As we discussed earlier this week, Stephanie Seymour kind-of sort-of threw a little shade on the current crop of Insta-models, meaning Kendall Jenners and Gigi Hadids of the world, the ones who get jobs because of nepotism and social media. Personally, I agreed with what Stephanie had to say – she just pointed out that in her era, the 1980s, supermodels were the real deal. She said Kendall and Gigi “are completely different than we were. Supermodels are sort of the thing of the past. They deserve their own title. [Kendall and Gigi] are beautiful girls, and I support all of them, but they need their own title.” As in, don’t call them “supermodels,” which I agree with. Then Stephanie was asked what their new title should be and jokingly said “bitches of the moment.” Well, you can guess what happened next. Kendall Jenner got her panties in a wad! Kendall wrote about it on her kendallj.com site:
“Gigi sent me the most recent rant and I’m disappointed. If you’re going to tell us not to be in ‘your moment,’ then don’t be in mine! No one is trying to steal Stephanie Seymour’s thing, or trying to be her. I actually looked up to her. She has a daughter! I guarantee you that she didn’t imagine someone so publicly shaming her daughter when she made those comments about us being ‘bitches of the moment.’”
“Being a ‘supermodel’ is a relative term. If people want to call Gigi and I supermodels now, it doesn’t take anything away from supermodels of the past. Obviously, I have so much respect for those women, but right now, we’re the models of this time. Significant? Maybe. Hardworking? For sure.”
“When I’m older, I’m going to be so nice to anyone who’s trying to do the same thing as me. There are other supermodels who give me tips and build up my confidence, sending me notes after a spread comes out, saying, ‘You’re killing it.’ That’s the classy way to behave and I fully intend on being a positive influence on anyone younger than me, my entire life.”
“Publicly shaming”??? Stephanie made a quip and maybe it could be taken as an insult, but it’s not SHAMING. I also disagree with Kendall about how calling the Instamodels “supermodels” doesn’t take away from the past. It really, really does. Maybe Kendall and Gigi will have 15-year careers and they’ll be on every cover, etc, and then we’ll be able to say “Yeah, they were great and they were definitely supermodels.” But right now, looking at their meager careers, they should not be called supermodels because they just haven’t put in the work. And if Kendall really is going to try to build that kind of career, she needs to learn to shrug it off when there’s one person who isn’t kissing her ass. Kendall and Gigi should have just let Stephanie say her piece and left it at that. We can argue about whether Stephanie meant to be petty – I don’t think she was, really – but can we all agree that Kendall has been infected with Special Snowflake Syndrome?
Photos courtesy of Vogue, international Vogue.
So the only classy way is to praise you even if that person thinks you don’t deserve that praise ? Come on, that’s just so fake. Not everyone have to like you Kendall
Right? Bizarre!!
oh FFS. This one has the mentality of all the K clan. Disappointing.
Stephanie Seymour =mysterious goddess… The new ones= too much information…. Let keep supermodels on that private mysterious goddess status that made them amazing!
I get your point but let’s not. There was way too much worshipping in that era.
No, Kendall. No. Bad brat. Go sit in the corner and thing about what you said.
‘Think’? Is that possible? I’m over these trust fund ‘models’ who believe they really earned their jobs……….
Hit her nose with a newspaper!
Somehow I think someone wrote that for her, but you’re right, she should go sit in the corner. And take her entire family with her.
She looks nice when she smiles. But she is NO super.
She’s just demonstrating she’s young and inexperienced. And she’s getting sucked into the social media. It would have better to either ignore it, or have a t-shirt made that said “bitch of the moment” and laugh it off.
She’s not only a special snowflake, she’s also dumb because she totaly didn’t get what Seymour was saying. And even if she did shade them, what is it with people these days being so sensitve? If you’re in the spotlight develop thick skin, for God’s sake.
Kendall is a horrible model, not very smart, dull as hell, and by all accounts a nasty spoiled brat. So the only thing she has going for her is her looks. At least Kylie seems like a nice person deep down.
Ugh exactly! That whole family thinks they have the word “shame” on lock down.
I blame Khloe. She thinks she’s a wizard psych doc and they all listen to her.
Well her handlers haven’t explained to her what Stephanie Seymour was trying to say. Pimp Mama K hasn’t gotten around to talk to her yet, it goes by favorite ranking. So Kim K first, then Kim K, later Kim K & after talking to Kim K for 5 hrs then she gets to talk to whoever she thinks should be next.
