Hi. My name is Cameron Russell, and for the last little while, I've been a model. Actually, for 10 years. And I feel like there's an uncomfortable tension in the room right now because I should not have worn this dress.
Sveiki! Mani sauc Kamerona Rasela, un nu jau kādu laiciņu esmu strādājusi par modeli. Patiesībā, 10 gadus. Man ir sajūta, ka telpā pašlaik ir neērts saspīlējums, jo man nevajadzēja vilkt šo kleitu.
(Laughter)
(Smiekli)
So luckily, I brought an outfit change. This is the first outfit change on the TED stage, so you guys are pretty lucky to witness it, I think. If some of the women were really horrified when I came out, you don't have to tell me now, but I'll find out later on Twitter.
Par laimi, man ir, ko pārģēbt. Šī ir pirmā pārģērbšanās uz TED skatuves, tā kā jums laikam ir laimējies to pieredzēt. Ja sievietes bija šausmās, kad es uznācu, jums tas nav man jāsaka tagad, es to uzzināšu vēlāk Tviterī.
(Laughter)
(Smiekli)
I'd also note that I'm quite privileged to be able to transform what you think of me in a very brief 10 seconds. Not everybody gets to do that. These heels are very uncomfortable, so good thing I wasn't going to wear them. The worst part is putting this sweater over my head, because that's when you'll all laugh at me, so don't do anything while it's over my head. All right.
Es gribu arī minēt, ka man ir priekšrocība mainīt jūsu viedokli par mani vien 10 sekunžu laikā. Ne katram tas ir dots. Šie papēži ir ļoti neērti. Labi vien ir, ka man tie vairs nav jāvelk. Grūtākais ir pārvilkt šo džemperi pāri galvai, jo tajā brīdī jūs par mani smiesieties, tāpēc nedariet neko, kamēr es to velku. Kārtībā.
So, why did I do that? That was awkward.
Kāpēc tad es to darīju? Tas bija neveikli.
(Laughter)
(Smiekli)
Well --
Njā –
(Laughter)
(Smiekli)
Hopefully not as awkward as that picture. Image is powerful, but also, image is superficial. I just totally transformed what you thought of me, in six seconds. And in this picture, I had actually never had a boyfriend in real life. I was totally uncomfortable, and the photographer was telling me to arch my back and put my hand in that guy's hair. And of course, barring surgery, or the fake tan that I got two days ago for work, there's very little that we can do to transform how we look, and how we look, though it is superficial and immutable, has a huge impact on our lives.
Cerams ne tik neveikli kā šajā attēlā. Tēlam ir spēks, bet tēls ir arī virspusīgs. Es tikko sešās sekundēs pilnībā mainīju jūsu domas par mani. Un šajā attēlā, man dzīvē patiesībā nekad nav bijis puiša. Es jutos ļoti neveikli, un fotogrāfs man teica, lai es izliecu muguru un iebraucu rokas tā puiša matos. Un, protams, ādas uzlabošanas ķirurģija, vai neīstais iedegums, ko pirms divām dienām ieguvu darba vajadzībām, ir ļoti maz, ko mēs spējam izdarīt savas ārienes izmainīšanai, un mūsu izskatam, kaut arī tas ir virspusējs un nemaināms, ir milzīga ietekme uz mūsu dzīvi.
So today, for me, being fearless means being honest. And I am on this stage because I am a model. I am on this stage because I am a pretty, white woman, and in my industry, we call that a sexy girl. I'm going to answer the questions that people always ask me, but with an honest twist.
Tāpēc man šodien būt bezbailīgai nozīmē būt atklātai. Es uz šīs skatuves uzstājos tādēļ, ka esmu modele. Es uz šīs skatuves uzstājos tādēļ, ka esmu smuka, gaišādaina sieviete, un manā nozarē mēs to saucam par seksīgu meiteni. Es atbildēšu uz jautājumiem, ko ļaudis man vienmēr uzdod, bet ar godīguma pieskaņu.
So the first question is, how do you become a model? I always just say, "Oh, I was scouted," but that means nothing. The real way that I became a model is I won a genetic lottery, and I am the recipient of a legacy, and maybe you're wondering what is a legacy. Well, for the past few centuries we have defined beauty not just as health and youth and symmetry that we're biologically programmed to admire, but also as tall, slender figures, and femininity and white skin. And this is a legacy that was built for me, and it's a legacy that I've been cashing out on. And I know there are people in the audience who are skeptical at this point, and maybe there are some fashionistas who are like, "Wait. Naomi. Tyra. Joan Smalls. Liu Wen." And first, I commend you on your model knowledge. Very impressive.
