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A Long Way To Go - Naomi Campbell Points To Barriers For Blacks Even After Her Breakthroughs
Published: Sunday | October 9, 20111 Comment
Davina Hamilton, Voice Reporter
IF EVER there was a woman (apart from Katie Price), who some mainstream newspapers seem fixated on giving negative press to, it's Naomi Campbell. What gets less press is the large amount of charitable work she does.
However, 41-year-old Campbell, who is the focus of the new documentary series CNBC Meets, which aired two weeks ago, doesn't give the impression she's that concerned about how the press sometimes want to lay into her.
But while she's clearly not interested in winning public popularity contests - "If I'd started doing charity work for public adulation, I guess I wouldn't be doing it anymore," she laughed - Campbell is, and has long been passionate about one issue in particular: race.
Never forget roots
"The most important thing to me is that I don't ever forget where I come from and I never will," she says.
"I'm proud of it. I'm proud to be a black woman and I will do anything to stand up for my race."
Indeed, Campbell, Britain's first black supermodel and the first black model to appear on the cover of French Vogue, has often been vocal about the lack of representation of black models in the fashion industry.
In her earlier years, she spoke out against being paid less than her white counterparts, despite being considered one of the best-known models of the time. More recently, reflecting on the modelling world she said: "The American president may be black, but as a black woman, I am still an exception in this business. I always have to work harder to be treated equally."
Campbell has been so outspoken about the racial bias in modelling, that it seems that even now she is exhausted by the industry's prejudice, and feels that any improvement there has been for black models has been limited.
"I don't really wanna keep repeating that subject because it is what it is," she said, before asking me: "There is an improvement, but what do you feel?"
There's a long way to go, I tell her.
"I agree," she says. "I'm with you."
Being one of so few black models in the business, particularly back in the 1990s, when she was arguably the only black model of serious note, did Campbell never fear that speaking out against racial bias would leave her ostracised within the fashion world?
"No," she says firmly. "I speak out. Could I speak out more? Absolutely. But I've said my piece and I feel the same way as you: we've got a long way to go."
A woman who rarely does TV interviews, south London-born Campbell decided to open up to the cameras as part of the recent CNBC Meets documentary. In the programme, presented by broadcaster Tania Bryer, Campbell reflected on her career, from her childhood days in Streatham; her global success as a supermodel; and her charitable achievements.
She also returned to the south London house in which she grew up.
"I was very happy to go to Streatham, back to the house I grew up in," said the star, whose Jamaican mother Valerie is a former dancer.
"I've been to Streatham, but I hadn't been back to the house because other people live there now. I have some great memories; very fond memories of my childhood and growing up, so it was great to go back to the house."
Charity work
Aside from her work as a model, Campbell represents numerous charities and has raised a whopping US$7 million for charitable causes.
Next month, she will be honoured for her charity work at the Angel Ball in New York, an event organised by the Angel Foundation, which seeks to raise awareness of cancer research. This work is particularly poignant for Campbell, whose mother battled breast cancer.
But with the British beauty often vilified in the press for her anger-management issues, does she feel that this reputation has meant that her good work has been overshadowed?
"A lot of my friends and people that know me say that. But I don't do it [charity work] for public adulation, I do it because I like doing it."
With so many remarkable achievements under her belt, is Campbell happy?
"I'm happy today," she says. "I stay in the day. That's how I live my life. I've got my health, I've got my family and friends, and I'm just trying to stay low and do what I do.
"See me when you see me, and when you don't need to see me, you don't see me, [laughs]."
Published: Sunday | October 9, 20111 Comment
Davina Hamilton, Voice Reporter
IF EVER there was a woman (apart from Katie Price), who some mainstream newspapers seem fixated on giving negative press to, it's Naomi Campbell. What gets less press is the large amount of charitable work she does.
However, 41-year-old Campbell, who is the focus of the new documentary series CNBC Meets, which aired two weeks ago, doesn't give the impression she's that concerned about how the press sometimes want to lay into her.
But while she's clearly not interested in winning public popularity contests - "If I'd started doing charity work for public adulation, I guess I wouldn't be doing it anymore," she laughed - Campbell is, and has long been passionate about one issue in particular: race.
Never forget roots
"The most important thing to me is that I don't ever forget where I come from and I never will," she says.
"I'm proud of it. I'm proud to be a black woman and I will do anything to stand up for my race."
Indeed, Campbell, Britain's first black supermodel and the first black model to appear on the cover of French Vogue, has often been vocal about the lack of representation of black models in the fashion industry.
In her earlier years, she spoke out against being paid less than her white counterparts, despite being considered one of the best-known models of the time. More recently, reflecting on the modelling world she said: "The American president may be black, but as a black woman, I am still an exception in this business. I always have to work harder to be treated equally."
Campbell has been so outspoken about the racial bias in modelling, that it seems that even now she is exhausted by the industry's prejudice, and feels that any improvement there has been for black models has been limited.
"I don't really wanna keep repeating that subject because it is what it is," she said, before asking me: "There is an improvement, but what do you feel?"
There's a long way to go, I tell her.
"I agree," she says. "I'm with you."
Being one of so few black models in the business, particularly back in the 1990s, when she was arguably the only black model of serious note, did Campbell never fear that speaking out against racial bias would leave her ostracised within the fashion world?
"No," she says firmly. "I speak out. Could I speak out more? Absolutely. But I've said my piece and I feel the same way as you: we've got a long way to go."
A woman who rarely does TV interviews, south London-born Campbell decided to open up to the cameras as part of the recent CNBC Meets documentary. In the programme, presented by broadcaster Tania Bryer, Campbell reflected on her career, from her childhood days in Streatham; her global success as a supermodel; and her charitable achievements.
She also returned to the south London house in which she grew up.
"I was very happy to go to Streatham, back to the house I grew up in," said the star, whose Jamaican mother Valerie is a former dancer.
"I've been to Streatham, but I hadn't been back to the house because other people live there now. I have some great memories; very fond memories of my childhood and growing up, so it was great to go back to the house."
Charity work
Aside from her work as a model, Campbell represents numerous charities and has raised a whopping US$7 million for charitable causes.
Next month, she will be honoured for her charity work at the Angel Ball in New York, an event organised by the Angel Foundation, which seeks to raise awareness of cancer research. This work is particularly poignant for Campbell, whose mother battled breast cancer.
But with the British beauty often vilified in the press for her anger-management issues, does she feel that this reputation has meant that her good work has been overshadowed?
"A lot of my friends and people that know me say that. But I don't do it [charity work] for public adulation, I do it because I like doing it."
With so many remarkable achievements under her belt, is Campbell happy?
"I'm happy today," she says. "I stay in the day. That's how I live my life. I've got my health, I've got my family and friends, and I'm just trying to stay low and do what I do.
"See me when you see me, and when you don't need to see me, you don't see me, [laughs]."
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