So she’s in the modeling business, she’s also a celebrity since her sister’s show made her famous now I’m sure people talk sh-t about her family all the time & I’m guilty of that too. What Stephanie Seymour said might be the least insulting thing that has come her way, I can bet all of my money on that. Get a thicker skin, hon.
Exactly, she really didn’t understand what Seymour was implying at all. Honestly this grates on my nerves as well, I signed with Ford models at 14 and I worked my ass off doing catalogs and going to, sometimes, up to a dozen calls a day. It took me 3 years of hard work before I walked my first runway in Paris, and this was just over a decade ago. Nowadays these girls become “models” simply because their families are rich and they spend a million a year buying the clothes of these designers and they have a relationship already established with them. They have no idea what hard work in the industry implies. Seymor, Ireland, Crawford and Campbell WORKED, they were nobodies and had to claw their ways to the top.
Anyways I took my hard earned cash got an awesome education and started my own business 🙂
Nicely done!
Good for you Lucy! These “girl models” do not have a clue how easy (comparatively) they have it.
@Lucy … YOU have achieved something you can really be proud of and it has made all the difference in the world in your character. Kendall’s is lacking… although she was born into a family of vipers through no fault of her own, when she speaks it appears she’s not studied the history of her profession. She has not researched models of the past (beyond what she’s seen in magazines) so she has no grasp of the reality the average young person faces while trying to succeed in this profession.
Congratulations to you Lucy and continued success!
Kylie was in Montreal last year and from the way she treated people – believe me, she isn’t nice.
Yup entitled @#nts. Kim and PMK make nice to get deals but they don’t give a #@! $ otherwise.
“And even if she did shade them, what is it with people these days being so sensitve? If you’re in the spotlight develop thick skin, for God’s sake.”
God, yes. Models in particular must develop thick skin at very early ages, because their whole job revolves around being rejected and told they arent good enough. Stephanie didn’t even call her a bad model, she just said what she does is not comparable to what models of her era did. Which is more or less a fact.
Kylie nice? Kylie is known as such a little bitch that they had to address it in their show as a “learning moment” where Kim explained to Kylie that she needs to treat people better. My impression of Kylie is that she is the worst of the lot.
so if you ever disagree or find fault or criticise someone else’s choices you are shaming them?
So sick of that overused word
Model fight!
Walk off challenge !!!!!
Oh god, not a walk off challenge. Not with these two!
http://media.vogue.com/r/pass/2015/02/16/01-the-things-we-loved-tommy-hilfiger-gigi-hadid.gif
http://cos.h-cdn.co/assets/15/50/480×264/gallery-1449639215-kris-jenner-kendall-jenner-victorias-secret-22.gif
Those gifs are a gift.
These ladies are both lovely and average. They don’t see nepotism and white privilege.
My greater issue is with models like Bella Hadid whose model good looks were literally modeled in a surgeons office. So bland.
When I look at these modern day celebrity offspring supermodels I see a wall of beige.
Kendal J’s nose was also the product of a rhinoplasty so really, it’s no different.
kendull is so basic. what an overreaction to nothing. her and gigi are NOT supermodels. they are models because of their parents/families. she needs to stop whining and be grateful she doesn’t have to work a real job.
“When I’m older, I’m going to be so nice to anyone who’s trying to do the same thing as me. ”
somehow, I don’t believe you.
Plus this sounds like something a seven year-old might say.
Considering that Kendall has a rep for not being so nice now, I’d suggest that she not wait until she’s older.
I guess there is something wrong with generally being decent and nice to people right now.
I’m sure she’ll be nice to new nepotism models. She’ll probalby know them all, they’re all in the same circle.
Owwww buuuuuh ouuuuh.
Please: it was a joke.
All those women were beyond gorgeous, and some of them can still pull it off. Let’s talk what will you be in 5 years.
Kendall probably thinks she would be getting all these jobs etc if she wasnt kims little sister. Deluded girl. I doubt her career will last simply because she isnt that good and eventually the novalty will wear off. There are so many teally beautiful girls who work their butts off who deserve more of chance.
So true. I’m just sitting here agog at the entitlement in her interview. This girl has a pretty face, but it’s basic. As is Gigi’s — pretty but cheerleader basic. Nothing extraordinary like Naomi, or Christy or Claudia. Popularity does not a supermodel make… and GOOD Lord where are the extraordinary girls these days? Everyone famous is someone ‘s kid. It’s the worst of oligarchical monopoly and nepotism in media there is.
