Naomi Campbell Remembers Being the Only Black Model in the Room

“I didn’t like being the first in a lot of things. Barriers have to be broken. Challenges have to be met,” Campbell says of her modeling journey. “I just wanted to do the best work that I could do. [I figured] if I made a decision to be in this business, I would embrace it. I wanted to give it my best because my family definitely did not want me to do this.”

She explains that despite being one of the most famous faces in fashion, she never earned as much money or as many advertising assignments as her white counterparts did. In 1991 she said, “I may be considered one of the top models in the world, but in no way do I make the same money as any of them.” Today, she says, “A lot of people think, ‘Oh, too strong. She can deal with it.’ To a point. I have feelings just like everyone else.”

These days, Campbell continues to push for greater model diversity via her work with Hardison’s Diversity Coalition, remains a global ambassador for the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, and works with amfAR to fuel AIDS research. “My purpose is bigger,” Campbell says. “My purpose is the African continent. My purpose is the emerging creatives. My purpose is to open this up for everybody. There’s so much talent out there that just doesn’t get given that opportunity.”

Rosa Sanchez is the senior news editor at Harper’s Bazaar, working on news as it relates to entertainment, fashion, and culture. Previously, she was a news editor at ABC News and, prior to that, a managing editor of celebrity news at American Media. She has also written features for Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, Forbes, and The Hollywood Reporter, among other outlets.