Supermodel
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A supermodel is a highly paid fashion model in an elite group that has a worldwide reputation. According to Model: The Ugly Business of Beautiful Women by Michael Gross, the first known use of the term was in the 1940s in a how-to book for models by an agent named Clyde Matthew Dessner. In an article in Glamour magazine in 1968, the author described Twiggy, Cheryl Tiegs, Verushka, Jean Shrimpton and fifteen other top models as "Supermodels". The term "Supermodel" gained currency by analogy with Andy Warhol's "superstars" of the 1960s, and, like "superstardom", it has been wrongly concatenated to include almost anyone who finds steady access to work, with top designers, fashion magazines and commercial clients; uncommon in the highly volatile fashion industry. In the early 60s, the term "top models" was used by magazines and fashion critics to define famous and highly paid models, long before the term "supermodel" became popular. Today, these two terms are used to define two different groups. "Supermodels" are famous, household names, highly paid models, while "top models" are noted fashion models.
Supermodels are top models in both high fashion and commercial modeling. Pin-up models, Playboy models, and Glamour models are not considered supermodels, because they do not have a background in high fashion couture modeling. These top models have consisten work in both high fashion and commercial at the same time. Models who've had done only one of the both, are not considered supermodels. They haven't been able to maintain an equal amount of both work at the same time.
Supermodels are household names, and thus known by their first names in the fashion industry e.g. Gisele, Tyra, Naomi, Kate, Cindy, Christy, Linda, Claudia, Iman. These celebrity models receive very high pay. Their annual year salaries are in the millions.
Many claim that Janice Dickinson has the right to the title of first supermodel since she is credited with having coined the term in 1979. However, as shown by the 1940s book by Dessner, she did not coin the phrase, but gained wide notoriety by publicly proclaiming herself as "The World's First Supermodel". She has done extensive work including 37 covers of Vogue. Still others claim Lisa Fonssagrives to be the world's first supermodel; no one has surpassed her over 200 covers of Vogue alone. She was in nearly every fashion magazine from the 1930s to the 1950s, from Town and Country, Life, Vogue, and the original Vanity Fair to the cover of Time magazine. Jean Shrimpton, Colleen Corby, Twiggy as well as Veruschka (all from the mid-Sixties) also have claim to the title of Supermodel.
Supermodels are, almost by definition, sex symbols. Supermodels of today are globally famous, and often parlay their celebrity into product endorsement deals and acting careers. Examples include Twiggy, Milla Jovovich, Elle Macpherson, Marcus Schenkenberg, Tyson Beckford, Tyra Banks, Rebecca Romijn, Amber Valletta, Cindy Crawford, Kathy Ireland, and Janice Dickinson.
History
While the term gained popularity in the 1980s and 1990s, a number of models had become famous in their own right as far back as the 1940s. Many of the first "supermodels" were well recognized by sight, locally or nationally, though rarely became household "names". Top models in big cities would go on to national or international fame, many of them via national magazines or newspapers, product advertisements, department store spokesmodels, designer muses, etc.
The Beginnings
In the 1950s. Dorothy Horan aka Dovima, Carmen Dell'Orifice, Lisa Fonssagrives, Dorian Leigh, Cathee Dahmen, Suzy Parker, Mary Jane Russell, Susanne Erichsen, Inga Lindgren (in Sweden), Elise Daniels, Sunny Harnett, China Michado , Jean Patchett, Betty Borosner, Sunny Harnett, Saundra Keays, and Uschi Obermeier are considered the world's first top models. These girls were the top fashion models at the time. These models were highly paid, from up to $40 an hour. Dorian Leigh and her younger sister Suzy Parker (who both began in the 1940s, from USA) both earned an annual salary of $300.000, and are often considered the pioneer "supermodels".
The 60s were known as the "Swinging London". The top supermodels were Lesley Hornby aka Twiggy, Peggy Moffitt, Naomi Sims, Donyale Luna, Colleen Corby, Molly Corby, Jean Shrimpton , Dayle Haddon, Veruschka Kuhn (aka Verushka von Lehndorff from Poland), Agneta Freiberg, Babette Morand, Linda Morand, Cybill Shephard, Terry Reno, Wilhelmina, Angela Howard , Penelope Tree, Bethann Hardison, and Celia Hammond. The most iconic of this group was Twiggy, whose look & style became "the face of the year", according to The London Daily Press. The top models of the decade like Twiggy, Jean Shrimpton and Lauren Hutton earned over $400 a day.
