Looking beautiful, doing his job, hunching down and just not being negative: That seems to be the motto of numerous models. The supermodel Naomi Campbell has never followed this maxim. The partly controversial British woman turns 50 today.
It all started in the 1980s
Campbell, who is still considered one of the most successful models in the world and achieved supermodel status years ago, was born on May 22, 1970 in the Lambeth district of London and discovered at the age of 15. The public got to see them much earlier, however. At the age of only seven she appeared in the music video for "Is This Love" by Bob Marley (1945-1981).
Campbell's international breakthrough came in 1988 at the latest when she became the first dark-skinned model on the cover of the French fashion magazine "Vogue". Hundreds of front pages followed, as well as countless fashion shows and shootings with world-famous photographers such as Peter Lindbergh (1944-2019) and Ellen von Unwerth (66). Together with her colleagues Christy Turlington (51) and Linda Evangelista (55), Campbell became part of the "Trinity" – in English "Dreifaltigkeit" – the fashion world. Even after decades in the model business, the daughter of a Jamaican ballet dancer exudes an almost intoxicating beauty and self-confidence.
A diva before the Lord
Campbell has worked no less hard on her supermodel status in recent decades, but also on her reputation as a – some may say obnoxious – diva. Alleged horror stories about beauty circulated in the media, sometimes even conflicting with the law.
In 2008, the model was sentenced by a London court to do community service for insulting cabin crew and attacking two police officers at Heathrow Airport. According to media reports, she shouted at the time, "They lost my shit bags, get the press. (… They would not do that if I were white") when the captain of a plane explained that the departure was due to a flight will delay the missing piece of luggage. After the police called, she then kicked her stilettos. A few months earlier, she had been sentenced to compulsory service in New York, where she also had to clean toilets. The apparently angry Campbell had thrown a phone at the head of a housemaid.
Be authentic, be honest
In an interview with Australian breakfast television a few years ago, Campbell said there was nothing more important to her than being authentic. She is a very honest, loyal and generous person: "With me you get what you see." The model does not follow a special agenda, nor does she feel like playing games.
Accordingly, the London-born has been known for decades not to keep her opinion behind the mountain – and she has always caused outcries and scandals. In 2014, Campbell made headlines with a radio interview, for example, claiming that there was no connection between the fashion business and anorexia, with which some models and some of their fans, who use the beauties as models, are struggling. "You can't blame our industry for this type of body. (…) You are responsible for your own actions. If you choose not to eat because you feel like it, it is up to you."
At the same time, Campbell has often worked for a good cause in the past. For example, the model founded the non-profit organization "Fashion for Relief" in 2005. This was inspired by the late Nelson Mandela (1918-2013). Since then, the needy have been supported, among other things, with the proceeds from fashion shows, in which Kate Moss (46), Toni Garrn (27), Paris Hilton (39), Justin Bieber (26) and Jane Fonda (82) have already run . For example, "Fashion for Relief" has provided help in the fight against Ebola in recent years or has supported the reconstruction after Hurricane Katrina.
Whatever Campbell is doing right now, the public will be very interested in it – be it another outburst of anger, a new shoot, a strange interview or your philanthropic effort. The model can be certain of one thing: she is sure to admire her more than 9.1 million followers on Instagram and her worldwide fans. And maybe a statement Campbell gave to the men's magazine "Playboy" in 1999 best sums up the essence of the supermodel: "I never go on a diet. I smoke. I drink now and then. I never exercise. I I work very hard and I am worth every penny. "