See and here’s the thing that annoys me so much about the Jenners and Hadids….not only are they beyond basic and boring but they’re allowed to be basic and boring and excel because they’re white while there are potentially extraordinary models of color that could be getting more exposure especially black dark skinned models. Models like Liu Wen, Xiao Wen Ju (who looks extraordinary in the more artsy avant-garde shoots), Ming Xi, Sui He, Jing Wen, Maria Borges, Amilna Estavao, Jasmine Tookes, Riley Montana, Jeniel Williams, Ajak Deng, Melodie Monrose etc. Even in the 90s I felt representation was better and the photoshoots much more artistic particularly Thierry Mugler shows with models like Queen Debra Shaw, Beverly Peele, Kiara Kubukuru and the like. Not only have the mainstream models gotten dull to me but so have the shoots and walks at least in the west.
The non-famous but succesful models of the moment are all pretty basic looking, though.
I used to be a model junkie during the mid-late ’00s, where sharp bone structures, super slim bodies and memorable faces were the trend. The wave changed now, and while there’s more diversity of body types and heights (good thing!), the models themselves are so unremarkable. That’s why I stopped following models, really. All the newcomers were basic, not-even-that-pretty girls I could see at college.
She hasn’t lived long enough to even comprehend what public shaming is and this situation is not even close. Classy doesn’t mean patting you on the head every five minutes either. People can disagree with you respectfully. And if they had to get jobs without the aid of nepotism, they would already know this.
Special snowflake syndrome!!! I’m gonna use that one!
Kendall Jenner is a pretty girl, I guess, but supermodels were gorgeous. They were beyond beautiful…they had that “something”. Neither that ex One Direction guy’s girlfriend or Kim’s little sister have that IT factor. They’re internet famous because their wealth opens doors.
They would probably never acknowledge that truth, ’cause it’s pretty brutal.
Wasn’t her sister Kim just saying that “bitch” was a term of endearment?? These kardashians/jenners like to throw shade but hate when it’s tossed back their way.
Yes.
No brains with this crop. Or talent.😣 I’m not aiming to insult, but it is the truth.
That is why Naomi Campbell had to teach Gigi to walk. She REALLY did her best, but you either got it or you don’t. I think Naomi is a great teacher and the best model out there, but she can’t make Gigi one of her kind. Nor Kendall nor anyone.
I also agree with Bridget; no, Kendall is NOT going to be nice.
I know right???
Anyway I love the two covers which clearly illustrates the difference between an iconic supermodels and a ‘bitch of the moment’. Seymour is giving glamour, vulnerability, and FACE. Meanwhile Kendall looks like she has scoliosis and is constipated.
EXACTLY. Whenever someone says to me “Lol what is this IT models are supposed to have?” or “Kendall doesn’t have dead eyes,” I’m just going to show them those two covers.
I like Stephanie a lot but she wasn’t really a super by any means. Her biggest rise to fame did come from dating Axl Rose. Her career itself was nowhere close to Linda’s, Naomi’s, Claudia’s, etc.
@Josefina: Stéphanie Seymour had a short career finally (contrary to Cindy,Christy,Linda,Naomi,Kate…) because she almost stopped to work after her marriage but she was Richard Avedon/Irvin Penn’s favorite model . Google “Stéphanie Seymour Richard Avedon” and you will see she was a better model than Linda,Naomi,Christy,Cindy .
I love the two covers juxtaposed too!! Good job, Kaiser. Take that, Kendall. There’s no denying it.
To the commenters saying otherwise, Stephanie WAS a super!! I was just a child, but I remember. She does not have Axl Rose to thank. Maybe he can thank her for being in a couple of his best videos, but naw. No way. She was at the top.
@DKIF
I know, but for that same reason her career never built up like those others. And I do think she was a fantastic model (one of my faves), but success wise, she was very succesful while the others were iconic.
@Kiliki
As far as campaigns, covers and editorials go; she definitely doesn’t have iconic images in the way Christy, Linda, Naomi and Cindy did. I think if you go around the streets showing younger generations pictures of those 4, most of them would recognise their faces. Stephanie, I’m not so sure.
I do like Stephanie a lot, though, don’t get me wrong. I wish models could go back to being gorgeous, healthy looking women like her. She’s one of my favorite models from that era. Think of it as a Cyndi Lauper vs. Madonna type of situation.
Kendall is lying. She isn’t capable of feeling shame.
I’m having trouble believing she wrote those passages…
Why do all these people stress how hardworking they are? Everyone works hard. This is not a plus, it’s a basic thing that everyone does.
However, some hardworking people get more opportunities than others or maybe they get them quicker, that is what makes a difference between a working model and the Kendalls and Gigis of the world – opportunity.
It also surprises me how this social media generation that is capable and willing to market every piece of their lives just is incapable of handling a small observation, because I can’t call Stephanie’s words criticism.
