From the TED talk, underwear model, Cameroon Russell unravels the real life of models in an honest twist which most people may find shocking.
Cameroon points out the fact that the images of the models which elicit self-hatred and jealousy amongst average women are just fabrications which do not exist in reality. Cameron brings another important point on the representation of the minority groups in the modeling industry. She explains that being born as a slender, tall white woman handed her luck in her modeling career. She shares a very interesting statistics about the representation of different groups in the modeling industry. Just like racial discrimination plays out in other life aspects, modeling career is of exception (Russell, 2013). Cameron explains that only 4% of the models are nonwhite meaning that the modeling industry is dominated by the whites.
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Cameron sees the modeling career as shallow and fake. She sees as models only learn minimal skills and that most of the shots are directed and not related to what models are. Cameron compares her life to that of other people. She believes that she gets free things because of her looks. For example, an owner of a store gives her a free dress, or a policeman easily makes her get away. On the contrary, Cameron sees blacks and Latinos get penalized because of their looks (Russell, 2013). Most people hate themselves for how they look thinking that if they looked like models they would be happier. Even so, Cameron modeling should not be seen as the ideal beauty since most models lead insecure lives diverting their whole focus to mere looks.
Outline
Cameron believes that while it is important to acknowledge the power of image in successes and failures, people should be comfortable and satisfied with their lives. Later in the talk, Cameron shows contradicting pictures of her real life and those of modeling photo shoots. With these contrasting pictures, one can easily see that she is a different person in real life compared to what she portrays in the modeling career. She further highlights how she was forced to partake in shots by a revealing bathing suit with males even before she was old enough to have her first kiss or periods (Russell, 2013). Cameron believes that being fearless is being honest with oneself and with other people.
Summary
In a few words, Cameron says that image is not only powerful but also superficial. She changes her outfit while in the show to prove that an image can change how one is perceived and can as well transform people's perception of an individual. Cameron believes that being born tall, slender and white places her at a good position in her modeling career. She shares statistics on the representation of different groups in the modeling career implying that it is an industry dominated by white women. From the talk, one can easily deduce the fact that modeling is just like any other career and that models have to prepare for it just like the other careers. Cameron finds a problem with how people perceive beauty. According to Cameron, most people define beauty, not as the natural health and symmetry which humans should admire but as a formation of tall, slim and white complexion. In most cases, people believe that a beautiful woman is tall, slender and white. This, according to Cameron, is shallow and fails to meet the standards of ideal beauty. She gives an example of herself and indicates that being tall, slim and white is her legacy out of which she gets money.
Cameron responds to the main questions that many models face in their career. She shares on how other girls approach her to inquire about the qualifications needed for one to become a model. For her, she believes she won a lottery with her physique and that she is a recipient of a legacy. In what would come to many as a surprise, Cameron indicates that most models lead troubled lives in which they focus only on their looks and how other people would perceive their image but not on how to develop themselves. She believes that this is a shallow way of living and concludes that looks are not everything.
Reference
Russell, C. (2013). Looks Aren’t Everything. Believe Me, I’ma Model. TED. com, январь .
