Not just another pretty face...
January 3, 2002 7:30 AM Subscribe
Not just another pretty face... The wonderous wit and wisdom of the world's supermodels.
"I wish my butt did not go sideways, but I guess I have to face that."
Christie Brinkley
That's almost a yogiism.
posted by HTuttle at 7:36 AM on January 3, 2002
Christie Brinkley
That's almost a yogiism.
posted by HTuttle at 7:36 AM on January 3, 2002
Woohoo! My first link post and people responded!
You like me, you really like me!
(passes out)
posted by Samizdata at 7:40 AM on January 3, 2002
You like me, you really like me!
(passes out)
posted by Samizdata at 7:40 AM on January 3, 2002
I knew this MetaFilter thing was getting out of hand when people started basing their self-worth on the responses generated by their posts.
posted by insomnyuk at 7:42 AM on January 3, 2002
posted by insomnyuk at 7:42 AM on January 3, 2002
Kate Hepburn is a supermodel? There's some padding in there and I ain't talking about the chestular region.
posted by ColdChef at 7:48 AM on January 3, 2002
posted by ColdChef at 7:48 AM on January 3, 2002
i feel that i've learnt just that little bit more today
posted by monkeyJuice at 8:10 AM on January 3, 2002
posted by monkeyJuice at 8:10 AM on January 3, 2002
I agree, skallas. Everyone has said something stupid at one time or another. This site just points out a select few that some supermodels have said, to reinforce the stereotype that beautiful women are just self-absorbed airheads.
Instead of feeling sorry for the people in that industry, however, I ended up feeling sorry for the guy who spent time and effort putting that page together. (Don't mean to bash your post, Samizdata. We still like you. We really like you!)
posted by jpoulos at 8:11 AM on January 3, 2002
Instead of feeling sorry for the people in that industry, however, I ended up feeling sorry for the guy who spent time and effort putting that page together. (Don't mean to bash your post, Samizdata. We still like you. We really like you!)
posted by jpoulos at 8:11 AM on January 3, 2002
well yes, skallas and jpoulos that is very generous of you. i don't know if i can stretch to sympathy.
everybody says something stupid occasionally.
supermodels are suposed not to be intellectually threatening, and this is quite reassuring for the rest of us.
they do have a habit of living down to my expectations, though.
posted by asok at 8:15 AM on January 3, 2002
everybody says something stupid occasionally.
supermodels are suposed not to be intellectually threatening, and this is quite reassuring for the rest of us.
they do have a habit of living down to my expectations, though.
posted by asok at 8:15 AM on January 3, 2002
I've rubbed my nose in Christie Brinkley's blouse and you haven't.
Um, I was working for the cover girl ad agency at the time. And it was just something she'd used on a shoot that my boss had in her closet. And I just did it so I could tell this story in the future. And here we are.
posted by dhartung at 8:22 AM on January 3, 2002
Um, I was working for the cover girl ad agency at the time. And it was just something she'd used on a shoot that my boss had in her closet. And I just did it so I could tell this story in the future. And here we are.
posted by dhartung at 8:22 AM on January 3, 2002
That was pretty funny all things considered. A pleasant distraction for a few moments.
posted by a3matrix at 8:29 AM on January 3, 2002
posted by a3matrix at 8:29 AM on January 3, 2002
"I have an elbow that bends the wrong way, and I'd do things like stand in an elevator and the doors would close, and I'd pretend that my arm had got caught in it, and then I'd scream, 'Ow, ow, put it back!'"
Geena Davis
posted by o2b at 8:35 AM on January 3, 2002
Geena Davis
posted by o2b at 8:35 AM on January 3, 2002
Dhartung: how often do you get a chance to work that story into a conversation? Bravo!
posted by ColdChef at 8:37 AM on January 3, 2002
posted by ColdChef at 8:37 AM on January 3, 2002
You know, I also didn't really start to kick ass in volleyball and modeling until I got past my anger toward my mother.
posted by dong_resin at 8:39 AM on January 3, 2002
posted by dong_resin at 8:39 AM on January 3, 2002
Yes, also bravo, Dhartung.
posted by dong_resin at 8:40 AM on January 3, 2002
posted by dong_resin at 8:40 AM on January 3, 2002
An excellent link, Samizdata! And a really good excuse to look at beautiful women. I was browsing the page at work and thought "wow, if someone walked up and asked me what I'm doing, I wouldn't be embarrassed."
