Naomi Campbell thinks people "forget" that models are human.
Naomi Campbell
The 50-year-old supermodel feels "blessed" to have had a hugely successful career in the fashion industry, but says that being a model can sometimes be difficult, as people don't always treat her like a human being.
When asked by male model John Pearson in an interview for his MrFeelGood website - which also included Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, and Tatjana Patitz - what the hardest part about being a model is, Naomi said: "I don't feel there was any hard part. It's just, in our case, you have to adjust and adapt very quickly. Yes, I traveled a lot, at a fast pace, in one week, like you have. But I love traveling, so I can't complain about it.
"I think people forgetting maybe sometimes that we're human? I feel like I was blessed and protected in such a way. Azzedine Alaia, Gianni Versace, Yves Saint Laurent ... I felt like I was protected by these designers, and by my friends you've included here [in this interview].
"I mean, yes, of course I would cry sometimes and be like, 'I can't do it. I can't, I'm exhausted. I want to sleep.' But then once you got me on set ... I've forgotten all of that. And you just wanted to just do what you can do the best you could do it."
Naomi has always been outspoken throughout her career, and says she has no regrets when it comes to defending herself.
However, the model admits there are some comments about her appearance that she still "takes personally".
She added: "I feel like I have no regrets of always opening my mouth and standing up for myself, even though it was be perceived as being difficult back then, when today it's what everyone's doing. I don't have any regrets about that. So I think the speaking up part was important for me then, as it is for me now.
"You have to remember, we are depicted for what we look like, but it's also [hard] not knowing how not to take it personally, to [not let it] affect you as a person. It's not who you are. What they think, or what you may not fit the mould of, doesn't mean that you're not a good person."
And Naomi wishes people would ask her how she's feeling more often.
When asked by John what question she's never asked but would like to answer, she said: "'How do you feel? How do you feel?' I know sometimes people just look at us as ... I don't know ... as this public persona. I don't think they realise that we are human and have feelings just like everybody else. And I guess that's because they see us in a magazine or on a billboard or whatever, and maybe forget that that's us at our work, but it's not us as who we are as people."