“Looks Aren’t Everything. Believe Me, I’m a Model” by Sana Vasi

Persuasion in Action #2: “Looks Aren’t Everything. Believe Me, I’m a Model” In her Ted Talk, “Looks Aren’t Everything. Believe Me, I’m a Model,” Cameron Russell addressed the superficiality of her ten-year career; one centered on a legacy that prioritizes Eurocentric ideals of beauty. As the self-proclaimed winner of a “genetic lottery,” she chose to publicly acknowledge her place in a system that defines attractiveness as “tall, slender figures, and femininity and white skin” (Russell). Russell employed rhetorical techniques similar to those highlighted by Margaret Fell and Mary Astell—two women who used language to evade the strict societal conventions of their time. Like the two rhetors, Russell highlights how she, as a woman, has been defined by her looks, to convince her viewers of the “power of image in…perceived successes” (Russell). In her speech, Russell, who uses rhetoric identical to Astell’s From a Serious Proposal to the Ladies, Part II, also emphasizes the dynamic tension between her appearance and her mind and the ways in which she can use one to cultivate the other. However, she also accepts the privileged position she holds as a model, which allowed her to rebel against the standards of beauty she spent years maintaining. In a style reminiscent of Fell—whose educated background allowed her to become a spokesperson for other women—Russell draws on her personal experiences to effectively convince her audience that looks aren’t everything. Russell opens her Ted Talk with an outfit change—a strategic move meant to mitigate her audience's discomfort when she walks onto the stage. By removing her high heels and pulling a sweater over her dress, the model subverted her image as a “sexy girl”—shifting the attention away from her appearance and onto her speech (Russell). Her claim that “image is powerful, but also, image is superficial” (Russell) rings true to Astell’s idea of female ornamentation (Astell 848). The author of A Serious Proposal to the Ladies asserts that “the thing labored after is Beautiful and Desirable,” (Astell 848)—referring to societal conventions that prioritize women as public spectacles whose successes are defined by their “Dress” and the “Beauty of [their] Bodies” (Astell 849). Astell appeals to her readers, and establishes the importance of self-improvement through the virtues of “Kindness and Compassion,” over the more frivolous virtues of surface-level “Charm” (Astell 850). Russell, too, addresses the deep-seated expectations of modeling as a career aspiration for all young girls. She alludes to the “construction” of her exterior persona, one created by hairstylists, makeup artists, and good photographers—and contrasts the expectations of her job to the reality of a life fraught with insecurities (Russell). Russell’s Ted Talk rings true to the persuasive elements in A Serious Proposal to the Ladies, where Astell emphasizes the pursuance of a woman’s “Christian Calling” (Astell 861), that enables her to “[do] good” (Astell 860), over the cultural obsession towards “Vanity” (Astell 855). Although Astell’s ultimate goal was to inspire intellectual equality between men and women in order to give women the tools to live a more pious life, her words resonate with Russell’s call to minimize the simple equation of looks to self-worth. Astell and Fell are able to convince their readers of the validity of their claims, in part, because of their privileged upbringings. As members of the aristocracy, they had access to an extensive education—a luxury that many women of their time could not afford. Thus, their written works take on a scholarly tone, one meant to instruct their audience about the implications of speaking well. Fell, for example, uses her knowledge of scripture to argue that, since “Women are led by the spirit of God, they are not under the Law” (Fell 757). Her authoritative language, coupled with her familiarity with Scripture, ensures that her voice will be heard. After all, it is impossible for men, even those who disagree with women’s authority in the Church, to argue against religious text. Russell, too, acknowledges her privilege, and the power she wields as a “pretty, white woman” (Russell). Like Astell, she is aware that society associates ‘goodness’ with ‘attractiveness,’ and uses that information to maneuver her way through the system. The model creates a space on stage to address the superficialities of her life, claiming that “there's very little that we can do to transform how we look, and how we look…has a huge impact on our lives” (Russell). Russell’s expertise with the inner workings of the modeling world—one that is often viewed as ‘glamorous’ from an outside perspective—illuminates the truths that pictures conceal. As the recipients of these truths, audience members trust Russell’s judgments, like readers trust Astell’s assertion that women are valued as “Ornaments” rather than as people (Astell 858), because they come from a place of experience. Female rhetors, such as Margaret Fell and Mary Astell, influenced the ways that Cameron Russell addressed her audience during her Ted Talk. Through rhetoric that emphasizes the intrinsic role that outer appearance plays in women’s experiences, Russell persuaded others about the “social gendered customs” that ensured her success in the modeling industry (Prebel). She then used examples of her privileged upbringing to make a point about outer beauty, in an arena where looks—or ornamentation— is valued above all else.