Looks aren't everything. Believe me, I'm a model. | Cameron Russell

Translator: Hysen Muja Reviewer: Helena Bedalli Hello, my name is Cameron Russell and I have been a

model

for a while now. actually for 10 years. I feel like there's an awkward tension in the room right now because I shouldn't have worn this dress. (Laughs) Fortunately, I brought something to change. This will be the first outfit change on the TED stage, so you are lucky to witness this scene. If some of the women are going to be horrified after it's over, you don't need to tell me now, I'll reveal it later on Twitter. (Laughs) I want to point out that in some way I have the privilege of being able to transform what they think of me in a time of 10 seconds.

Not everyone can achieve this. These heels are very uncomfortable, which is good because I wouldn't wear them. The hardest thing is putting the sweater over my head, because right now you would be laughing at me, so don't do anything above my head. Beautiful Why did I do all this? It was quite difficult, fortunately not as much as this Image is power, but also the image is superficial. I managed to transform what you thought of me in 6 seconds. And in this photo, I've actually never had a boyfriend in real life, I was completely crazy, and the photo was asking me to arch my back and put my hands in that guy's hair.

Obviously, apart from the operation, or the fake tan I got two days ago for work, there are few things we can do to transform our appearance and appearance, although superficial and unchangeable, has a great impact on our lives. Today, for me, being brave means being honest. And I am in this scenario because I am a

model

. I'm in this scenario because I'm a beautiful white girl, and in my industry we call it a sexy girl. And I will answer the question that people always ask me, but with the truth. The first question is how was a model made?

And he always said, "Oh, I was a revelation," but that didn't mean anything. The real way I became a model is that I won a genetic lottery and I'm a legal heir, and you might be curious about what inheritance. Over the past centuries we have acquired beauty not only as health and youth and the fact that we are biologically programmed to be admired, but also as tall, fine figures, femininity and white skin. And this is a legacy that was built just for me and it is a legacy that I have benefited from. And I know there are people in the audience who are skeptical at this point, and maybe there are some fashionistas, like, "Wait.

Naomi. Tyra. Joan Smalls. Liu Wen." First I congratulate you on your knowledge of patterns. Very impressive. (Laughter) But unfortunately I have to inform you that in 2007, a Ph.D. New York University, very inspired, counted every model on the runway, every single one of them who was hired, and of the 677 models hired, only 27 or less than 4% were non-white. Another question people always ask me is "Will I be able to be a model when I grow up?" And the answer is: "I don't know, aren't I the one who decides?" But the second answer I really want to give these girls is, "Why?" Did you know?

You can be anything. You could become the president of the United States of America, or the inventor of the future Internet, or a cardiothoracic surgeon poet, which would be great because you would be the first. (Laughs) And if after this long list they say: "No, no Cameron, I want to be a model", then I would say: "Be my director, because I don't decide anything and you can be." the editor-in-chief of American Vogue or the CEO of H&M, or the future Steven Meisel. Saying you want to be a model when you grow up is like saying you want to win the lottery when you grow up.

It's out of your control, it's fantastic, and it's not a career path. I will demonstrate to you knowledge accumulated in 10 years as a model, because unlike the cardiothoracic surgeon, it can be demonstrated immediately, right now. If the photo is there and the light is here, like a nice HMI and the client says, "Cameron, we want a walking shot," then this leg goes first, nice and long, this hand goes back and the other hand goes forward, the head is slightly raised, and you go down and up, you keep doing it again and you look at the imaginary friend 300, 400, 500 times. (Laughs) It will be something like this.

Maybe less unpleasant than the one in the middle. It was like, I don't know what happened. Unfortunately, after you go to school and after you have a resume and you've done some jobs, you can't say anything else and if you say you want to be president of the United States but your resume says, "clothing model." internal: 10 years" people will look at you with irony. Another question I always get asked is: "Do you process all the photos?" And yes, more or less all the photos are processed, but this is a small detail of what happens This is the first photo I took, and it's the first time I wore a bikini and my period hadn't started yet.

I understand that these are personal things, but I was a girl. This is how I looked a few months ago with my grandmother. same day in this shoot. My friend had to come with me. Here I am at a sleepover a few days before the photos for French Vogue. Here I am with the soccer team and in V magazine And here I am today. that these photos are not my photos. These are processing, and they are processed by a group of professionals, by hairdressers, makeup artists, photographers and stylists and by all their assistants, pre-processing and post-processing, and they built this This is not me.

Another question I get asked all the time is, "Do you get free stuff?" the ones we don't like to talk about. I grew up in Cambridge and once went into a shop, but I forgot my money and they gave me a dress for free. When I was a teenager, I was in a car with a friend who was a really bad driver and she ran a red light and of course we got pulled over and all we had to do was say "Officer, I'm sorry" and that's it. how we were saved. And I achieved these 3 things for free because of my appearance and not because of who I am, and there are people who pay for their appearance and not for who they are.

I live in New York and last year, of 140,000 teenagers stopped and searched, 86% were black or Latina and the majority were boys. And there are a total of 177,000 black and Latino children in New York, and for them the question "Will I be banned?" It doesn't make sense, but rather "How many times will I get banned?" "When will I stop?" When I was looking for material for this speech I managed to find that 53% of 13-year-old girls in the United States do not like their bodies, and this percentage rises to 78 for 17-year-olds. The last question I get asked is "What is it like to be a model?" And I think the answer they're looking for is, "If you're a little cute and have shiny hair, you'll be happy and wonderful." And when we're backstage, they give an answer that would probably be good. say something like this We say: "It's really wonderful to go shopping, it's really wonderful to go to work, creative, inspired, passionate people." This is all true, but it's only half the story because it's the only thing we don't say. in front of the camera is that I have never said in front of the camera is "I'm insecure" I'm insecure because I have to think about how I look every day And if you ever ask yourself "If I have thinner legs." and the shinier hair, will I be happier?" I know a group of models because they have the thinnest legs, the shinier hair and the most beautiful clothes and they are probably the most physically insecure women on the planet.

When I was preparing this speech , it was very difficult to get the balance right because, on the one hand, it was very uncomfortable to come here and say Look, I have benefited from all these good things, and you feel very uncomfortable following it and it doesn't always make you happy. A lot of times it is. difficult to fade the tradition of gender oppression and racism when I am one of the biggest beneficiaries. But I am also happy and honored to be here and I think it was a beautiful thing that had to come before 10, 20 or 30 years passed and I had more. agency in my career because maybe then I wouldn't be able to tell the story of how I got my first job or maybe I wouldn't tell the story of how I paid for college that seems so important now If there is any message to take away from this speech, I hope it is.

May we all feel more comfortable recognizing the power of performance in our success and failure. Thank you. (Applause)