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There was a time when we had such things as supermodels. They were everywhere. They had personalities they stole the cover of the magazines, they dated rock stars, and their personal lives were all anyone talked of. They were the epitome of sophistication and glamor. Diva behavior.
Now, who do we have? Gisele remains atop her pedestal, even as she rode the final wave of being a Supermodel. There are a few new ones. Kate Upton and Cara Delevingne being the ones that spring to mind. There lives are far less tantalizing. The public has visceral knowledge of them. All my mother knows of Kate Upton is that she had that ever revealing Sports Illustrated cover a few years ago. |
Gisele Bündchen
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Kate Upton
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Cara Delevingne
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The 80's saw the creation of the supermodel and their high profile continued into the 90's. Shelly Hack, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Christie Brinkley, Claudia Schiffer, Cindy Crawford, Kate Moss, Tyra Banks, and Heidi Klum. All were household names.
Naomi Campbell
Christy Turlington
Christie Brinkley
Tyra Banks
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Linda Evangelista
Claudia Schiffer
Cindy Crawford
Kate Moss
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Shelly Hack
Some of these you may question. Who was Shelly Hack? Her 'supermodel' type fame predated the rise of the eighties with her ad campaigns in the 70's. Never the less it was her fame as a model that landed her a replacement role as Tiffany Welles on Charlie's Angels. Her look even now is associated with the beauty standards of the 70's.
Shelly Hack along with original angel Jaclyn Smith and Cheryl Ladd
Not all of these women's names may pop out to you, but a picture of any of them will catch your eye. These women reached the point where they weren't even regarded as people, but rather as images for sophistication, money. Any desirable quality society wanted them to possess.
In the eighties you even had 'the trinity'. A holy group of three women who were made up of Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington. These women could be recognized solely by their first names. It was Naomi. It was Linda. It was Christy. They worked it. They were fierce. They knew how to work the runway. They were all name cited by RuPaul in his only hit “Supermodel (You Better Work)”.
In the eighties you even had 'the trinity'. A holy group of three women who were made up of Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington. These women could be recognized solely by their first names. It was Naomi. It was Linda. It was Christy. They worked it. They were fierce. They knew how to work the runway. They were all name cited by RuPaul in his only hit “Supermodel (You Better Work)”.
The "Trinity"
Cheryl Tiegs
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The power these women had were unprecedented. The amount of money they made was astounding. A supermodel was on every single cover of every single magazine. They were the Paris Hilton of the 80's and 90's, except instead of being on the cover of 99 cent tabloid. It was only high gloss for them. Vogue and Cosmopolitan. Although, the number of sex tips Cosmo throws them into good trashy fun.
Many supermodels elevate their fame as a result from their appearances in the Victoria Secrets fashion show. Tyra Banks and Gisele all benefited from it. |
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Tyra has spun off her fame into the brand that is America's Next Top Model as has Heidi Klum with Project Runway. Naomi Campbell, though she tried with The Face, no one watches it. We have better options.
That being said, she's still the only one to be mentioned in a Beyonce song. Do that Naomi Campbell walk.
That being said, she's still the only one to be mentioned in a Beyonce song. Do that Naomi Campbell walk.
Naomi Campbell more then any of them has done her best to be a name that will be remembered. Her unsuccessful recording career, her three attempts at writing fiction (The Swan being incredibly interesting), but more importantly. Her always questionable private life. The violence. The relationships. Her nude photos in Madonna's coffee table book Sex. The blood diamond, she didn't know was a blood diamond.
The question of whether supermodels are more then just there pretty looks is a question people have to answer for themselves. To make it in any industry and to elevate themselves to more then just another pretty girl on the cover of the magazine, implies an underlying cunning and drive I don't think most of us could understand.
I have respect for all of them. I miss the romanticism of the supermodel. It might have been that stereotype of “I won't get out of bed for less then $10,000” that led to their decline or just a shift in social view. But, someday. I hope we have another supermodel. One who truly is everywhere. Someone who really will dominate the world and not just skirt the outside of the bubble.
The question of whether supermodels are more then just there pretty looks is a question people have to answer for themselves. To make it in any industry and to elevate themselves to more then just another pretty girl on the cover of the magazine, implies an underlying cunning and drive I don't think most of us could understand.
I have respect for all of them. I miss the romanticism of the supermodel. It might have been that stereotype of “I won't get out of bed for less then $10,000” that led to their decline or just a shift in social view. But, someday. I hope we have another supermodel. One who truly is everywhere. Someone who really will dominate the world and not just skirt the outside of the bubble.
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