Legendary supermodel Naomi Campbell is one of four of the greatest of all time to appear in Vogue’s September issue this year, and in a tell-all interview, she finally opened up about discrimination she faced to reach the top.
Alongside Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington and Linda Evangelista, the 53-year-old British beauty shared that while she was grateful for the work she’s been able to attain, it was obvious she wasn’t treated the same.
“Why was it that I was doing the same job as my colleagues and had to take less money?” Campbell questioned in the magazine’s cover story. “Why was I booked for the shows but not the ads? I was not close-mouthed.”
The mother of two made her grand debut as an extra in Bob Marley’s Is This Love music video at the tender age of eight and has since gone on to be a Black woman of many firsts – including appearing on the cover of British Elle.
She further revealed that since gracing Elle’s cover, she would garner the attention of some of the fashion world’s elites, including Gianni Versace and Isaac Mizrahi, but she noticed early on that there was definitely some bias against her.
“I have taken a backseat from the fashion world and now only driven by seeing that opportunities are being given.”
Campbell was the first black model to grace the cover of French Vogue after Yves St. Laurent forced the publication put her on the cover. A year later, in 1999, she appeared as American Vogue’s cover star.
Reflecting on her journey with her fellow supermodels she said: “There was a sisterhood there, defined by caring and loyalty: when one is down you pick the other one up.”
She further added that what drives her now is seeing that opportunities are being given.”
You can learn more about Campbell’s journey to international stardom by checking out the Apple TV+ series The Super Models.