70s
During the 70s more supermodels continued to rise to fame. One of the very famous supermodels during this era was Janice Dickinson, who by many, claim is the "World's First Supermodel." She has done extensive work including 37 covers of Vogue. She was one of the first models to push for lucrative pay. When average models earned a measly $75 dollars a day, jJanice Dickinson banked in $2000 a day. When a modeling job was for couple thousand dollars, Janice demanded $20,000. Supermodels in the 70s included Anna Bayle, Janice Dickinson, Pat Cleveland, Jerry Hall, Joan Severance, Patti Hansen, Iman Abdulmajid, Gia Marie Carangi, Christie Brinkley, Cheryl Tiegs, Norma Jean Darden, Peggy Dillard, Grace Jones, and Beverly Johnson.
The Trinity and 80s/90s
The high point of the supermodel era was in the 80s and early 90s.The famous "The Trinity" of Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, and Christy Turlington. These years were known as the "era of the supermodels". They graced hundreds of magazine covers and walked for hundreds of fashion shows. The Trinity is known for having a great impact on the supermodel era.
Many supermodels ruled the late 80s and early 90s. These supermodels included Renee Simonsen, Rosie Vela, Eva Herzigová, Rachel Williams, Katoucha, Kim Alexis, Nancy DeWeir, Lisa Taylor, Bonnie Burman, Vera Cox, Robyn Mackintosh, Gail O'Neil, Louise Vyent, Paulina Porizkova, Elle Macpherson Carol Alt, Michaela Bercu, Kathy Ireland, Carre Otis, Kelly Labrock, Waris Dirie, Kate Moss, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell,Linda Evangelista, Stephanie Seymour, Gail Elliot, Claudia Schiffer, Heather Stewart Whyte, Yasmin Le Bon, Estelle Hallyday, Shana Zadrick, Stephanie Roberts, Roshumba Williams, Frederique van der Wal, Lana Ogilvie, Yasmeen Ghauri, Bridget Hall, Kristen McMenamy, Karen Alexander, Valeria Mazza, Claudia Mason, Veronica Webb, Megan Douglas, Helena Christensen, Elaine Irwin Mellencamp, Carla Bruni, Beverly Peele, Milla Jovovich,Emma Sjöberg, Tyra Banks, Karen Mulder, Tatjana Patitz, Kara Young , Brandi Quinones, Niki Taylor, Vendellla, and Nadja Auermann. Not many in the fashion industry consider Tyra Banks a true supermodel. Her careeer was mainly swimsuit/lingerie modeling for 10 years.
Supermodel Era Ends
The supermodel era ended around 1997. Many people consider Kate Moss as the last of the great supermodels. Many suggest that the supermodel era was from 1991 to 1997 while others say that it grew popular during the late 80s.
In 2000, supermodels' popularity faded as actresses started to replace them. On The Tyra Banks Show, Janice Dickinson said Tyra Banks was the last of the great supermodels. According to some people, the reason why actresses and pop stars have become more popular, is because they are more relatable to average people since they don't look flawless like supermodels.
Supermodels of the post-supermodel era included Stella Tennant, Chandra North, Carolyn Murphy, Shalom Harlow, Amber Valletta, Sarah O'Hare, Audrey Marnay, Erin O'Connor, Karen Elson, Frankie Rayder, Laetitia Casta, Tricia Helfer, Alek Wek, Devon Aoki, Michelle Alves, Ana Hickmann, Angela Lindvall, May Anderson, Erin Wasson, Magdalena Wróbel, Carmen Kass, Mini Anden, Gisele Bundchen, Heidi Klum, Isabeli Fontana, Molly Sims, Fernanda Tavares, Karolina Kurkova, Rebecca Romijn, Liya Kebede and Ines Sastre.
Current Generation Of Models
Majority of supermodels in the 2000s were European, Brazilian and Canadian. All of these ladies are born in the 1980s, except for Almudena Fernandez(1974) and Marissa Miller(1978). This new generation includes: Omahyra Mota, Megan Ewing, Karolina Kurkova, Natalia Vodianova, Marisa Miller, Izabel Goulart, Almudena Fernandez, Yasmine Warsame, Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Bar Refaeli, Hana Soukupova, Tiiu Kuik, Eugenia Volodina, Lisa Cant, Jessica Stam, Heather Marks, Valerie Celis, Raquel Zimmermann, Mariacarla Boscono, Devon Aoki, Omahyra Mota, Izabel Goulart, Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio. Raquel Zimmermann, Jeisa Chiminazzo, Gisele Bündchen,Cintia Dicker, Bruna Erhardt, Caroline Trentini, Hana Soukupova, Almudena Fernandez, Caroline Winberg, Lily Cole, Lily Donaldson, Julia Stegner, Alek Wek, Liya Kebede, Oluchi Onweagba, and Noémie Lenoir.
