Shadowing Practice: Looks aren't everything. Believe me, I'm a model. | Cameron Russell | TED - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
C2
Reviewer Gopalco
178 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Reviewer Gopalco
2
Hi, my name is Cameron Russell,
3
and for the last little while,
4
I've been a model, actually for 10 years.
5
And I feel like there's an uncomfortable tension in the room right now,
6
because I should not have worn this dress.
7
So, luckily, I brought an outfit change.
8
This is the first outfit change on the TED stage,
9
so you guys are pretty lucky to witness it, I think.
10
If some of the women were really horrified when I came out,
11
you don't have to tell me now,
12
but I'll find out later on Twitter.
13
I'd also note
14
that I'm quite privileged to be able to transform what you think of me in a very brief 10 seconds.
15
Not everybody gets to do that.
16
These heels are very uncomfortable,
17
so good thing I wasn't going to wear them.
18
The worst part is putting this sweater over my head because that's when you all laugh at me.
19
So don't do anything while it's over my head.
20
All right.
21
So, why did I do that?
22
That was awkward.
23
Well, hopefully not as awkward as that picture.
24
Image is powerful, but also image is superficial.
25
I just totally transformed what you thought of me in six seconds.
26
And in this picture, I had actually never had a boyfriend in real life.
27
I was totally uncomfortable, and the photographer was telling me to arch my back and put my hand in that guy's hair.
28
And of course, barring surgery,
29
or the fake tan that I got two days ago for work,
30
there's very little that we can do to transform how we look.
31
And how we look, though it is superficial and immutable has a huge impact on our lives.
32
So today for me, being fearless means being honest and I am on this stage because I am a model.
33
I'm on this stage because I am a pretty white woman.
34
In my industry we call that a sexy girl
35
and I'm gonna answer the questions that people always ask me but with an honest twist.
36
So the first question is how do you become a model?
37
And I always just say oh I was scouted but that means nothing.
38
The real way that I became a model is I won a genetic lottery,
39
and I'm the recipient of a legacy.
40
And maybe you're wondering, what is a legacy?
41
Well, for the past few centuries,
42
we have defined beauty not just as health and youth and symmetry that we're biologically programmed to admire,
43
but also as tall, slender figures and femininity and white skin.
44
And this is a legacy that was built for me and it's a legacy that I've been cashing out on.
45
And I know there are people in the audience who are skeptical at this point
46
and maybe there are some fashionistas who are like Waite,
47
Naomi, Tyra, Joan Smalls, Lou Wen,
48
and first I commend you on your model knowledge, very impressive.
49
But unfortunately I have to inform you
50
that in 2007 a very inspired NYU PhD student counted all the models on the runway,
51
every single woman that was hired,
52
and of the 677 models that were hired,
53
only 27, or less than 4%, were non-white.
54
The next question people always ask me is,
55
can I be a model when I grow up?
56
And the first answer is,
57
I don't know, they don't put me in charge of that.
58
But the second answer, and what I really want to say to these little girls, is why?
59
You know, you can be anything.
60
You could be the president of the United States,
61
or the inventor of the next internet or a ninja cardiothoracic surgeon poet,
62
which would be awesome because he'd be the first one.
63
If after this amazing list,
64
they still are like, no,
65
no, Cameron, I want to be a model.
66
Well, then I say, be my boss because I'm not in charge of anything.
67
And you could be the editor-in-chief of American Vogue or the CEO of H&M or the next Stephen Mizell.
68
Saying that you want to be a model
69
when you grow up is akin to saying that you want to win the Powerball when you grow up.
70
It's, you know, out of your control and it's awesome and it's not a career path.
71
I will demonstrate for you now 10 years of accumulated model knowledge because unlike cardiothoracic surgeons,
72
it can just be distilled right into right now.
73
So if the photographer is right there,
74
and the light is right there like a nice HMI,
75
and the client says, Cameron,
76
we want a walking shot.
77
Well, then this leg goes first, nice and long.
78
This arm goes back, this arm goes forward,
79
the head is at three quarters,
80
and you just go back and forth.
81
Just do that.
82
And then you look back at your imaginary friends, 300, 400, 500 times.
83
It will look something like this.
84
Hopefully less awkward than that one in the middle.
85
I don't know what happened there.
86
Unfortunately, after you've gone to school and you have a resume and you've done a few jobs,
87
you can't say anything anymore.
88
So if you say you want to be the president of the United States,
89
but your resume reads underwear model 10 years,
90
people give you a funny look.
91
The next question people always ask me is,
92
do they retouch all the photos?
93
And yeah, they pretty much retouch all the photos,
94
but that is only a small component of what's happening.
95
This picture is the very first picture that I ever took,
96
and it's also the very first time that I had worn a bikini.
97
And I didn't even have my period yet.
98
I know we're getting personal,
99
but I was a young girl.
100
This is what I looked like with my grandma just a few months earlier.
101
Here's me on the same day as this shoot my friend got to come with me.
102
Here's me at a slumber party a few days before I shot French Vogue.
103
Here's me on the soccer team in MV Magazine.
104
And here's me today.
105
And I hope what you're seeing is that these pictures are not pictures of me,
106
they are constructions.
107
And they are constructions by professionals,
108
by hair stylists and makeup artists and photographers and stylists and all of their assistants and pre-production and post-production.
