The TED Talk titled “Looks aren’t everything. Believe me, I’m a model” done by model Cameron Russel is one of the most memorable and one of my personal favorite TED Talks. I first saw this TED Talk years ago when I was in the seventh grade and it has stuck with me to this day. Russel admits she won the “genetic lottery”, she was a normal girl born to be a model. She was always tall, thin, and beautiful, the prerequisite for being a model. She knows she is privileged, she is a pretty, white woman and in the modeling industry she is seen as sexy and has been sexualized since she began modeling at age 16. When you’re a model and you’re at that level of the industry’s definition of “beauty”, things come easy to you because people judge you and make these judgements based on how you look. Most people associate being beautiful with being thin, leaving 78% of 17 year old girls with body issues and disorders like body dysmorphia, anorexia, bulimia, and countless others. A common belief among young women is that if they are thin and beautiful they will be happy, but in reality the women who have achieved that are some of the most insecure women in the world. Of course you receive things for your appearance but those things don’t make you happy because in the end they are just things. People don’t perceive you for who you really are, they base their judgements on your appearance. This is my favorite TED Talk because it’s something I relate to, I had always been self conscious about the way I look, how much I weigh, and other people’s perceptions of me. I had always believed if I had achieved these things, being beautiful and thin, I would be happier and people would like me more. However, this is not the case and seeing this for the first time at such a young age benefitted me immensely. Hearing these statements coming from a highly respected model who has worked with brands like Victoria’s Secret that set this standard of beauty made me realize I would rather have people judge me on my achievements and the things I’ve done, not the way I look. I still watch this TED Talk from time to time and have shown it to my younger sisters because I want them to know from a young age that being beautiful and thin isn’t everything, its who you are and what you have done in your life.
Unit Two Project Topics:
Body positivity
The negative impacts of the modeling industry
Fast fashion