For what it's worth, I found it enlightening. For example, I hadn't realized how boring it can be on the set. Some models commented that they just go blank, or have to try hard to not go blank, while shooting.
A few of the models seem to want to be seen as real people. Some are even humble. Others, well...
But I think my favorite is the last one, page 2, which is the only quote that comes without a picture:
ON SANTA
"I stopped believing in Santa Clause when I was six.
Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph."
Shirley Temple
posted by Jonasio at 8:57 AM on January 3, 2002
For what it's worth, I found it enlightening. For example, I hadn't realized how boring it can be on the set. Some models commented that they just go blank, or have to try hard to not go blank, while shooting.
A few of the models seem to want to be seen as real people. Some are even humble. Others, well...
But I think my favorite is the last one, page 2, which is the only quote that comes without a picture:
ON SANTA
"I stopped believing in Santa Clause when I was six.
Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph."
Shirley Temple
posted by Jonasio at 8:57 AM on January 3, 2002
i- heart- dan. the best weapon against beautiful women is ignoring (gasp) them. this will drive them batty.
posted by clavdivs at 9:30 AM on January 3, 2002
posted by clavdivs at 9:30 AM on January 3, 2002
Wow, how come all the super models who post on Mefi aren't standing up against this anti-model website?!?
Oh, wait . . . I think I know.
posted by Outlawyr at 9:31 AM on January 3, 2002
Oh, wait . . . I think I know.
posted by Outlawyr at 9:31 AM on January 3, 2002
I'm not being funny but... could it be we (relatively intelligent guys) enjoy slating supermodels because none of us could ever pull one? I imagine the tone of this thread would be different if all the comments had been along the lines of 'I think guys who post inane pseudo-witty comments to MeFi are so hot!'
posted by RokkitNite at 9:40 AM on January 3, 2002
posted by RokkitNite at 9:40 AM on January 3, 2002
Wow, how come all the super models who post on Mefi aren't standing up against this anti-model website?!?
Okay, here goes. Of course these women are obsessed with their looks - and so are we. If we didn't fetishize the type of beauty they embody, which is splattered all over billboards, magazines, and pretty much everywhere else except the inside of our eyelids, they might feel compelled to get out of bed for less than $10,000. I don't know if the whole "ignore them and they'll go away" thing applies here, but it's not likely we'd be able to find out anyway.
posted by pudders at 9:50 AM on January 3, 2002
Okay, here goes. Of course these women are obsessed with their looks - and so are we. If we didn't fetishize the type of beauty they embody, which is splattered all over billboards, magazines, and pretty much everywhere else except the inside of our eyelids, they might feel compelled to get out of bed for less than $10,000. I don't know if the whole "ignore them and they'll go away" thing applies here, but it's not likely we'd be able to find out anyway.
posted by pudders at 9:50 AM on January 3, 2002
Not only is the Katherine Hepburn selection pretty odd (as I presume it's meant to be), it's also inaccurate. The quote regarding publicity ("I don't care what anybody says about me, as long as it isn't true") is actually a famous Truman Capote quote.
posted by raysmj at 9:51 AM on January 3, 2002
posted by raysmj at 9:51 AM on January 3, 2002
'I think guys who post inane pseudo-witty comments to MeFi are so hot!'
my inane comments are only pseudo-witty?
darn.
posted by hotdoughnutsnow at 9:52 AM on January 3, 2002
my inane comments are only pseudo-witty?
darn.
posted by hotdoughnutsnow at 9:52 AM on January 3, 2002
I think all of these supermodels were regulars on Baywatch at one point or another.
posted by lostbyanecho at 10:02 AM on January 3, 2002
posted by lostbyanecho at 10:02 AM on January 3, 2002
Most of these quotes seem horribly out of context, and not even that stupid. Just random statements. I don't even think it proves they're obsessed with their looks. They're probably asked about their looks all the time in interviews.