109
And they build this.
110
That's not me.
111
OK, so the next question people always ask me is,
112
do you get free stuff?
113
I do have too many 8-inch heels,
114
which I never get to wear, except for earlier.
115
But the free stuff that I get is the free stuff that I get in real life,
116
and that's what we don't like to talk about.
117
I grew up in Cambridge,
118
and one time I went into a store,
119
and I forgot my money,
120
and they gave me the dress for free.
121
When I was a teenager,
122
I was driving with my friend,
123
who was an awful driver,
124
and she ran a red,
125
and of course, we got pulled over.
126
And all it took was a sorry officer,
127
and we were on our way.
128
And I got these free things because of how I look,
129
not who I am and there are people paying a cost for how they look and not who they are.
130
I live in New York,
131
and last year of the 140,000 teenagers that were stop and frisked,
132
86% of them were Black and Latino,
133
and most of them were young men.
134
And there are only 177,000 young black and Latino men in New York,
135
so for them, it's not a question of, will I get stopped?
136
But how many times will I get stopped?
137
When will I get stopped?
138
When I was researching this talk,
139
I found out that of the 13-year-old girls in the United States,
140
53% don't like their bodies.
141
And that number goes to 78% by the time that they're 17.
142
So the last question people ask me is,
143
you know, what is it like to be a model?
144
And I think the answer that they're looking for is,
145
if you are a little bit skinnier and you have shinier hair,
146
you will be so happy and fabulous.
147
And when we're backstage, we give an answer that maybe makes it seem like that.
148
We say, it's really amazing to travel,
149
and it's amazing to get to work with creative, inspired, passionate people.
150
And those things are true,
151
but they're only one half of the story,
152
because the thing that we never say on camera,
153
that I have never said on camera, is I am insecure.
154
And I'm insecure because I have to think about what I look like every day.
155
And if you ever are wondering,
156
you know, if I have thinner thighs and shinier hair,
157
will I be happier?
158
You just need to meet a group of models
159
because they have the thinnest thighs and the shiniest hair
160
and the coolest clothes and they're the most physically insecure women probably on the planet it.
161
So when I was writing this talk,
162
I found it very difficult to strike an honest balance,
163
because on the one hand,
164
I felt very uncomfortable to come out here and say,
165
look, I've received all these benefits from a deck stacked in my favor.
166
And it also felt really uncomfortable to follow that up with,
167
and it doesn't always make me happy.
168
But mostly, it was difficult to unpack a legacy of gender and racial oppression when I'm one of the biggest beneficiaries.
169
But I'm also happy and honored to be up here,
170
and I think that it's great I got to come,
171
you know, before 10 or 20 or 30 years had passed,
172
and I'd had more agency in my career,
173
because maybe then I wouldn't tell the story of how I got my first job,
174
or maybe I wouldn't tell the story of how I paid for college,
175
which seems so important right now.
176
If there's a takeaway to this talk,
177
I hope it's that we all feel more comfortable acknowledging the power of image in our perceived successes and our perceived failures.
178
Thank you.
Download App
AI scoring for every sentence you speak
TRENDING
Popular
About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will practice your English speaking skills by watching a TED talk by Cameron Russell, a model who challenges conventional beauty standards. The discussion revolves around image, privilege, and honesty in the modeling industry. By shadowing her speech, you will not only improve your pronunciation and intonation but also gain insights into deeper societal issues. This lesson is perfect for those who want to enhance their understanding of spoken English while exploring the impactful theme of self-image and authenticity.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Genetic lottery - A term used to describe the luck of being born with certain physical attributes that are deemed attractive.
- Superficial - Concerned only with what is obvious or apparent; not deep or serious.
- Privilege - A special right or advantage granted to a particular person or group.
- Construction - The process of building or creating something; in this context, it refers to the ways images are shaped and portrayed.
- Retouch - To improve a photograph by editing it, usually to enhance beauty or eliminate flaws.
- Legacy - Something passed down or handed over from one generation to another, often referring to cultural or societal standards.
- Honest twist - A truthful perspective or recounting that offers a new angle on a common question.
Practice Tips
To effectively use the shadowing technique with Cameron Russell's TED talk, follow these steps:
- Start with a slow pace: Begin by watching the talk at a reduced speed. This will help you catch the nuances in her tone and rhythm comfortably.
- Focus on intonation: Pay attention to how Cameron emphasizes certain words and phrases. Imitate her expression to convey emotion in your speech.
- Practice active listening: Before you start shadowing, listen to her speech once or twice without speaking. This helps you absorb the context and meaning behind her words.
- Use the shadowspeak technique: Once you are familiar with her style, start repeating her sentences right after she says them—this process will reinforce your fluency and pronunciation.
- Record yourself: After practicing the shadowing technique, record your own voice to compare it with Cameron’s. This feedback will aid in refining your speaking abilities.
Engaging with this content on shadowspeaks or other shadowing sites will significantly enhance your English fluency. Whether you are preparing for conversations, presentations, or just general practice, this lesson will empower you to speak more confidently and effectively.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.
☕ Buy us a coffee
ShadowingEnglish remains 100% free thanks to your support. Server and AI costs are high — your coffee keeps us going! 🙏