Pirmais jautājums ir, kā es kļuvu par modeli. Es vienmēr atbildu: „Mani atrada,” bet tas neko nenozīmē. Patiesais veids, kā es kļuvu par modeli, ir laimējot ģenētiskajā loterijā, un saņemot mantojumu. Varbūt jūs jautāsiet, kas bija mantojumā. Pēdējos gadu simteņos mēs esam noteikuši skaistumu ne vien kā veselību, jaunību un simetriju, ko mēs esam bioloģiski ieprogrammēti apbrīnot, bet arī garu, slaidu augumu, sievišķību un gaišu ādu. Šis mantojums ir kā radīts man, un no šī mantojuma es pārtieku. Es zinu, ka auditorijā ir cilvēki, kas šobrīd kļūst skeptiski, un varbūt šeit ir kādi modes zinātāji, kas teiks: „Pagaidiet. Naomi. Taira. Džoana Smolsa. Liu Vena.” Vispirms, es jūs uzslavēju par modeļu zināšanām. Tas ir atzīstami.
(Laughter)
(Smiekli)
But unfortunately, I have to inform you that in 2007, a very inspired NYU Ph.D. student counted all the models on the runway, every single one that was hired, and of the 677 models that were hired, only 27, or less than four percent, were non-white.
Bet, diemžēl, man jums jāsaka, ka 2007. gadā kāds ļoti aizrautīgs Ņujorkas Universitātes doktorantūras students saskaitīja visas modeles modes skatēs, pilnīgi visas, kas bija noalgotas, un no 677 modelēm tikai 27 jeb mazāk nekā četri procenti, nebija gaišādainas.
The next question people always ask is, "Can I be a model when I grow up?" And the first answer is, "I don't know, they don't put me in charge of that." But the second answer, and what I really want to say to these little girls is, "Why? You know? You can be anything. You could be the President of the United States, or the inventor of the next Internet, or a ninja cardiothoracic surgeon poet, which would be awesome, because you'd be the first one."
Nākamais jautājums, ko cilvēki vaicā, ir: „Vai es varu kļūt par modeli, kad izaugšu?” Un pirmā atbilde ir: „Es nezinu, to nenosaku es.” Bet otrā atbilde, tas, ko es tiešām gribu pateikt šīm mazajām meitenēm, ir: „Kāpēc? Tu vari kļūt par jebko. Tu vari kļūt par ASV prezidenti vai nākamā interneta izgudrotāju, vai nindzju sirds ķirurģijas dzejnieci, kas būtu forši, jo tu tāda būtu pirmā.”
(Laughter)
(Smiekli)
If, after this amazing list, they still are like, "No, no, Cameron, I want to be a model," well, then I say, "Be my boss." Because I'm not in charge of anything, and you could be the editor in chief of American Vogue or the CEO of H&M, or the next Steven Meisel. Saying that you want to be a model when you grow up is akin to saying that you want to win the Powerball when you grow up. It's out of your control, and it's awesome, and it's not a career path.
Ja pēc visa šī lieliskā saraksta, viņas vēl arvien saka: „Nē, nē, Kameron, es gribu kļūt par modeli," tad es saku: „Uz priekšu.” Jo es ne par ko neatbildu, un tu vari kļūt par galveno redaktori žurnālā <i>American Vogue</i> vai izpilddirektori <i>H&M</i>, vai nākamo Stīvenu Maiselu. Teikt, ka gribu kļūt par modeli, ir līdzīgi kā teikt, ka gribu uzvarēt „Superbingo”. To nevar ietekmēt, un tas ir lieliski, bet tas nav karjeras plāns.
I will demonstrate for you now 10 years of accumulated model knowledge, because unlike cardiothoracic surgeons, it can just be distilled right now. So, if the photographer is right there, the light is right there, like a nice HMI, and the client says, "We want a walking shot," this leg goes first, nice and long, this arm goes back, this arm goes forward, the head is at three quarters, and you just go back and forth, just do that, and then you look back at your imaginary friends, 300, 400, 500 times.
Es jums tūlīt parādīšu 10 gados uzkrāto modeles pieredzi, jo atšķirībā no sirds ķirurga pieredzes, to var izdarīt visai ātri. Tātad, ja fotogrāfs ir šeit, gaisma ir tur, tāda kā tas smukais monitors, un klients saka: „Mēs gribam vienu kadru gaitā”. Ši kāja iet pa priekšu, skaisti izstiepta, šī roka iet atpakaļ, šī iet uz priekšu, galva par trīs ceturtdaļām pagriezta, un jūs lēkājat uz priekšu un atpakaļ, un atskatāties uz saviem iedomātajiem draugiem, 300, 400, 500 reizes.
(Laughter)
(Smiekli)
It will look something like this.
Tas izskatīsies kaut kā tamlīdzīgi.
