This is kind of a test. I want to see how your stereotypical view of something can be changed in a matter of minutes.
Cameron Russell is a Victoria’s Secret model.
I know by just saying that, you’ve probably already developed an image in your mind of who she is. It could be good or bad…but among that, you probably thought: gorgeous, long legs, beautiful body, shampoo commerical-worthy hair, and you’re right, she is all of those things. Even she agrees. On a side note, no one really proclaims themselves as beautiful (socially taboo. You can tell because on Facebook, very few people deliberately call themselves attractive. Quite the opposite actually, they are more inclined to call themselves ugly for self-validation….sorry, ranting again), but once she did, this was kinda my reaction (meme below). And if you didn’t catch the sarcasm in the meme, well it’s definitely there.
Take a look at the video and try judging her based on her appearance, then allow her to talk and see what happens:
Along with that, beforehand, I held a bad misconception of her as a person. Maybe it’s the way the media portrays models, but I don’t often think that they are more capable than the job they’re given — being attractive on camera. In the modelling industry, it’s quite 2-dimensional. Models don’t need to talk or prove anything to us, they just have it made because they’re beautiful. So naturally, since the media/industry never portrays their personality or any need to speak intelligently on a topic, I just think they’re incapable. When Cameron stepped up to the plate at a TEDtalk, I immediately jumped to the conclusion that it would be a gong show. On top of that, I think there’s a certain negative view on beauty because we associate it with an unfair advantage. Cameron even speaks to that seeing as she’s a first hand witness to that. I hope that’s not too offensive, but it was interesting to me when I baffled myself with negative stereotypes of this nice girl. Image is powerful, like she said; it comes with many connotations. And from all the prejudices I just spewed out, you would wish that looks aren’t everything. Wouldn’t you want to prove that you’re more than a pretty face?
After she spoke, my respect for her grew exponentially. She speaks about our perception of beauty and how it dictates too much of everything we look at and I couldn’t have said it better. I watched her change my perception of her as she spoke articulately about societal standards and how important a person’s image is. She’s an intelligent girl, and she made me realize how many stereotypes have been implanted in my head by the media, society, and myself. And to all the girls out there, Cameron’s right, looks aren’t everything.
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