THis thread grows fast

I think that modern society has the need or desire to label a lot of things. Like in sports, television and movies, the media will distort facts and say that Wild Hogs was the number one comedy in the country (and it was only because there were no other comedys out at the time). Practically every player on the New York Yankees is called a superstar when in the early 1900s it was just Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. TV shows will be declared "the most watched television show" but they split the demographics and the time slots up so that it is the most watched by 18-49 yr olds on thursday at 9pm. Everything has to be labeled and as such it's not just fashion model Josie Maran or Petra Nemcova, it's supermodel Josie Maran and Petra Nemcova. When Izabel Goulart was on Conan O'Brien he announced her as a supermodel and that would fall for any model which would be on talk shows: Marisa Miller, Gisele Bundchen, Alessandra Ambrosio, etc. It's just the label that the media loves. So blame the media....bastards.

They don´t know the difference between supermodel and topmodel

supermodel is someone nearly legendary, as I see it, someone who is known in the whole world as much as possible, when you say her name you don´t have to add a surname Someone who is in medias, fashion icon, famous, rich, loved and hated Someone with power and loooong long carieer, every designer knows her, she is everywhere, got every cover through her life it´s not longer "Oh, I work for D&G!!!" but it´s "damn, we´ve got her!!"

hmm why didn´t I say just Gisele instead of those tzuru tzuru?? :D

She has to be a top high fashion model or have been and she has to have several commercial contracts and be very well known. Kate Moss, Gisele Bundchen and so on.

I think that modern society has the need or desire to label a lot of things. Like in sports, television and movies, the media will distort facts and say that Wild Hogs was the number one comedy in the country (and it was only because there were no other comedys out at the time). Practically every player on the New York Yankees is called a superstar when in the early 1900s it was just Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. TV shows will be declared "the most watched television show" but they split the demographics and the time slots up so that it is the most watched by 18-49 yr olds on thursday at 9pm. Everything has to be labeled and as such it's not just fashion model Josie Maran or Petra Nemcova, it's supermodel Josie Maran and Petra Nemcova. When Izabel Goulart was on Conan O'Brien he announced her as a supermodel and that would fall for any model which would be on talk shows: Marisa Miller, Gisele Bundchen, Alessandra Ambrosio, etc. It's just the label that the media loves. So blame the media....bastards.

I agree but we know they're not really supermodels.

When Izabel Goulart was on Conan O'Brien he announced her as a supermodel and that would fall for any model which would be on talk shows: Marisa Miller, Gisele Bundchen, Alessandra Ambrosio, etc. It's just the label that the media loves. So blame the media....bastards.

The media in that regard only does it because they're trying to flatter the model and because it sounds more prestigious to say a "supermodel" is on their show. It's the naive fans of models that have bastardized the term until every girl that's ever stepped on a runway is a supermodel.

I can't blame the media when the media barely cares about models.

I don't know, it's all frame of reference. I guess I'll use Anna Kournikova as an example. Work with me here. Ok, so she plays tennis. Or used to. Whatever. And she sucked at tennis. But she played it. She became famous because of her looks. But is she really a tennis player? I bet no one would have known the tennis players ranked around her. But she was most likely coined a star by some idiot on ESPN. So we have Anna Kornikova the tennis star.

I'm really trying here. So if I apply this scenario to the world of fashion I'm sure I can make some point. Someone can start in the fashion world and deviate into other fields. She started in one career and ended in the other career. No doubt she earned notoriety in her first field but does her success translate into both fields or just one? Most people know Tyra Banks for her Sports Illustrated Issues than her fashion modeling. That's why the average guy on the street knows her and the same most likely goes for Heidi Klum and others. Those who are immersed in the fashion industry would say that both models are so much more than that which is true. But to be a sports star, super model, or music diva I think you first have to have a recognizeable name.

Once the person has the recognizeable name, they have to prove their ability to live up to their success. Once you saturate public perception so that people know you, you have to continue to pump out your best work. So I'd say that Heidi is a supermodel and so is Gisele. But go ahead, tear my logic apart.