I'm with jpolous.
posted by Doug at 10:02 AM on January 3, 2002
I'm with jpolous.
posted by Doug at 10:02 AM on January 3, 2002
Blah blah blah supermodels blah blah boob job blah blah anorexic blah blah overpaid blah blah stupid guys obsessing blah blah blah blah
posted by aacheson at 10:23 AM on January 3, 2002
posted by aacheson at 10:23 AM on January 3, 2002
If the President of the United States can make comments not that far afield from, what these women do, then I am totally willing to let their beauty remain their main asset. They are known for wit, cleverness, intelligence.
posted by Postroad at 10:40 AM on January 3, 2002
posted by Postroad at 10:40 AM on January 3, 2002
"Wow, how come all the super models who post on Mefi aren't standing up against this anti-model website?!? Oh, wait. . . I think I know."
+
"I'm not being funny but... could it be we (relatively intelligent guys) enjoy slating supermodels because none of us could ever pull one? "
I'm wondering something -- what makes any of you think that you represent one specific demographic, or give you the right to assume where other people might be coming from? What would make anyone think that I, for example, am not an incredibly attractive woman who just happens to not have her picture and foot-in-mouths splattered all over the web n' tabloids?
It seemed to me that the author of the site might be conflicted about what perspective to take, as not all of the comments were so stupid -- some of them were actually intelligent... if one were to realize that one reflects upon one's situation mostly from WITHIN that situation.
Most mefi threads are if not in good taste, at least nodding at it. A little respect for others would be wonderful. Happy new year.
posted by Dzolali at 10:46 AM on January 3, 2002
+
"I'm not being funny but... could it be we (relatively intelligent guys) enjoy slating supermodels because none of us could ever pull one? "
I'm wondering something -- what makes any of you think that you represent one specific demographic, or give you the right to assume where other people might be coming from? What would make anyone think that I, for example, am not an incredibly attractive woman who just happens to not have her picture and foot-in-mouths splattered all over the web n' tabloids?
It seemed to me that the author of the site might be conflicted about what perspective to take, as not all of the comments were so stupid -- some of them were actually intelligent... if one were to realize that one reflects upon one's situation mostly from WITHIN that situation.
Most mefi threads are if not in good taste, at least nodding at it. A little respect for others would be wonderful. Happy new year.
posted by Dzolali at 10:46 AM on January 3, 2002
'I think guys who post inane pseudo-witty comments to MeFi are so hot!'
oh man, if i had known that that was the case, i would've posted like that to achieve hotness a while ago. ('cause you know, all my comments are ane and witty)
that aside, dan's story was genius, as was the shirley temple quote...
posted by lotsofno at 10:51 AM on January 3, 2002
oh man, if i had known that that was the case, i would've posted like that to achieve hotness a while ago. ('cause you know, all my comments are ane and witty)
that aside, dan's story was genius, as was the shirley temple quote...
posted by lotsofno at 10:51 AM on January 3, 2002
The first thing I wondered was, what questions were they were asked when they said these things? Some interviewer may have asked Christie Brinkley what aspect of her body she was least happy with, and that's why she said she wished her butt didn't go sideways. I'm acually more interested in what exactly that means, but never mind.
As for all the MetaFilter smart supermodels rushing to defend - there seems to be this assumption that most members here are men. I've never done a study of the profile pages, so maybe that's true. But the fact is, the women who are here (all ten of us, apparently) probably don't look like supermodels. 99.9% of the women in the world don't look like supermodels. But, even if I happened to be an attractive woman getting my PhD in biochemical engineering, I wouldn't bring that up as an argument against beautiful women being stupid, because I'd be labeled conceited for acknowledging my looks, or called obsessive for using them as a point in an argument. Or an intellectual snob for mentioning my education. So it's kind of a no-win situation.