I don’t dislike Kendall at all but I do agree with Stephanie on this front. The insta-models are not supermodels. Kendall really doesn’t have any sort of aura or it factor. She’s really pretty, sure, but she doesn’t have that special something.
I think she was best suited to modeling for Forever 21 and the like. She’s just not a high fashion model and I hope this trend of putting internet famous people front and center dies. And soon.
Kendell you won’t make it far in this business if you want everyone to kiss your butt.
People don’t have to like you and can say whatever they want.
Throwing a fit and trying to make a social issue out of it, won’t solve anything.
It just shows how immature you are.
Immature, spoiled and barely literate.
It’s not just that they don’t put in the work. It’s literally that they’re basic. They do not have the same beauty, poise, fierceness, attitude, charisma. I could go on and on. That’s not something you work for. They just don’t and won’t have it. Meanwhile, there are some models out there that have it, that aren’t getting the same press, because of these two children of reality tv stars.
Can this young woman (who talks like a 7 year old) even stand up straight? Her posture and carriage are horrible. FFS- stop slouching!!! Can’t stand Seymour but she is correct, this generation of “models” can’t hold a candle to the original Supers.
And for the record, she has a reputation of being very catty and unpleasant now so she will likely not be kind to those coming up behind her.
Slouching is what the models do now. I’ve seen many ads where the model is hunched over. It’s bizarre.
So strange isn’t it? Glad someone else noticed it as well.
It’s like the word model doesn’t exist anymore. ‘Supermodel’ comes out at the drop of a hat. I read something the other day about one of Leonardo’s ‘Supermodels’ and I was like “Who???” If they’re all super, then the word has lost its power.
And Kendall, girl. Have someone look over your widdle pout-fests before publishing. You lost me at “If someone wants to call I (a) supermodel now….”
None of them can speak properly, let alone write. Grammer aren’t’ necesseary when u purdy. ( Yes, those mistakes were all on purpose…or is it porpoise?)
She needs to have someone proofread her statements. My 12 year old boy has better grammar…
I was just thinking the same thing. She misused the words “me” and “I” at least 3 times.
All the Kardashian/Jenners do! I am not the grammar police but I cannot STAND the way they speak. PLEASE speak proper English. PLEASE!!! Why has no one ever coached them? Ryan Seacrest? Was he secretly laughing too?
It just speaks to the market niche to which they appeal. Uneducated. Because education isn’t necessary. But nudity is. At all times. As much as possible. I cannot feel ashamed for them enough. And shame they represent Americans; they don’t. Not all of us.
Your 12 year old, presumably, has received proper education. These girls haven’t (having all the resources).
I’d be willing to bet your son in the last 3 years has read more books than Kendall has in her whole life.
YES! I can’t STAND the misuse of “I” and “me”. It’s replacing mixing up “lay” and “lie” as my major grammar-related peeve.
“Lie” and “lay” are HUGE for me, too. Along with using “I” when it should be “me,” and that godawful “well wishes.” Ugh.
I will always say this but Rihanna is the better supermodel than Kendall Jenner and the Hadid Sisters. She can’t sing, dance and she sure as hell can’t act but Rihanna can sure as hell model those clothes like nobody’s business. To me Rihanna is the SUPERMODEL.
Yes! I’m surprised Rih isn’t considered a model quite yet and I can see her successfully pursuing it if she quits music. Her Victoria Secret walk was everything she rocks every cover and outfit she puts out and her Vogue Brasil shoot is one of my all time faves!
yeah yeah yeah
Rih is short, that’s why. She’s a VERY petite woman who just happens to be a stunning beauty blessed with the ability to work it in front of a camera – but as a professional high fashion model? They don’t hire 5’2″ girls.
un no. Rihanna is 5″8, she is the correct height for a model.
She definitely has that something that makes you pay attention.
Why do any of these idiots pretend being a model is hard work? Oooh, you have to stay in good shape. Well so do a lot of us and we also have to work real jobs.
It’s a shame that the voices of Stephanie and Kendall are heard over those of people with valuable opinions.
I’m probably in the minority but I really like Kendall’s Vogue Brasil cover.
I think Stephanie Seymour (and everyone, really) needs to get off their high horse. At the end of the day, these women are posing. For a picture. They’re not curing cancer, they’re not feeding the poor, and their not ushering in world peace. So get over yourself, Steph.
Agreed. Her sons are Rich Kids of Instagram famous do I find her comments. I’d pay attention to this comment if it came from one of the Big 4.
