Naomi Campbell has an interesting cover interview for The Cut. Naomi has been laying low for a few months, presumably because she’s on maternity leave after welcoming a daughter in May. But Naomi is always up for a magazine editorial, and she seems pretty peaced out and forward-looking in this interview. Like, she doesn’t want to reminisce whatsoever or wallow in self-pity or anything like that. Please, she’s got a million things going on. You can read the full piece here. Some highlights:
No looking back. “I don’t like … what’s the word? Stagnation. Yes, that’s it. I don’t like that. I don’t like being stagnant. It’s not who I am. It’s not the energy I was born with. I’m not trying to talk about the past. I’m going to talk about the present … forward. Look, I’ve been misunderstood a lot of times. But I just have to keep going forward.”
A global citizen. “I feel like traveling has saved my life in so many ways. I don’t have a fear of the world. I see the world as an optimistic dream,” she said with conviction, adding that travel has been her greatest teacher. And wherever she goes, she gets involved. “I am a global citizen. I may have Jamaican roots, but my Jamaican roots essentially come from Africa. I feel rooted when I’m in Africa, no matter what part of Africa I go to.”
Black people have her back. “I am grateful to God that my culture embraces me and protects me. My people support me. And defend me. And I do feel, especially in the past few years, I’ve really felt that when people or publications — just newspapers, really — have come at me with an angle that before, I’d have to be out there trying to [defend myself] — well, I never really did justify myself with newspapers, to be honest. But now, I don’t have to say a word.”
Self-care: “I personally have to fight for my peace of mind. I first learned to do that in 1999. It’s the best thing I ever did, to finally have the courage to say to people who benefited from me, ‘I’m really sorry. I have to take time out to take care of myself,’ without any fear of what I would be losing or what I would miss out on.” She also attributes her closer walk with wellness to being in recovery. “I’m in recovery. I’m very proud to be.” The support she garnered from her recovery community was especially important during the pandemic, she shared.
What she sacrificed: “I’d say the sacrifice is really finding that soul mate who will understand you. It’s really like you feel if they look at you as if you’re strong … you know, I’m strong, but I’m also sensitive. I know that in relationships I have to compromise.”
On Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles. “I know that it must have been so hard for these young ladies to actually just finally be able to come out and say it: ‘Enough.’ God knows there are people in the past who have suffered and not been able to come out. Everyone just expects them to be perfect and be on every single time. I just have total praise and respect, and I’m in awe that they had the courage to do the right thing, to take care of themselves.”
I believe her about traveling the world and being a global citizen and how it saved her life and gave her perspective. It would be so easy for her to just stay in her own head and obsess about herself, but she does pay attention to the larger issues and what’s happening in the world. I also think she’s correct that she sacrificed finding that “soulmate” because she has worked so much for decades. She’s only had a few relationships where she slowed down a little, and those relationships ended up in shambles. It would take a really special man to force her to change her schedule, change the way she lives and actually compromise to be in a relationship.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, cover courtesy of The Cut.
Wow, I need new glasses! I thought that the title of that issue was CL*T at first – not Cut. I was like WHAT?! I think that it’s the font that they used and the placement of her hair in the photo.
Hahah. That’s hysterical!
when you misreading a word due to the font it’s because of what people call “keming”…i mean “kerning”.
Same.
MY QUEEN.
Naomi is beautiful. I don’t doubt that she feels like she has sacrificed finding true love/soul mate, but I doubt it’s true. She has had access to men galore and has dated a few. I’m sure there were some great guys she’s been in love with. This feels like a case of her not being interested in finding a soul mate. I can’t imagine her wanting something and not going for it.
Hmmm, I agree and don’t agree at the same time 😀
I am NO Naomi, but I really feel like I am more and more sure that having everything OTHER than a soulmate is more important to me.
But… at the same time I want a soulmate. I am just not doing anything to have him. Because it’s not the most important item I want in my life.
AND it’s really hard to find someone who is willing to take that kind of a woman 😀
#complicated
Laalaa – I identify with this!
I also think that real soul mates are rare and hard to come by. I think luck plays a really big part. I don’t doubt Naomi thinks she missed out due to her work schedule, but even if she had devoted more time to the pursuit of love, there’s no guarantee she would have found her match. I think it’s good to be okay with your own company and open for love. Not sure if any of this makes sense, just things I’ve been thinking about a lot lately
I do too! I’m not sure if I would recognize a soul mate, at this point, but like her, I’d really like one. Not enough to make it a focus of my life, though.
I’m going to sound like such a cynic, but I don’t *really* believe in soulmates. I believe in foundational compatibility, but good relationships require work and attention and nurturing – which takes time and energy. So many people think “oh, once I find my soulmate, it will be easy” and I think that’s detrimental thinking.
None of this contradicts what she’s saying, though, because once you do find the person who you want to have that level of intimacy with, you have to give it the attention it requires and that is hard to do without carving out some space. I can see how she wouldn’t have wanted to make that kind of space for that kind of relationship.
I have to admit, I really didn’t either, until I saw one of my brothers and his wife for the first time. Those two…they just have something that I’ve never seen before, in person.
She looks gorgeous as always.
You said it. Is she ever going to start aging, do we think?
My goodness, it’s almost obscene at this point.
She is messing with her face. You don’t see it? She is still gorgeous of course, but looks “different” the past few years. And it is not from aging.
She’s gorgeous and I love the energy she’s giving in this interview.
She is such a LIAR! She “sacrificed”? Please. She is a NASTY person. One of the most physically beautiful women ever, but a horrible human.
This….I mean, she is stunning, no doubt, it’s great she seems to have mellowed and gained some perspective, but come on. She’s notorious for having a foul and abusive temper, is demeaning to staff, ruined, or tried to, the career of the woman who dated one of her long term exes after their break up, and so on? I think I also read she had to go away by herself to distress because she was so exhausted from just 4 months or so of having a child.
Exactly. She forgot to mention her various partners had to deal with her abusive personality and addiction issues.
there are also bizarre rumors about her and Jeffrey Epstein. Like she was involved in the trafficking went to the island. Crazy but i don’t believe a word she says about anything,
Yeah, it’s funny (but not really) how we “like” a celebrity because they are physically attractive, and that’s all that matters.
What struck me in her interview was the Duchess of Sussex’s name being left off with Naomi Osaka & Simone Biles. Those three women’s names have been linked together in a lot of conversations. I’m guessing it has to do with Naomi Campbell recently being named the Global Ambassador for The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust. The Telegraph had a story about how Naomi is fighting for The Queen and country. We’ll be seeing more of the roll out of Naomi representing the BRF.
Leave Naomi alone. She’s made some mistakes and has hurt people, but she seems to have worked to improve. People don’t have to be defined by their lowest moments if they are making steps toward real change.
I’m sure finding a “soul mate” in her industry is very hard and I’m sure that most people (and probably Naomi) in the industry are superficial. I don’t envy anyone in “the biz”.
Please.
Decades of being vicious, does not just go away. She is working hard on her image though.
She’s grown sooo much!
So…no one special to throw cellphones at these days?
I just remember the stories about her dating some Russian oligarch and getting gifts of blood diamonds. So, no, I don’t view her as some woke, self-care goddess. But the cover photo is beautiful and I hope she does well as the Commonwealth Trust ambassador.
All that time with billionaires. #Heartrending