How many of us know what the intellectual capacity of supermodels is? Maybe they're all MENSA members, and model because the money is damn good, and they like the lifestyle. Maybe they're nothing more than pretty faces/bodies. I've never seen any biographical profiles on their educational backgrounds, but that's probably because no one is truly interested in what models think - unless it's something that looks stupid when taken out of context that we can put on a website and make fun of.
posted by jennaratrix at 11:27 AM on January 3, 2002
As for all the MetaFilter smart supermodels rushing to defend - there seems to be this assumption that most members here are men. I've never done a study of the profile pages, so maybe that's true. But the fact is, the women who are here (all ten of us, apparently) probably don't look like supermodels. 99.9% of the women in the world don't look like supermodels. But, even if I happened to be an attractive woman getting my PhD in biochemical engineering, I wouldn't bring that up as an argument against beautiful women being stupid, because I'd be labeled conceited for acknowledging my looks, or called obsessive for using them as a point in an argument. Or an intellectual snob for mentioning my education. So it's kind of a no-win situation.
How many of us know what the intellectual capacity of supermodels is? Maybe they're all MENSA members, and model because the money is damn good, and they like the lifestyle. Maybe they're nothing more than pretty faces/bodies. I've never seen any biographical profiles on their educational backgrounds, but that's probably because no one is truly interested in what models think - unless it's something that looks stupid when taken out of context that we can put on a website and make fun of.
posted by jennaratrix at 11:27 AM on January 3, 2002
Thank you, jennatrix. Agreed completely. Now I'll get back to work on that pesky biochem degree. :)
posted by Dzolali at 11:35 AM on January 3, 2002
posted by Dzolali at 11:35 AM on January 3, 2002
OK here goes:
Stop making fun of us. It's just horrible the way all of you ugly dorky men always assume that an incredibly beautiful woman is less than cerebral. I walk around in a potato(e) sack just so that people will love me for my MIND.
posted by goneill at 11:50 AM on January 3, 2002
Stop making fun of us. It's just horrible the way all of you ugly dorky men always assume that an incredibly beautiful woman is less than cerebral. I walk around in a potato(e) sack just so that people will love me for my MIND.
posted by goneill at 11:50 AM on January 3, 2002
i can't decide what is better - kathy ireland feelin she has chosen well in her film roles, or that she has her own home collection
posted by jyoung at 12:02 PM on January 3, 2002
posted by jyoung at 12:02 PM on January 3, 2002
How many of us know what the intellectual capacity of supermodels is?
posted by CreequeAlley at 12:55 PM on January 3, 2002
posted by CreequeAlley at 12:55 PM on January 3, 2002
Sorry, I thought I posted a link there.
From Cindy Crawford's bio - "Before becoming a megamodel, Cindy detasselled corn, won a chemical engineering scholarship, and scored perfectly on her college calculus exams. Cindy attended Northwestern University but never graduated. Graduated Valedictorian of DeKalb High with a 4.0 avg.
posted by CreequeAlley at 12:57 PM on January 3, 2002
From Cindy Crawford's bio - "Before becoming a megamodel, Cindy detasselled corn, won a chemical engineering scholarship, and scored perfectly on her college calculus exams. Cindy attended Northwestern University but never graduated. Graduated Valedictorian of DeKalb High with a 4.0 avg.
posted by CreequeAlley at 12:57 PM on January 3, 2002
Creeque - Thanks for that.
Dzolali - And I'll get back to that military history degree I've been slaving away at for what seems like forever. ;)
posted by jennaratrix at 1:09 PM on January 3, 2002
Dzolali - And I'll get back to that military history degree I've been slaving away at for what seems like forever. ;)
posted by jennaratrix at 1:09 PM on January 3, 2002
How many of us know what the intellectual capacity of supermodels is? Maybe they're all MENSA members.
Ummm.... the previously mentioned Geena Davis is a member of MENSA.
posted by Dean_Paxton at 1:16 PM on January 3, 2002
Ummm.... the previously mentioned Geena Davis is a member of MENSA.
posted by Dean_Paxton at 1:16 PM on January 3, 2002
Ummm.... the previously mentioned Geena Davis is a member of MENSA.
MENSA, shmensa, if this guy is any measure of their membership.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 3:22 PM on January 3, 2002
MENSA, shmensa, if this guy is any measure of their membership.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 3:22 PM on January 3, 2002
I don't care how smart they are. They help to feed the tripe machine.
