In the third episode of the series, Campbell explains that as she and her supermodel contemporaries became forces to be reckoned with in the industry and really took charge of their careers for the first time, they faced some serious backlash from those in power.
“It was hard to be an outspoken Black woman and I definitely got the cane for it many times,” she says. The model goes on to explain that when she left Ford modeling agency for Elite, founder John Casablancas took her to a business meeting at Revlon as the cosmetics giant was interested in offering her a contract.
“But when they told me what they wanted to pay me, I said no in front of the whole room. I said, ‘I get paid that in Tokyo in one day, why would I take that for a contract for a year?'” Plus, she explains that her fellow Supers had already told her how much they were getting paid and not to take a penny less.
In an old talk show clip featured in the documentary, Campbell says of Casablancas, “He was very undignified. He got very nasty, which I personally felt that it was just exploitation because he knows my name will be printed in the paper and it will be a big press thing for Elite. But I have nothing to say about him. I think his behavior was totally undignified.”
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Back in present day, the model adds, “That stigma of his words and his statement to the press messed my work up for many, many years. I’ve heard ‘crazy,’ I’ve heard ‘nightmare,’ I’ve heard ‘difficult.’ I was called difficult because I opened my mouth. Period.”
“I mean, Naomi would let me have it if she didn’t like her dress,” Galliano says in the doc. “And if it meant I had to make one within twenty-four hours for the next day, I did.”
source: people.com
