Whether they’re strutting down the runway or sharing photos on social media, supermodels are fastidious with the image they present to the world. Now with the advent of Facebook Live, the public is becoming privy to a more natural version of these perfectly put together women in real time as more and more begin dabbling in the platform.
Models have been taking to Facebook Live since the launch of the platform in April, tackling topics ranging from body positivity and female empowerment to beauty routines and style tips. The videos give followers a glimpse into the personal lives of professional models, showing supposedly “off-the-cuff” look at their passions and hobbies and endearing them to fans.
As the platform continues to expand, users may soon see an increase in notable fashionistas going live. Facebook announced it has established paid contracts with 140 media companies and celebrities to appear on its live-streaming offerings, the Wall Street Journal reported. Though no models appear to be on the list as of yet, it includes actor Kevin Hart and professional football player Russell Wilson, among others.
Here’s how four models have been using the platform.
Karlie Kloss
Victoria’s Secret Angel Karlie Kloss took to Facebook Live in April, broadcasting from the annual White House Science Fair with a series of interviews with young woman showcasing their award-winning projects.
In an aside to the camera, she tells viewers that she just met the chief scientist at NASA, which she calls the “coolest title of all time,” and makes a note that NASA has some prospective hires after talking to an ambitious group of students that built a rocket that can fly up to 850 feet.
The White House Science Fair “features extraordinary science projects and experiments from some of America’s most innovative students,” the official site states, and features the winners from a number of local and state-level fairs.
Kloss’s video, which spotlights some of the standouts, has more than 180,000 views on Facebook and close to 500 shares.
Ashley Graham
Ashley Graham visited the Facebook Media Center in June to respond to questions from fans, tackling queries that included her favorite selfie pose and tips for being a model.
“I’m acting like this is my own talk show, it’s pretty fun,” Graham said in the video, which had 13,000 likes and 2,900 comments.
The plus-sized model, who has been an outspoken advocate of body positivity, discusses self esteem and confidence in the video, sharing tips for feeling comfortable in her own skin.
“There is no key to body confidence,” she said in the video. “Everybody is different and once you realize that everybody is different and you know there’s no such thing as perfection, hopefully you’ll be able to look at your body and say ‘This body, to me, is perfect’ and you’ll be able to love it.”
Graham also describes her upbringing in Nebraska and dishes advice to young aspiring models. She says she asks them why they want to get involved with modeling, and she doesn’t mince words in her response.
“If one of their answers is ‘Because I want to be rich’, ‘I want to be famous’, or ‘It’s going to make me feel good about myself’, I always remind them none of those things are going to happen,” she said. “Not unless sheer luck or blessings comes upon them. You have to be willing to have the thickest skin you’ve ever had in your life so make sure you want to do it.”
Liya Kebede
Ethiopian model and activist Liya Kebede took to Facebook Live in June to talk about everything from her humanitarian work for maternal health to how she got started in modeling.
“I just wanted to be part of a solution for women to get basic health and medical care in places like Africa when they’re delivering and when they’re pregnant,” she said in the video.
Kebede broke barriers in 2003 when she became the first Ethiopian to represent Estée Lauder in company history, and in 2007 she was ranked one of the world’s top-paid models. She has since gone on to launch her own clothing line in 2008 and serve as a World Health Organization Goodwill Ambassador for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.
In the Facebook Live video, which has 81,000 views, she explains how she first started participating in fashion shows while she was a young girl, eventually moving to Paris and then America, conceding her struggles along the way. When asked about her role models she replies: “Women in general. Women who are working and being moms and running businesses and having charities and trying to figure all that out is a really inspiring thing.”
In a bit of an authentic moment, the model appears bashful in the video, stumbling through words and appearing relieved when the video finally concludes.
“I hope you had fun. I kind of did, which is kind of weird because I was really nervous,” she said.
Karolina Kurkova
Karolina Kurkova, also a former Victoria’s Secret Angel, recently shared her robust knowledge of languages while visiting the Facebook Media Center, including Czech, Italian, French, German, Japanese, Korean and Chinese.
The multilingual beauty also shares the advice she’d give to her 16-year-old self: “Make sure you’re yourself, don’t try to be anybody else. You are who you are, and you are beautiful.Trust me those things that make you different will eventually pay off.” Her video has 86,000 views and 3,100 likes.
Kurkova has previously posted a number of non-Live videos to her account, including a tutorial on how to make an oatmeal face wash, while asking her followers what they think about it to foster dialogue and discussion in the comments section
“It’s nice for making your skin nice, luminous and soft, and gives it a nice glow and moisture,” she said in her video, while draped in a bathrobe.