(Laughter)
(Smiekli)
Hopefully less awkward than that one in the middle. That was -- I don't know what happened there.
Cerams mazāk neveikli kā tā vidējā. Nezinu, kas tur notika.
Unfortunately, after you've gone to school, and you have a résumé and you've done a few jobs, you can't say anything anymore, so if you say you want to be the President of the United States, but your résumé reads, "Underwear Model: 10 years," people give you a funny look.
Diemžēl, pēc skolas pabeigšanas, CV sastādīšanas, un pāris darbiem, vairs nevarat teikt neko, ja teiksiet, ka gribat būt ASV prezidente, bet CV rakstīts: „Apakšveļas modele, 10 gadi,” ļaudis uz jums skatīsies dīvaini.
The next question is, "Do they retouch all the photos?" And yeah, they pretty much retouch all the photos, but that is only a small component of what's happening. This picture is the very first picture that I ever took, and it's also the very first time that I had worn a bikini, and I didn't even have my period yet. I know we're getting personal, but I was a young girl. This is what I looked like with my grandma just a few months earlier. Here's me on the same day as this shoot. My friend got to come. Here's me at a slumber party a few days before I shot French Vogue. Here's me on the soccer team and in V Magazine. And here's me today. And I hope what you're seeing is that these pictures are not pictures of me. They are constructions, and they are constructions by a group of professionals, by hairstylists and makeup artists and photographers and stylists and all of their assistants and pre-production and post-production, and they build this. That's not me.
Nākamais jautājums ir: „Vai fotogrāfijas tiek ar datoru uzlabotas?” Un jā, gandrīz visas fotogrāfijas ir uzlabotas, bet tā ir tikai maza daļa no tā, kas notiek. Šī ir pati pirmā mana fotogrāfija, un toreiz es arī pirmo reizi uzvilku bikini, un man pat nebija sākušās mēnešreizes. Es saprotu, ka saku pārāk personīgas lietas, bet es biju jauna meitene. Šādi es izskatījos kopā ar savu vecmāmiņu vien pirms dažiem mēnešiem. Šī esmu es tajā pašā dienā, kad uzņēma šo fotogrāfiju. Man līdzi atbrauca draudzene. Šī esmu es meiteņu pidžamu ballītē dažas dienas pirms foto franču <i>Vogue</i>. Šī esmu es futbola komandā un <i>V Magazine</i>. Un šī esmu es šodien. Es ceru, ka redzat, ka šīs fotogrāfijas neesmu es. Tie ir veidojumi, veidojumi, ko veidojuši profesionāļu grupa, frizieri, grima mākslinieki, fotogrāfi, stilisti un visi viņu asistenti, visa pirmapstrāde un pēcapstrāde, un viņi to izveido. Tā neesmu es.
Okay, so the next question people always ask me is, "Do you get free stuff?"
Nākamais jautājums, ko cilvēki man vaicā, ir: „Vai tu par velti dabū mantas?”
(Laughter)
(Smiekli)
I do have too many 8-inch heels which I never get to wear, except for earlier, but the free stuff that I get is the free stuff that I get in real life, and that's what we don't like to talk about.
Man tiešām ir pārāk daudz kurpju ar 20 cm augstiem papēžiem, ko nekad nevelku, izņemot šodienu, bet lietas par velti es iegūstu sadzīvē, un tās mums nepatīk pieminēt.
I grew up in Cambridge, and one time I went into a store and I forgot my money and they gave me the dress for free. When I was a teenager, I was driving with my friend who was an awful driver and she ran a red and of course, we got pulled over, and all it took was a "Sorry, officer," and we were on our way. And I got these free things because of how I look, not who I am, and there are people paying a cost for how they look and not who they are.
Es uzaugu Kembridžā, un vienreiz es iegāju veikalā un biju aizmirsusi naudu un man atdeva kleitu par velti. Pusaudža gados, vienreiz braucu mašīnā kopā ar draudzeni, kura bija briesmīga autovadītāja, viņa šķērsoja pie sarkanā, un, protams, mūs apstādināja, un man vajadzēja tikai: „Piedodiet, policista kungs,” un mēs bijām brīvas. Es šīs lietas par velti saņemu sava izskata nevis personības dēļ, un ir cilvēki, kas cieš sava izskata, nevis personības dēļ.
I live in New York, and last year, of the 140,000 teenagers that were stopped and frisked, 86% of them were black and Latino, and most of them were young men. And there are only 177,000 young black and Latino men in New York, so for them, it's not a question of, "Will I get stopped?" but "How many times will I get stopped? When will I get stopped?" When I was researching this talk, I found out that of the 13-year-old girls in the United States, 53% don't like their bodies, and that number goes to 78% by the time that they're 17.
