Supermodel
A
supermodel is a highly-paid top
fashion model who is known world-wide. A "supermodel" often has a background in
haute couture modeling. The term is usually applied to female models, but in the 1990s the term began to be applied to male models as well.
There is no set standard of what constitutes a supermodel and those standards change over time. The term itself is somewhat a media creation. However, the elite models who are given the appellation of "supermodel" often share similar traits. These top model tend to have consistent and concurrent work in both high fashion and commercial modeling. Supermodels have modeled for many of the top fashion designers and labels of their time, which in the 2000s include such names as
Gucci,
Emilio Pucci,
Karl Lagerfeld,
Anna Sui,
Victoria's Secret,
Valentino,
Versace.
Supermodels are top models in both high fashion and commercial modeling. They are the most highly paid models. Supermodels can earn, on average, $30,000 to $50,000 per day. A successful photoshoot used multiple times could earn such models up to $500,000.
Linda Evangelista once infamously said, "I don't get out of bed for less than $10,000." [
1]
Supermodels may often be referred to as
sex symbols. They are frequently well-known in numerous countries and can come to be recognized by their first names alone. Supermodels often parlay their
celebrity into
product endorsement deals and
acting careers.
[New Model Army by Kate Patrick, The Scotsman May 21, 2005 onlineretrieved July 7, 2006] The supermodel lifestyle is rich and glamorous.
The term "supermodel" has come to be used loosely. Despite the fame of some
pin-up models,
Playboy models, and
glamour models, many of those models do not have the high fashion couture modeling background, income, or work of a "typical" supermodel. However, a number of supermodels have done work in these areas. For example,
Cindy Crawford was one of the first supermodels to appear in
Playboy.
Origins of the term
The term
"supermodel" took hold in the
popular culture of the 1980s and 1990s. However, according to
Model: The Ugly Business of Beautiful Women by
Michael Gross, the first known use of the term "supermodel" was in the 1940s by an agent named Clyde Matthew Dessner in a "how-to" book he wrote about modeling. Amongst those who could be considered supermodels by the standards of the 1940s were
Cathee Dahmen,
Dorian Leigh,
Dovima, and
Anita Colby.
Lisa Fonssagrives is often credited as the first true supermodel. Fonssagrives was in nearly every fashion magazine from the 1930s to the 1950s, including
Town and Country,
Life, Vogue, the original
Vanity Fair, and even
Time magazine. No one has surpassed her appearance on over 200 covers of Vogue. The relationship with Fonssagrives enabled Vogue to shape the future of modeling. The cover to the right draws on the appeal of high fashion being attainable by a housewife and cooking.
In
1968, an article in
Glamour magazine described
Twiggy,
Cheryl Tiegs,
Veruschka,
Jean Shrimpton and fifteen other top models as "supermodels". The term
supermodel gained currency in the 1960s by analogy with
Andy Warhol's
"Superstars".
The "rise" of the supermodel
In the 1970s, some models became more prominent as their names became recognizable to the general public and they commanded higher fees. One of the first models of this group was
Janice Dickinson. Dickinson claims to have coined the term "supermodel" and be the first person to be in that category. These claims are repeated in her book
"No lifeguard on Duty: The accidental life of The world's first supermodel". Other prominent supermodels who rose to fame during this period were
Cheryl Tiegs and
Christie Brinkley.
The prominence of supermodels increased in the 1980s. Models such as
Claudia Schiffer,
Paulina Porizkova, and
Cindy Crawford emerged during this period. By the 1990s, which has been called "era of the supermodels", the prominence of supermodels was at its peak. During this period,
Linda Evangelista,
Naomi Campbell, and
Christy Turlington, were nicknamed the "Trinity" because they often worked together.
[ We Three Queens by Alex Williams, New York online retrieved July 7, 2006] Of the supermodels of this period,
Beverly Peele, who was once nicknamed "Baby Naomi", graced over 250 magazine covers and was first black model on the cover of Mademoiselle Magazine in 1989.
The waif look
In the 1990s,
Kate Moss emerged as a top supermodel. Her slim, emaciated look, which lead to speculation that Moss was
anorexic, came to be called the "
waif" or "
heroin chic" look. This look was prominent during the later part of the 1990s.
"End" of the supermodel era
It has been suggested that the supermodel era was from 1991 to 1997. Many people consider
Kate Moss as the last of the great supermodels. The decline of the supermodel began as a result of the increase of the use of actresses or other well-known celebrities on the covers of fashion magazines and ad campaigns.
[Not Just Another Pretty Face: The End of the Supermodel Era by Hilary Rowland, Hilary Magazine online retrieved July 7, 2006] [ Death of the Supermodels by C. L. Johnson, Urban Models October 21, 2002 online retrieved July 13, 2006]Despite the decline of the supermodel, a number of prominent models of the late 1990s and early 21st century are properly referred to as supermodels. This includes models such as
Laetitia Casta,
Gisele Bundchen,
Heidi Klum,
Tyra Banks. However, there are some present-day models who have been given the title, and live the rich lifestyle of the past supermodels. These top models include
Adriana Lima,
Liya Kebede, and
Alessandra Ambrosio.
Not all supermodels are female. During the 1990s, many male models came to be referred to as supermodels. Many claim the first male supermodel was
Marcus Schenkenberg, with
Tyson Beckford often credited as the first black male supermodel. Other male supermodels include
Mark Vanderloo,
Alex Lundqvist,
Michael Bergin, and
Will Chalker.
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Model (person)*
Cover girl*
Beauty*
Body image*
Physical attractiveness*
Self-image*
Popular culture
