in a magazine, know that she would rather earn your respect with her ideas than her looks. >> look, we can't just pay attention to women who look fantastic in a photograph. because there are a ton of women that have fantastic things to say that don't look like 25-year-old white models. >>. >> reporter: i'm bill weir for "nightline." >> very interesting. humans mothering gorilla? one very dedicated team of zoo keepers does whatever it takes to nurture one abandoned wild baby. ♪ ♪

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>> the wild kingdom is a wonder, a marvel showing survival instincts vastly different from any seen in the human world, and yet there's a cord that connects us all. as we found, raising a baby gorilla is a lot like raising a child with a few hairy differences. >> reporter: in a world of few animal survival. >> she just paid on me. >> reporter: this small moment is actually a triumph of. >> something to remember you by. >> reporter: critical because just last month gladys' mother rejected her.

she wouldn't bond with her baby and there was a good chance that gladys would not survive. so when mother nature failed gladys, it was time for the human species to step in. >> so here we are at gladys' baby suite. >> meet ron evans, curator of the cincinnati zoo who thought they found a potential adoptive mother for gladys, an endangered lowland gorilla. but first, they had to step into nurse, cradle and teacher. yes, mother, for this gorilla for three months before she's introduced to her surrogate mother. they just transform themselves into gorillas every day. the idea being the only way gladys' new gorilla family will accept her is if humans can teach her how to become a gorilla. paying careful attention to every detail, including a lot of faux fur.

>> you look very conan barbarian. >> this is our gorilla coat. it's very critical to this proce process. obviously little gorillas know to hold on to hair. >> do you coo? >> no, i uls use gorilla accent. >> reporter: evan instructs me to put on my own ape suit. turns more like a sheep. evans is careful not to baby this baby. >> i groom her just like a gorilla. i'm yanking the hair. i'm putting my fingernails in her head. the mothers do it. when she goes in with the mom, she's going to do that to her and we don't want that to be the first time she experiences that. >> reporter: after a nap, gladys wakes and gets curious. and my sur go aheadcy training kicks into high gear. i'm told i have to try to sound like a gorilla to help soothe

gladys. >> she's getting a little fussy. you feel like she's getting a little nervous, pull her to the chest and give her a little vocalizati vocalization. how is that for belching vocalization? >> perfect. >> reporter: at two months, hoo uh -- human babies are lumps of flesh. gladys is strong. she eats, sleeps, plays for about an hour, gets tired, naps, sleeps, and then eats again. >> the way they rest on you feels just like my baby did. >> yeah. >> reporter: they hold on to you, they grip. sort of feel like a perfect football in there. >> reporter: when she's awake and she sticks her hand on you on the backside of your arms, you'll know she's not a human baby. >> reporter: it's an dpausing cycle, but one in which gladys has tripled her weight in two

months. the system has worked over a dozen times, says en. o evan. one of the reasons the gorillas are thriving while in the wild, the 175,000 gorillas are declining. most of them can't help but be smitten. >> she's climbing. you know, a couple of weeks ago, it was more she was pulling up with her arms. and now her arms are stronger. so she's pulling up more with her legs now. >> reporter: most of her lessons are about grabbing and holding on to mama. and while gladys seems part human, those eyes, the way she feels in your arm, the little squawks and of course, the mess she makes, her 10 mamas want her to be all gorilla. so the stretching, the napping. >> being a surrogate gorilla is the life. i tell you. the grabbing, the piggy back rides precisely mimic the activity of gorillas in the

wild. but there is a chance this elaborate experiment might not work. but as every parent learns, sometimes success means letting go. >> that's the day i think about all the time. that's why we're doing this stuff. i can't wait to give her up. she's not our baby, she's not our pet. she's a gorilla. and we're going to do everything we can do to make her a gorilla. that's going to be my happiest day, the day she leaves us and goes in with a real gorilla. >> just adorable. gladys will be united with her surrogate gorilla mother this spring. up next, ryan gossling is taking a break from acting and fans are heart broken. why america can't get enough of this movie mega star. [ mom ] with my little girl, every food is finger food. so i can't afford to have germy surfaces. but after one day's use, dishcloths can redeposit millions of germs. so ditch your dishcloth and switch to a fresh sheet of new bounty duratowel.

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. it's an announcement that rocked a hearthrob adoring world to its core. ryan gossling plans to take a break from acting. since his breakout role in "the notebook" this square jawed canadian has won a legion of fans with his boyish good looks, brooding demeanor and oscar-nominating talent. but there's something far more mysterious about gossling's appeal. >> i waited for you for seven years. and now it's too late. >> reporter: it's a headline that's breaking hearts. brian gossling, sensitive star from "the notebook" is taking a break from acting. women are weep pg. do you remember the protests

when he wasn't voted world's sexiest man? >> who do we want as sexiest man of the year? >> ryan gossling. >> what when do we want it? >> now. >> don't leave ryan. >> so sad. he's so good. >> can i kiss him? on the cheek? >> i'm supportive. >> reporter: an enterprising british website has set up a help line. the goss line. >> it's going to be really hard. >> this, by the way is ryan in "the notebook." >> we're going to have to work every day. but i want to do that. i want all of you forever, you and me every day. >> leave your message after the tone. >> ryan, it's nick after abc. we're having problems today getting some of the female members just aren't motivated. >> reporter: i personally do not understand the appeal. i walked the office in search of the gossling essence.

what does that do to you? >> gives me a tingle. >> a tingle? >> yes. hello there. >> i would be happy to put that in my cubicle when you're doing. >> he's hot. >> he's fit, tan, blond, blue eyes. >> reporter: he's not very manly. he doesn't have much body hair. >> manly is out. this is much better. physically he's the best looking, best body. >>. >> reporter: manly is out? >> yes, manly is out. >> reporter: there is a wildly popular internet mean on which women basically transplant their dreams into the facade of gossling. particular this one. hey, girls i had a dream. we went antiquing and got your mom a really nice gift. it was pretty intense. and he has a good sense of humor. gossling got in on the joke a couple of years ago. >> hey, girl. happy thanksgiving. i'm thankful for your sweet potato pie.

he's no repds or schwarzenegger, but he's the leading man of our times which perhaps says something about our time. he's canadian. he loves his mum. he can actually act. with award nominations for serious films like "half nelson" and "blue valentine." but he's not afraid to dive head first into rom-com territory. any woman between the ages of 16 and 60 can quote this scene? crazy stupid love. they can quote it verbatim. >> seriously? it's like you're photo shopped. men are also enthralled. >> i feel threatened a little bit aroused. >> reporter: and in real life he's broken up fights. >> when people say they don't like ryan gossling, the first question? can you see? do you have eyes? like are you kidding me? look at this. look! >> he's the every man. you wish you had but don't. >> reporter: are you married? >> yes, i am. >> reporter: i dialled the goss line once more.

>> i now understand what you're all about. i get you. i want you. we need you. come back, dude. come back. our last chance to see him for now is "beyond the times" out this week. >> put your hands up now! >> reporter: and don't come back as a goose. everybody loves the little gossling. >> i interviewed gossling, he's smart. it's time now for tonight's "closing arguments" today an announcement that u.s. nuclear b-2 bombers joined saut south korean military drills as a show of strength and solidarity. president obama has said the united states will do whatever it must do to defend its south korean allies. but is such a show of force a good idea? you can weigh in on the "nightline" faithful page or tweet us at nightline or at cynthia mcfadden. "world news now" is coming up

soon with overnight breaking news. tune into "good morning america" tomorrow. as always, we're on line at abcnews.com. good night, america.