Kate Moss & Waif Look
The most controversial model of the 90s was the slender Kate Moss. She was consistently scrutinized over her slim look and people often speculated that she was anorexic, thus she gave birth to the style of supermodel known as the "waif." Moss popularized this waif look, which became most common in the 2000s among high-end fashion models. The "waif" supermodels grew popular in the mid 1990s.
Waif baby doll-like supermodels
The Waif/ heroin chic look was prominent because of Kate Moss's 1997 Calvin Klein ad campaign. Today, baby doll-like models are the popular look. Notable baby doll models include Gemma Ward, Cintia Dicker, Lisa Cant, Jessica Stam, Heather Marks, Caroline Trentini, Lily Cole, Lily Donaldson, Caroline Winberg, Polina Kouklina, Natasha Poly, Jeisa Chiminazzo, Julia Stegner, Valerie Celis, Raquel Zimmermann, Miranda Kerr,Mariacarla Boscono, and Devon Aoki.
Male Supermodels
Not all supermodels are female. During the 90's, many male models surfaced. Many claim the first male model to being Marcus Schenkenberg. While the first black supermodel is Tyson Beckford. Other male supermodels include the Joel West, Will Chalker, Ian Webb, and Travis Fimmel and Jason Shaw.
Current Generaton Of Model By Nationality
Brasilian Models Omahyra Mota. Izabel Goulart. Adriana Lima. Alessandra Ambrosio. Gisele Bundchen
United States Models Megan Ewing. Marisa Miller.
European Models Natalia Vodianova and Eugenia Volodina are Russian. Karolina Kurkova and Hana Soukupova are from the Czech Republic. Tiiu Kuik is from Estonia. Almudena Fernandez of Spain.
Israel's Model Bar Refaeli.
African Supermodels Alek Wek of Sudan, Liya Kebede of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Oluchi Onweagba of Ajegunle, Lagos, Nigeria. Noémie Lenoir was born and raised in France. Her connection to Africa is that her mother is from Reunion, an island near Madagascar on Africa's east coast.
Firsts
- The first male supermodel was Marcus Schenkenberg and the first male black supermodel was Tyson Beckford.
- Tyra Banks was the first African-American model on the cover of GQ Magazine, the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue Magazine, and the Victoria's Secret Catalogs. Tyra appeared first on S.I., paired with Valeria Mazza, and in next year, she appeared by herself. She was also the first African-American Victoria's Secret Angel.
- Donyale Luna was the first African-American model on the cover of a Vogue Magazine. She was the covergirl for U.K. Vogue Magazine.
- Beverly Johnson was the first African-American model on the cover of U.S. Vogue.
- Liya Kebede was the first African-American model for Estee Lauder cosmetics.
- Naomi Campbell was the first black model to appear on the cover of French Vogue Magazine, British Vogue Magazine, and Time Magazine.
- Lana Ogilvie was the first African-American CoverGirl model.
- Naomi Sims was the first African-American model on the cover of Life Magazine and Fashion of the Times Magazine. Naomi, Donyale Luna, and Bethann Hardison were the first major African-American supermodels, who rose to fame in the 60s.
- Veronica Webb was the first African-American model to sign a major cosmetic contract with Revlon in 1992.
- Gemma Ward was the first model on the cover of Teen Vogue.
- Lauren Hutton was the first model to get a makeup contract.
- Anna Bayle was the first Filipino supermodel and the first Asian supermodel.
Trivia
- Some supermodels now host reality TV shows, including Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum, Tricia Helfer and Janice Dickinson.
- In 2003, VH1's "All Access:Access Hollywood Top 10 Supermodels", named the top top 10 sexiest supermodels. In descending order, Heidi Klum, Gisele Bundchen, Naomi Campbell, Tyra Banks, Karolina Kurkova, Molly Sims, Eva Herzigova, Carolyn Murphy, Daniela Pestova, and Adriana Lima.
- From June 2004-June 2006, the highest paid Brazilian models were, in descending order, Gisele Bundchen, Adriana Lima, Isabeli Fontana, Ana Beatriz Barros, Fernanda Tavares, Alessandra Ambrosio, Leticia Birkheuer, Fernanda Motta, Raquel Zimmermann, Michelle Alves, and Caroline Trentini.
- In 2005, VH1's The Fabulous Life of Today's Hottest Supermodels, named their top 5 supermodels alive. Not listed in order, the supermodels were Adriana Lima, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Heidi Klum, and Gisele.
- Niki Taylor, Karolina Kurkova, and Brooke Shields are the youngest models to appear on the cover of Vogue magazine. Niki and Karolina were 17, while Brooke was 14.