Es dzīvoju Ņujorkā, un pagājušogad, no 140 000 pusaudžiem, kurus apturēja un pārmeklēja policija, 86% bija melnādainie vai Latīņamerikas izcelsmes, un lielākoties jauni vīrieši. Ņujorkā ir tikai 177 000 melnādainie un Latīņamerikas izcelsmes jauniešu, tātad viņi sev neuzdod jautājumu: „Vai mani apturēs?”, bet gan „Cik reizes mani apturēs? Kad mani apturēs?” Kad es gatavojos šai runai, es atklāju, ka 53 procentiem 13-gadīgo Amerikas meiteņu nepatīk savi ķermeņi, un šis skaitlis pieaug līdz 78%, kad viņas sasniedz 17 gadu vecumu.
So, the last question people ask me is, "What is it like to be a model?" And I think the answer that they're looking for is, "If you are a little bit skinnier and you have shinier hair, you will be so happy and fabulous." And when we're backstage, we give an answer that maybe makes it seem like that. We say, "It's really amazing to travel, and it's amazing to get to work with creative, inspired, passionate people." And those things are true, but they're only one half of the story, because the thing that we never say on camera, that I have never said on camera, is, "I am insecure." And I'm insecure because I have to think about what I look like every day. And if you ever are wondering, "If I have thinner thighs and shinier hair, will I be happier?" you just need to meet a group of models, because they have the thinnest thighs, the shiniest hair and the coolest clothes, and they're the most physically insecure women probably on the planet.
Pēdējais jautājums, ko man vaicā, ir: „Kā ir būt modelei?” Manuprāt, atbilde, ko viņi sagaida ir: „Ja esi mazliet tievāka un tev ir spīdīgāki mati, tu būsi laimīga, un viss būs brīnišķīgi.” Esot aizkulisēs, mūsu atbilde varētu tā arī izklausīties. Mēs sakām: „Ir brīnišķīgi ceļot, un ir brīnišķīgi strādāt kopā ar radošiem, iedvesmas pilniem, kaislīgiem cilvēkiem.” Un tas tā arī ir, bet tā ir tikai puse no stāsta, jo tas, ko mēs nekad nesakām kameras priekšā, ko es nekad neesmu teikusi kameras priekšā, ir: „Es jūtos nedroši.” Es jūtos nedroši, jo man katru dienu jādomā par savu izskatu. Ja kādreiz iedomājaties: „Ja man būtu tievākas ciskas un spīdīgāki mati, vai es būtu laimīgāka?” jums tikai jāsatiek modeļu grupa, jo viņām ir vistievākās ciskas, visspīdīgākie mati un visforšākās drēbes, un viņas ir, iespējams, fiziski visnedrošākās sievietes pasaulē.
When I was writing this talk, I found it very difficult to strike an honest balance, because on the one hand, I felt very uncomfortable to come out here and say, "Look I've received all these benefits from a deck stacked in my favor," and it also felt really uncomfortable to follow that up with, "and it doesn't always make me happy." But mostly it was difficult to unpack a legacy of gender and racial oppression when I am one of the biggest beneficiaries.
Kad es rakstīju šo runu, man bija ļoti grūti atrast godīgu vidusceļu, jo no vienas puses, es jutos ļoti neērti, iznākt un teikt: „Paskat, esmu saņēmusi visus šos labumus no man sniegtajām priekšrocībām,” un es jutos ļoti neērti pēc tam teikt: „un tas mani ne vienmēr dara laimīgu.” Bet visgrūtāk bija atmaskot dzimuma un rasu apspiešanas mantojumu, ja es esmu viena no vislielākajām ieguvējām.
But I'm also happy and honored to be up here and I think that it's great that I got to come before 10 or 20 or 30 years had passed and I'd had more agency in my career, because maybe then I wouldn't tell the story of how I got my first job, or maybe I wouldn't tell the story of how I paid for college, which seems so important right now.
Bet es arī priecājos un jūtos pagodināta būt šeit, un man šķiet lieliski, ka mani uzaicināja pirms ir pagājuši 10 vai 20 vai 30 gadi, un manā karjerā būtu vairāk aģentūru, jo varbūt tad es nestāsītu, kā es ieguvu savu pirmo darbu, vai varbūt es nestāstītu, kā samaksāju par augstskolu, kas šobrīd šķiet tik svarīgi.
If there's a takeaway to this talk, I hope it's that we all feel more comfortable acknowledging the power of image in our perceived successes and our perceived failures.
Ja ir kaut kas, ko paņemt no šīs runas, es ceru, tas ir, ka mēs visi varētu labāk apzināties tēla spēku tajā, kā uztveram savus panākumus un kā uztveram savas neveiksmes.
Thank you.
Paldies.
(Applause)
(Aplausi)