I wake up for considerably less than $10,000 per day, but strange people don't stare at my tits. I like it that way.
posted by schlaager at 3:29 PM on January 3, 2002
I wake up for considerably less than $10,000 per day, but strange people don't stare at my tits. I like it that way.
posted by schlaager at 3:29 PM on January 3, 2002
Slagging supermodels for being dumb is passe. It doesn't require a superior intellect to stand and smile in a sequined bathing suit. We know that, none of us labour under the delusion that any of these women are terribly likely to have been Nobel Prize winners were it not for their pesky beauty which derailed them into modeling careers. There are a few who have some intellectual credibility in their pasts (like Crawford and Davis) but do we really care about how smart they are? No, we care about their smiles and how big their boobs are.
That doesn't, however, excuse them from being conscientious, being aware that they've been given amazing opportunities for no reason other than winning the crap game of genetics, and some of them are clearly decadent, dilletantish lamebrains -- not because they're basically vapid, but because they don't care about what they're throwing away.
Tyra Banks has had opportunities and money far surpassing 99.999999% of her peers, and has travelled around the world, but doesn't give a damn about the chances that have literally fallen into her lap -- "I haven't seen anything, I don't care." Linda Evangelista, for whom it is generous to use the description "dim bulb," brags about not getting out of bed unless she's offered more money for one day of work than many people in the world make in their lifetimes. Worse, she offered that statement with complete candor, no irony, and absolutely no realisation that she gets that money for being a living mannequin for clothes which were often sewn by children in third world sweatshops for pennies a day.
I don't care if supermodels are dumb but I'm repulsed when they're dumb and ignorant and a lot of these quotes make it clear that some of them truly are. All the beauty in the world can't ever make up for that.
posted by Dreama at 3:46 PM on January 3, 2002
That doesn't, however, excuse them from being conscientious, being aware that they've been given amazing opportunities for no reason other than winning the crap game of genetics, and some of them are clearly decadent, dilletantish lamebrains -- not because they're basically vapid, but because they don't care about what they're throwing away.
Tyra Banks has had opportunities and money far surpassing 99.999999% of her peers, and has travelled around the world, but doesn't give a damn about the chances that have literally fallen into her lap -- "I haven't seen anything, I don't care." Linda Evangelista, for whom it is generous to use the description "dim bulb," brags about not getting out of bed unless she's offered more money for one day of work than many people in the world make in their lifetimes. Worse, she offered that statement with complete candor, no irony, and absolutely no realisation that she gets that money for being a living mannequin for clothes which were often sewn by children in third world sweatshops for pennies a day.
I don't care if supermodels are dumb but I'm repulsed when they're dumb and ignorant and a lot of these quotes make it clear that some of them truly are. All the beauty in the world can't ever make up for that.
posted by Dreama at 3:46 PM on January 3, 2002
being aware that they've been given amazing opportunities for no reason other than winning the crap game of genetics
isn't that sort of the best possible reason for being given amazing opportunities, considering your talents and brains and probably motivation are genetic too? Better than getting it for winning the crap shoot of family connections or wealth...
Anyway, who's giving it to them? Anyone who buys things because pretty ladies model it is supporting them. Though I generally agree with yr attitude, I doubt they're any better or worse than the general population. Some people believe that attractive women tend to feel they're owed more because they're used to being given more (supermodel or no). So maybe it's up to "ordinary people" not to spoil beautiful people (esp. women) by treating them (subconsciously) better than everyone else.
posted by mdn at 4:29 PM on January 3, 2002
isn't that sort of the best possible reason for being given amazing opportunities, considering your talents and brains and probably motivation are genetic too? Better than getting it for winning the crap shoot of family connections or wealth...
Anyway, who's giving it to them? Anyone who buys things because pretty ladies model it is supporting them. Though I generally agree with yr attitude, I doubt they're any better or worse than the general population. Some people believe that attractive women tend to feel they're owed more because they're used to being given more (supermodel or no). So maybe it's up to "ordinary people" not to spoil beautiful people (esp. women) by treating them (subconsciously) better than everyone else.
posted by mdn at 4:29 PM on January 3, 2002
"I wish my butt did not go sideways, but I guess I have to face that."
Christie Brinkley
Christie, I'd gladly face your sideways butt.
Sorry, folks, it had to be said.
posted by jonmc at 5:02 PM on January 3, 2002
Christie Brinkley
Christie, I'd gladly face your sideways butt.