- Claudia Schiffer has the most covers, with over 900. Cindy Crawford has graced over 600; Naomi Campbell has posed for over 400; Lisa Fonssagrives over 200; Niki Taylor over 200; Beverly Peele over 250 covers; Claudia over 500; Christy over 500; Gisele over 200; Stephanie Seymour over 300; Yasmin Le Bon over 200; Tatjana Patitz over 130; Renee Simonsen over 300; Laetitia Casta over 100.
- Glamour models like Caprice Bourret, Pamela Anderson, Carmen Electra are not considered supermodels.
- In 2005 British Television's Channel 5 aired a program called "The World's Greatest Supermodel". First place went to Kate Moss, followed by Gisele, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, and Claudia Schiffer.
- In 2006, FHM Magazine's "Sexiest Women" Poll, the following supermodels received spots: Adrianna Lima (#27), Alessandra Ambrosio (#56), Petra Nemcova (#76), and Gisele(#84).
- In 2006, E!'s "101 Sexiest Celebrity Bodies" included supermodels Gisele (#22), Laetitia Casta (#29), Valeria Mazza (#34), Rebecca Romijn (#41), Milla Jovovich (#57), and Tyra Banks (#60).
- When Cindy Crawford came out, she was dubbed "Baby Gia", because of her resemblance to supermodel Gia Carangi. When Niki Taylor came to the fashion industry, she was dubbed "Baby Cindy".
- Devon Aoki is the world's shortest supermodel at 5'6".
- Isabeli Fontana became the youngest model ever featured in the Victoria's Secret Catalog, then 16 yrs old. It created a controversy because the label had announced publicly before that they would never use any model below the age of 21 yrs.
Famous supermodel quotes
"I was the world's first supermodel, and Tyra and all the other models owe me at least a Christmas card every year because I broke down the ethnic barrier to begin with." -Janice Dickinson on ethnicity[1]
"Christie Brinkley was no competition for me, because I was on the covers of French Vogue, Italian Vogue." -Janice Dickinson on Christie Brinkley [2]
"I am totally against plastic surgery. A lot of people think I have breast implants because I have the biggest boobs in the business. But I was a 34C when I was 17…" -Tyra Banks addressing the real-ness of her famous bust.
"I don't get out of bed for less than 10,000 a day" -Linda Evangelista on money [3]
"An agent saw pictures of me and said that I was the only girl she wanted to take back to Paris... I didn't leave thinking I was going to be some big fashion model. I just wanted to make money for college."- Tyra Banks on becoming a supermodel.
"Now I get out of bed for a much better reason. I'm part of a team that raises millions of dollars and raises awareness of HIV and Aids all over the world." -Linda Evangelista on HIV and Aids awareness [4]
"I can do anything you want me to do so long as I don't have to speak." -Linda Evangelista on modeling. [5]
"It was God who made me so beautiful. If I weren't, then I'd be a teacher." -Linda Evangelista on her beauty [6]
"I love the confidence that makeup gives me." -Tyra Banks on inner strength [7]
"Once A Supermodel, Always A Supermodel." -Beverly Johnsonon on supermodel fame[8]
"Everyone should have enough money to get plastic surgery." -Beverly Johnsonon on poverty [9]
"I never diet. I smoke. I drink now and then. I never work out. I work very hard, and I am worth every cent." -Naomi Campbell on her health[10]
"Ninety-eight percent of models smoke. I don't." -Tyra Banks on her health
"You can't be a model at age 60, but you certainly can be an actress." -Eva Herzigova on acting.[11]
"It's something I decided from the very beginning I would never do - nudity." -Claudia Schiffer on posing nude.[12]
“I actually don't meet very many men because they are, I guess, afraid to approach me or think that I'm from another planet.” -Claudia Schiffer on men [13]
"I'd rather go naked than wear fur." -Christy Turlington on posing nude.[14]
"When my Azzedine jacket from 1987 died, I wrapped it up in a box, attached a note saying where it came from and took it to the Salvation Army. It was a big loss." -Veronica Webb on losing her jacket [http://www.thefashionspot.com/forums/f96/favourite-supermodel-quote
"Believe it or not, I just really know how to pose well. It took me five years to learn what my best angles are." -Tyra Banks on posing.
"The fashion industry tends to dictate who's hot and who no longer is.... which is fine. But I did not want that to control my destiny. I looked at Cindy and how she kept her career going. I wanted to be like her, doing more commercial stuff." -Tyra Banks countering criticisms and incessant queries for her move from high-fashion to commercial modelling in the late 90's.