Celebrity Naomi Campbell Naomi Campbell Recalled Feeling Insecure Over Her Appearance And Shared The Harsh Nickname That Her Classmates Gave Her “I used to try to shrug my neck down so it wouldn’t be so long. I felt awkward.” By by Leyla Mohammed BuzzFeed Staff Posted 3 minutes ago Twitter Facebook Link Naomi Campbell was just 15 years old when she started modeling.
Penske Media / Penske Media via Getty Images Throughout her teen years, Naomi made history as the first Black model to appear on the cover of Vogue France and Vogue US. New York Daily News Archive / NY Daily News via Getty Images The now-54-year-old has long been open about the discrimination she’s faced in the modeling industry. Today, as well as being deemed a global fashion industry icon, she’s frequently praised for paving the way for Black models in high fashion.
Now, Naomi is opening up about being bullied and teased over her appearance when she was younger. Samir Hussein / WireImage Sitting down on Chanel’s Cambon podcast last week, Naomi looked back on her childhood and revealed that her classmates at school gave her a nasty nickname. Robino Salvatore / GC Images “I wasn’t at ease with myself because I was very skinny and quite tall for my age,” she said.
Michel Arnaud / Corbis via Getty Images “My class, they used to call me Olive Oyl,” she said, referring to the cartoon character Popeye’s girlfriend. Michel Arnaud / Corbis via Getty Images “My neck’s quite long, so I used to t.
