So the article took all those words to admit that they don't know the answer to the initial question about the girl's popularity!

You may have red the words, but clearly you didn't understand their meaning. This wasn't supposed to be an ehaustive expose of the Everywhere Broad's biography. It was about the nature of the stock photography industry.

The title of the link which led to this article certainly implied it would be an exhaustive expose of Everywhere Broad's biography so shut your pie-hole

"The Weird Science of Stock Photography"?

That's what the link I followed said...

there was another link that showed the girl and asked why she was so popular. so by that i also thought it was about her.after i read the article i realized she wasn't even the number one stock girl shot.so i guess i got sucked in too.