narrow definition of what the people in charge are looking for. Women, for example, are more likely to
be portrayed as victims when they
get news coverage, and are more
likely to be depicted wearing sexy
clothing when they are cast in Hollywood’s leading roles.
I’ve experienced this first hand.
During the last couple months of
press around my TEDx talk, when
I’ve suggested that TV producers
include more women in discussions around access to media, they
wanted to see headshots. (Not
bios, or clips, or anything a sane
person curating a panel would ask
for.) And while last year women
wrote just 20 percent of all opeds, over the last month I have
been invited to contribute more
op-eds than I have time to write.
Many an editor has made it clear
why I’ve been invited to contribute. “We sought you out because
of how you look,” one put bluntly.
Women are often worried about
MORE ON
TED WEEKENDS
WHAT YOU DIDN’T
KNOW ABOUT
THE MODELING
INDUSTRY
HUFFINGTON
05.19.13
CAMERON
RUSSELL
Voices
BEAUTY AND
BIBLICAL
PLAGUES
how they look, and that’s not superficial. We know that our appearance
has nothing to do with how smart,
creative, or hardworking we are, but
it plays powerfully into what soci-
We know that our
appearance has nothing to do
with how smart, creative, or
hardworking we are, but it plays
powerfully into what society
decides we are worth.”
ety decides we are worth. There are
healthy ways to have this dialogue.
A good place to start is inviting
those who are marginalized and discriminated against into the
conversation more often.
Cameron Russell is an American
fashion model.
A selection of the week’s related blogs
HEADLINES TO VIEW BLOGS ABOUT THIS WEEK’S THEME
‘LOOKS AREN’T
EVERYTHING’
LET’S PUT AN
UNDERWEAR
MODEL IN THE
WHITE HOUSE
‘I’M A PRETTY
WHITE WOMAN’