The Collapse of Supermodelmania
The original supermodels are back on magazine covers and TV screens. But here’s why they would never have succeeded in today's world
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The term ‘supermodel’ has become hazy over the past few decades. Is Kylie Jenner a supermodel or a celebrity who happens to model? Are the Hadid sisters supermodels, or rather Instamodels- women who leverage their social media profile as much as their catwalk sashay? Was Heidi Klum ever a supermodel or just an overpriced Victoria’s Secret Angel? And are Paloma Elsesser, Imaan Hammam and Quannah Chasinghorse really the supermodels of today? (And if you’re sat there thinking who, then you have your answer.)
One thing we can all agree on however, is that in the beginning there were only ever three ‘original’ supermodels, otherwise known as ‘The Trinity’- Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington and Naomi Campbell; joined shortly afterwards by Cindy Crawford, Tatjana Patiz and Claudia Schiffer. (To my mind Kate Moss came later and was an outlier in terms of both conventional beauty and celebrity wattage- though forever my favourite.)
For a brief, bright period these women were not just celebrities but cultural totems, representing a time that was free to worship beauty, glamour and celebrity. This week four of those models are back on the cover of Vogue magazine, recreating a Peter Lindbergh cover done back in 1993 for British Vogue. (The original cover also featured Patiz, but the 56-year old model tragically passed away earlier this year.) Despite the fact each woman is styled as though she is about to attend her impending divorce trial, the world has gone gaga for this rare magazine ‘moment’ unleashing, as it does, a wave of nostalgic mayhem. (And yes, everyone is going equally gaga about the aggressive photoshopping- but I’ll come onto that).
What intrigues me most about this cover however is the fact it represents a time that will never and could never exist again. Supermodelmania can never exist in the same way it did between the years of 1987 to 1994 because not only has modelling changed beyond comprehension but we have changed so much too. Today it’s deeply unfashionable to worship anything as crass as beauty, whilst the internet has fractured attention to such a degree that it’s near impossible, unless you’re Kim Kardashian, to have a handful of women dominate the cultural conversation. But perhaps the most interesting point, and one which is seldom discussed, is that how the supermodels behaved behind the scenes- demanding equal pay, taking campaigns only if their peers were also hired and appearing on competing magazine covers at any one time, can never be repeated. Allow me to explain…