Gorman was born in St. Louis in 1962. Her father Charles David Gorman was a professor of mathematics and her mother Gong Shu a psychodrama therapist.
Gorman attended University City High School, graduated at the age of 16, and then enrolled in Fontbonne College, receiving a degree in fine arts in 1983. Her interest in photography did not start until college, when she inherited her father's Leica camera after he died, at which point she took her first ever photography class. In 1981 she worked for St. Louis Mayor Vincent C. Schoemehl, and in 1982 she became an intern for Rick Gould, a local fashion photographer.
The St. Louis Post Dispatch in 1995 started its article about Gorman with, "Suzy Gorman looks tough, talks gruff and acts rough. Is it shtick or is it Suzy?" and concludes that "it" is in fact Suzy. She is known for dismissing clients, instructing them to lose weight, and she is equally direct about telling people to change everything from their hair to their teeth.