I wouldn't say Anna sucked as a player. She never won a slam. So what? Manly good players didn't. She won a doubles won and she got to the semis at Wimbledon at a very young age.

I've read Jeisa referred to as a super model and I had no idea who she was until a year ago.

I wouldn't say Anna sucked as a player. She never won a slam. So what? Manly good players didn't. She won a doubles won and she got to the semis at Wimbledon at a very young age.

I guess "sucked" was a little harsh. I will admit that I'm not a die-hard tennis fan, so my information may be a little off. I guess she was good in doubles but she had a great doubles partner (Martina Hingis?). Maybe I should have used Danica Patrick (IRL) as an example instead. Yeah, Danica Patrick. But her situation is sort of different, but she hasn't won a race yet.

Lily Cole isn't famous

What? Everyone knows her!

She's pretty famous in England

Open any magazine and she's there. Gossip mags, mens mags, fashion mags, the lot.

Lily Cole isn't famous

What? Everyone knows her!

She's pretty famous in England

Open any magazine and she's there. Gossip mags, mens mags, fashion mags, the lot.

not to the extent of supermodel status famous, like Gisele or Tyra or Heidi. No average person in U.S knows who she is and I am guessing its the same for every other country besides England. I think Gisele, Tyra and Heidi have a global mass appeal where everyone practically knows them, especially Tyra. Thats what a supermodel is.

i picked other because, what makes a supermodel to me if she has a good personality, down to earth, funny, friendly, easy to get a long with and of course has ed's every now and then. and is not very popular mainstream wise. but fashion/modelling wise. :|

A supermodel, for me, is a model with a major contract with a major brand and a famous person as well.

Supermodels don't necessary need to attend every show and appear on every runway, they just need to be at the right place and at the right time.

Most models who sign huge contracts are well-known anyway. Like Gisele, I think she's the best-paid model in the business.

i think its just to be with a big brand...for example tyra she had vs..adriana has maybeline....then there's gisele who has vs...the vouge covers...the catwalk appearances etc.

a big brand that is known worldwide can easily make any model...a supermodel! how cheesy but true.

I this the option A famous model. Everybody knows who she is. is the most suitable for this question. Because if people know you, that means you've done plenty of fashion shows AND magazine covers/editorials and photoshoots.

everything above

it's not enough to simply be famous though. most people know Victoria Silvstedt. she's technically a model, and she's really quite famous ... but would anyone consider her a Supermodel?? i certainly hope not. she's a "Glamour Model" or something. a playmate who became famous.

SO, a model should have some measure of fashion success. however, SI or VS can count. my point, i guess, is that Christie Brinkley, Niki Taylor, Elle MacPherson, Heidi Klum, Laetitia Casta, Tyra Banks, etc are always referred to as "Supermodels" ... and i really don't think many people would disagree with that. they ARE supermodels. however, they're simply the more commercial type than Linda, Christy, Naomi, Kate, etc etc. (sure, Tyra had some success as a high fashion model, but even a rabid fan like myself can admit that it's been exaggerated).

if we were comparing it to actors, we could say that Johnny Depp is a real actor's actor, a star with lots of critical acclaim and success. however, Tom Cruise is still certainly a movie star and absolutely more internationally famous. point is that they're both moviestars. one is of the more "indie-cred" ilk, and the other is pure commercial candy. perhaps Johnny would be Kate and Tom would be Gisele? or Tom = Heidi, Tyra, Elle, etc.

Gisele's the queen of them all though. at least in terms of $$$. if you go to Forbes.com right now you can see the latest "Celebrity 100" list. Gisele made $33 MILLION this year. that's actually MORE than Tom Cruise. more than the entire cast of Grey's Anatomy combined. More than any of the Hollywood actresses. 4X more than Kate Moss. 4X more than Heidi Klum. 2X more than Tyra.

damn

oh, and Johnny is...the best

I did not know Tyra exsisted until two years ago. Gisele and Heidi are supermodels that are known outside of the U.S. because they work a lot in Europe.

Tyra did do a lot of work in Europe at the beginning of her career, back in the early '90s.