Society idolizes the models in magazines, commercials, and on runways. A model's job is supposed to be to display a new fashion trend but often the focus falls on their physical appearance. Due to their thin body type, shiny hair, and perfect skin, this can create unrealistic body images for young girls and boys. Cameron Russell, a model of ten years, presented the TED talk in October 2012, "Looks Aren't Everything. Believe Me, I'm a Model" that discusses the flaws of the modeling industry from an insider point of view. Russell starts the TED talk with a six second outfit change and then moves on to a comparison of dorky, awkward pictures and ones from shoots.  Russell does this shows that she is simply a normal person who "won the genetic lottery and is a legacy" conveying that she just got lucky with fitting the model stereotype and good looks. She then goes on to answer the questions she is asked the most, such as, "How do you become a model?" and "Can I be a model when I grow up?" with humorous yet honest answers. Throughout the talk, she also presents personal anecdotes and feelings, such as her extreme insecurity with herself. Cameron Russell uses the outfit change, childhood photos, and humor in answering questions to humanize models in attempt to blame the modeling industry for creating an unrealistic body image for young girls and boys.

From the very beginning of the TED talk, Cameron Russell uses the important tactic of developing a sense of logic for the audience. She does this by starting her TED talk with the first ever outfit change on the TED stage from a tight black dress to a loose, conservative skirt and knitted sweater. Many of the viewers came to the TED talk with the knowledge that Russell has been a model for a reasonable amount of time and that she has been featured in fashion shows by famous designers including Victoria's Secret, Ralph Lauren, and Versace. This immediately allows the audience to trust what Russell has to say about a field she has been involved in for a majority of her life. Without the outfit change, the body-hugging black dress draws attention to her fit body, long legs, and perfect curves which would make her lose credibility. Although the audience knows that her experience gives her authority to talk about this topic, they have come to the talk to hear about why "Looks Aren't Everything" so the black skin-tight dress would give them a negative impression. She even states, "There's an uncomfortable tension in the room right now because I should not have worn this dress ... If some of the women were really horrified when I came out, you don't have to tell me now, but I'll find out later on Twitter," acknowledging her desire to create logic (Russell). By saying she knows that some women were horrified, she attempts to show that she knows the casual outfit was more likely what the audience expected. The outfit change does not only develop a sense of logic but it also creates an emotional connection to the audience. The knitted sweater and conservative skirt is more recognizable as average and an outfit that the audience may see in an ordinary day. The viewers of the TED talk are able to see a woman, who is usually in more high-end clothes like the black dress and heels for photos shoots, in average clothes. This switch allows them to view Russell as a human and not just a model from a runway. Their view of her changes within a matter of six seconds which permits them to feel a connection to her and trust the information she gives throughout the rest of the TED talk about the modeling industry.  The quick outfit change transforms Russell's image to seem more relatable and therefore, understandable to the audience.

During the TED talk, Russell attempts to humanize herself and show that models have a normal childhood to create trust and become more relatable to the audience. Through employing awkward childhood photos while telling anecdotes about her life and modeling career, she portrays a feeling of normalcy. She displays pictures from sleepovers with her friends, in a one-piece bathing suit with her grandma, and after a soccer game. Russell does this deliberately to show that she had a normal childhood and therefore is an ordinary person, just like most of the viewers in the audience. She wants to portray to the audience that being a model is not a really special job and that they are regular people, as well Cameron Russell even explains, "The real way that I became a model is I won a genetic lottery, and I am the recipient of a legacy, and maybe you're wondering what is a legacy" demonstrating that she just got lucky. This allows for an emotional connection to be made between the audience and Russell because the audience can see themselves within her and can relate through the similar experiences they had. Russell wants viewers to understand how the modeling industry alters the image to be powerfully attention-grabbing, but this does not modify the character of model. She shares these personal pictures with the audience and also compares them to pictures from photo shoot from around the same time. At this point in the TED talk, the audience has developed a sense of logic because they understand that Cameron showed these two types of pictures in an attempt to show the vast contrast in reality and photo shoots. Russell inserts additional clarification that the pictures from shoots "are constructions by a group of professionals, by hairstylists and makeup artists and photographers and stylists and all of their assistants and pre-production and post-production, and they build this" showing that the images in magazine and on television are not a true portrayal of reality. The audience can then comprehend that the modeling industry is to blame for creating an unrealistic body type of women and men, not the actual models. 

Since Russell has developed an emotional connection and has the audience's trust, she builds credibility to make her talk truly persuasive. She is able to accomplish this by answering questions she is commonly asked, ranging from "How do I become a model?" and "Do they retouch all the photos?" to "Do you get free stuff?" Russell explains that she is going to answer these questions honestly, even if the truth is not nice or desirable. Although she has already gained the trust of the audience, her honest answers build her creditability. For example, one question Russell answers is "What is it like to be a model?". At this point she talks about the emotions that come along with a career based on perfection. She responds with, "I am insecure. And I'm insecure because I have to think about what I look like every day. And if you ever are wondering, 'If I have thinner thighs and shinier hair, will I be happier?'" showing that the modeling industry impacts not only young girls, men, and women, but even the models (Russell). By talking about these deep emotions that she has never talked about on camera, the audience is able to empathize with her and other models. This causes the viewers to place blame for her low self-esteem on the modeling industry rather than models. Russell is also able to present facts about the modeling industry when answering these questions which prove that research can verify her claim. When Russell present facts like this, it allows the audience to see that she cares about this topic enough to research about it beyond her own experience. One of the facts is "Of the 13-year-old girls in the United States, 53% don't like their bodies, and that number goes to 78% by the time that they're 17" which proves that the modeling industry could be having a negative impact on young girl's self-esteem (Russell). Due to the industry's large influence on society standards, impossible body types that are presented to young girls can harm their confidence. This educates the viewers further and Cameron Russell achieves her goal of exposing the modeling industry.

Confidence is an important requirement to living a happy life. Many young girls and boys struggle to love their own body due to the unattainable standards set by the modeling industry. Due to Russell's ten years of experience she is able to immediately gain credibility and increases this through her outfit change at the beginning of that presentation. When she starts to share her childhood photos she develops an emotional connection with the crowd. Then she is able to present the true facts about the modeling industry when answering common questions honestly. Cameron Russell's uses of the outfit change, childhood photos, and humor in answering questions to humanize models, in attempt to point out the flaws of the modeling industry, specifically, creating an unrealistic body image for young girl and boys. In doing this, it seems that Cameron Russell aims to teach young girls to love themselves while hoping for a reform in the industry. 

