2/6/13

What is BEAUTY worth?

I found this video on a Yahoo News Reel and was surprised by the speech that model, Cameron Russell, gave at a recent TED conference. She opens up about the modeling world and shares with us how it feels to be a women who is valued solely for her looks alone. She changes (on stage) from a body hugging mini-dress and heels into a more conservative wrap skirt, cardigan and flats. While doing this, she expresses her thoughts on her appearance, going on to mention that young girls who wish to become a model, "when they grow up," is like wishing to win the lottery. She notes that she has won a "genetic lottery" and was scouted and recruited to become a piece of art. She compares photos of herself side-by-side with photos of her modeling to illustrate the vast differences. She acknowledges that she is a creation, put together by make-up artists, hair stylists, clothing designers, lighting directors and photographers.She also speaks about the supposed perks of being a model, but seems ashamed by the fact that she has gotten free items, let off the hook by traffic cops and idolized for her physical beauty alone. She finds it unfair that other people are held responsible for their actions and she lives a charmed life because of her looks. She goes on to mention that models have the lowest self-confidence of anyone she knows. She says that when you are judged for your looks and nothing else, you have to constantly analyze yourself, and worry about your looks every second of every day. I thought it was great of Cameron Russell to present her true opinion of the modeling world because it gives people an inside perspective. It shows human side of a model and the pain of being judged and valued only for your physical appearance.

2 comments:

  1. I agree with Cameron Russell. People are paying a cost for how they look but not who they are. It is unfair to do that. As women we should not allow people to judge us only on how we look. Allowing people to do that to us will cause nothing but low self-esteem of ourselves. If we do something like choosing the king of clothing we wear, let's wear them because we want to wear them not because we are forced to wear them or we want to please society. We should do things to please ourselves.

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  2. I also found her comments about the genetic lottery and legacy very interesting-- once again raising the intersections of race and power. In this case, Russell notes that she can only be a model and deemed beautiful because for the few centuries, we have defined beauty as "tall, slender figures, femininity, and white skin." Great post!

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