If you are going to hit back at someone, at least have someone check your grammar. Using “I” instead of “me” drives me up the wall.
#expectingtoomuch
I can take or leave all the Insta/Super Models or whatever you want to call them… except maybe Kate Moss, who is Queen. But the thing that bothers me about this “debate” is how over it already is. The industry has changed and arguing that you have to put in the same work as the models of yester-year is ridiculous. It’s not the same.
“If people want to call Gigi and I supermodels”
It’s Gigi and ME. Damn girl, did you finish grammar school?
No they were “homeschooled.” 😛
I don’t know why these newer “celebs” have to go tit for tat on everything. Maybe it’s the Twitter age but Miss Thang should learn to get a thick skin. Negative criticism isn’t “bullying” or “shaming” <–now those are overused words. Develop a thick skin and move on please.
The best way to live is to live well so you can show your detractors that. But what am I thinking? This is from the garbage family of USA.
Was it necessary to call them bitches? There’s no need to tear someone down to build yourself up.
It’s a term of endearment for some people. Like Kim.
Good point – if Kendall is so offended by this, maybe she should have a talk with her brother in law.
Maybe I should’ve included that it isn’t necessary for Kanye to call anyone a bitch either?
yeah it’s just a picture but at least Stephanie’s weren’t painful and annoying to look at.
Like, modelling isn’t rocket science but if you can’t even look alive in front of the camera, don’t whine when people call you exactly what you are i.e. a bitch of the moment.
I see SS’s comment more toward the public/columnists etc rather thsn the girls. But who knows, aren’t her children the super bratty “rich kids on insta”?
Also, there is so much self-victmhood in society today. Why can’t people just be strong, confident people who rise above/ ignore stupid comments or whatever.
I mean DAMNNNNNN just look at the 2 images at the bottom of the post….
quintessential SUPER MODEL GOD
“insta-model b&ch of the moment”
Call me the Minority but I think Kendall was justified in defending herself. If somebody blatantly went on the record and knocked my million dollar Swag, then they should be prepared for a rebuttal. And I don’t think Kendall went overbooard. She emphasized Role Model. Not Supermodel.
Kendall doesn’t have “it”. I knew who Christie Brinkley & Cheryl Tiegs & Beverly Johnson were when I was little. Naomi, Cindy, Claudia, Christy & Linda were everywhere in late 80’s/early 90’s. Kate, Giselle…legends. I haven’t read Vogue outside a nail salon in 20 years but I still remember my favorite models: Amber Valetta & Stella Tennant. I only know who Kendall is bc her sister let some dude pee on her. I’m not saying she wouldn’t get work, but I am saying she wouldn’t get covers.
This post got me interested in 90s supermodel era. And as a result i’ve been non-stop watching videos from youtube. And i have to say Kendull, Gigi and even Bella don’t hold a candle to these supermodels. Their walks are so bad. Like it literally gave me second hand embarressment to watch them walk. Especially Gigi with her slouching shoulders and chop-block arms. Kendull is no better. So these girls have very little to complain about. Whatever they’ve been bestowed upon uptill now is because of the family name that they carry with them.
On a second note there are still some models with amazing catwalk skills. Natasha Poly, Coco Rocha, Alek Wek to name a few.
Naomi Campbell walking in the official video for George Michael’s ‘Freedom’ is my everything! The moment needs to pass for the b*****s of the moment…
Wow. Did you know Janice Dickinson is the one who coined the phrase/word ‘supermodel’? She said she was having a conversation with someone when they called her super, and she then added ‘model’ jokingly. Of course, she had been one of the top models for several years at that point. I read her book, “No Lifeguard on Duty.” She spills some TEA in that book!
Stephanie is not the first and the only one who think and say that. And she is absolutely right. I look at SS and thinking – wow, wow! That sm’s of 80-90s, they are beautiful, gorgeous, they have individuality. And that girls have relatives, audacity and so on. Supermodels? After a year or so? “Hardworking? For sure.”- who would believe in that b**sh**? KJ should keep her mouth shut and find real job.
And I will go and look at other wow-pictures of SS.
The ‘classy way to behave’ is to send her notes telling her how great she is?
Um, okay.
Kind of ironic for one of the K-Klan to be an arbiter of what is and is not classy behaviour.
Well someone got the chip knocked off their shoulder big time! It was hardly shaming. And honestly, all these special snow flakes who think everyone has to love them are ridiculous. Not everything is shaming. Get over yourself.
While I agree with Stephanie, we can’t blame Kendall for clapping back. I don’t know if Stephanie worked hard, but if she did, I understand her rude words as well. Hard to pick sides here.