What the hell is “supermodel”? This term emerged in the 1940’s from a modelling agent and in the 1980’s, German model Claudia Schiffer, American model Cindy Crawford, British Models Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss propelled the Golden Age of supermodelling. Noticeably, with gender-bias narrowing, the term supermodel no longer indicates that they are female at all. In such a manner, who is able to proudly wear the supermodel crown and what does it take to be one?
As fas as ‘present and in the firing line’ supermodels are concerned, an iron rule is neither age nor height. A model with loose skin can be rescued thanks to the mille-feuille-thick cosmetics and an everpresent nuclear-radiant spotlight; and a model without long legs can swim carefreely like a mermaid in a petite-girl-paradise, such as exists in Japan. However, while the haute couture perfers paper-dolls, weight remains an infallible dress code. Anyway, check out my favourite super models, and think about yours: Brazilian Gisele Bündchen, Canadian Jessica Stam, Australian Gemma Ward, British Kate Moss and Lily Cole, Estonian Carmen Kass, Russian Natalia Vodianova and Sasha Pivovarova.
For a super model, it is essential to manage awareness and popularity. Since the fashion industry is a beehive of the sexy babies, customers will forget you in the blink of an eye unless you have unforgetable features and a personality to match. Furthermore, regional popularity just isn’t good enough. You require constant global media exposure whether it be positive or negative coverage. Learn from Kate Moss. She has typical British pretty looks with small breasts, O-legs and fuzzy dyed blonde hair, and she knows how to manipulate media into conversing her drug scandal into spotlight featurism. Claudia Schiffer stated, “In order to become a supermodel one must be on all the covers all over the world at the same time so that people can recognise the girls”.
It’s a shame that there are not many supermodels of other ethnicities and genders in a strict sense, although Asian models, such as Taiwanese Chiling Lin, Hong Konger Coco Jiang and Japanese Lena Fujji, are indeed brilliant. I’m look forward to seeing if they take their place in the tightly knit supermodel sphere.