Sorry, folks, it had to be said.
posted by jonmc at 5:02 PM on January 3, 2002
I'll tell you, as a woman who was really pretty goddamn beautiful in her teens and twenties (no, I'm not posting pictures -- please just take my word for it and imagine a cross between Julianne Moore and a young Brigitte Bardot and screw you if you don't believe me) -- I will tell you what these quotes are about -- power.
They are about reclaiming power (Yeah, I make $10,000/day), or about apologising for power (Oh, my butt is too big/I have scabs on my legs, etc./I have such and such bad feature). Or the quotes are seriously about work! What you do when you model, and you are hungry, or when your skirt falls down -- is the equivalent of knowing what you do when you have your server crash or your code not work. You need to lay out your plan, justify your actions, and explain how you deal with the issue and make sure people are still confident in you.
I understand this guy thinks the supermodels' quotes are funny, but . . . who WOULDN'T rather exercise than read the newspaper if that is the diff between earning $10K day/ $$20K day???!!!
posted by jfwlucy at 5:04 PM on January 3, 2002
They are about reclaiming power (Yeah, I make $10,000/day), or about apologising for power (Oh, my butt is too big/I have scabs on my legs, etc./I have such and such bad feature). Or the quotes are seriously about work! What you do when you model, and you are hungry, or when your skirt falls down -- is the equivalent of knowing what you do when you have your server crash or your code not work. You need to lay out your plan, justify your actions, and explain how you deal with the issue and make sure people are still confident in you.
I understand this guy thinks the supermodels' quotes are funny, but . . . who WOULDN'T rather exercise than read the newspaper if that is the diff between earning $10K day/ $$20K day???!!!
posted by jfwlucy at 5:04 PM on January 3, 2002
"...strange people don't stare at my tits."
Schlaager, if you've got 'em, someone's stared at 'em.
Face it folks, supermodels (I detest the term, makes me think of a mannequin in a cape) probably represent pretty much the same cross-section of the world as MeFi members do. There are some dumb ones, a bunch of average ones, and some smart ones. Everyone at one time or another says something stupid, and it's just our luck to be anonymous enough that nobody's following us around with a tape recorder to catch it.
What's next, someone putting up a site to showcase quotes from boxers to show us how stupid they are? Whoops, someone's done it already.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 5:10 PM on January 3, 2002
Schlaager, if you've got 'em, someone's stared at 'em.
Face it folks, supermodels (I detest the term, makes me think of a mannequin in a cape) probably represent pretty much the same cross-section of the world as MeFi members do. There are some dumb ones, a bunch of average ones, and some smart ones. Everyone at one time or another says something stupid, and it's just our luck to be anonymous enough that nobody's following us around with a tape recorder to catch it.
What's next, someone putting up a site to showcase quotes from boxers to show us how stupid they are? Whoops, someone's done it already.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 5:10 PM on January 3, 2002
I'm just upset that just about any body can run around calling themselves a "supermodel" nowadays. In the '90s we had Cindy, Tyra, Claudia. Now there's a bunch of stumblebums who just happened to have their emaciated butts shoved onto a runway.
If elected president, I pledge to make supermodels "super" again. If not... the terrorists have won.
posted by owillis at 5:35 PM on January 3, 2002
If elected president, I pledge to make supermodels "super" again. If not... the terrorists have won.
posted by owillis at 5:35 PM on January 3, 2002
owillis for president!!
posted by jennaratrix at 5:38 PM on January 3, 2002
posted by jennaratrix at 5:38 PM on January 3, 2002
owillis for president!!
Well, that goes without saying, jennaratrix...
posted by jonmc at 6:03 PM on January 3, 2002
Well, that goes without saying, jennaratrix...
posted by jonmc at 6:03 PM on January 3, 2002
Owillis saves the day!
posted by adampsyche at 6:21 AM on January 4, 2002
posted by adampsyche at 6:21 AM on January 4, 2002
What about supermodels dressed as sexy terrorists !! ???
OWILLIS ! OWILLIS !
posted by Frasermoo at 7:39 AM on January 4, 2002
OWILLIS ! OWILLIS !
posted by Frasermoo at 7:39 AM on January 4, 2002
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posted by Qambient at 7:35 AM on January 3, 2002