Model Cameron Russell, "Looks Aren't Everything"

This TED Talk, titled Looks Aren’t Everything. Believe Me, I’m a Model. was given by a model named Cameron Russell in October of 2012. The goal of her speech was to enlighten her audience on the truths of being a model and to let them know that it does have perks, but overall, it’s not at all what meets the eye. Outside of the realm of modeling, she additionally explored how humanity is effected by appearance in today’s society. Before Cameron gave this TED Talk, the audience’s general knowledge of modeling was presumably just the stereotype: women who fit our society’s ideal of “beauty”, which is being tall and skinny and having a pretty face. The audience probably thought that all models are out-of-this-world confident (because why wouldn’t they be?) and possibly even that they’re conceited. It’s fair to say models are also often viewed only for their bodies, and their intelligence is frequently downplayed or even unthought-of at times.

Despite the audience’s probable expectations when Cameron came out in a classic, tight, “LBD” (little black dress) and stiletto heels, she came with a message, and she effectively began to get that message across when she threw on a baggy skirt, shirt, and flat shoes over her dress. She went straight into how “image is effective, but image is superficial.” Her use of evidence was effective. She used modeling and everyday photographs of herself to show that in reality, models are actually very coached, professionally styled, and the pictures are extremely retouched before they are ever seen by the public. She also explained that she just got lucky and hit the “gene pool lottery” (which some of the audience could have taken as arrogance), but she was actually just trying to prove that she is no better than anyone else just because her physical characteristics line up with society’s idea of beauty and what a model should look like. She also uses statistics such as the one about the number of black vs. white models on the runway to prove that society has a narrow view of what looks a model should possess.

Here are a few of the comparative photographs she uses to show the difference in retouched photos and photos of her in a real life, everyday setting: 

In regards to delivery, the beginning was slightly awkward. She came out and said a few things and awkwardly laughed and none of the audience laughed with her. At first, it was almost as if she had a slightly hard time connecting with the audience, which is probably because she is so beautiful and physically “perfect” and seems unrelatable because of that. Her visual aid (the photos that she showed of herself to prove her points) were good and effective. She was organized for the most part because she arranged her discussion by the questions that she is frequently asked about modeling and her raw, genuine answers to those questions. For the most part, she makes good eye contact and speaks at a reasonable speed.

Some constructive criticism might be: not being so awkward and laughing when no one else laughs at the beginning, maybe leave out the part about black and Latino men in New York (because it didn’t exactly seem to fit with the rest of the speech), transitioning better from one question or statistic to another, and fixing her ending. At the end, she stopped talking, and then awkwardly looked down and said “ok. Thank you.” And waved and walked off. After delivering a message, especially one about body image, she should have been more sure of her message and ended more confidently.