Analyzing a TED Talk - Chandler Unfried

In 2012, Cameron Russell, Victoria's Secret model, stood in front of a TED conference to present a talk entitled “Looks aren’t everything.  Believe me, I’m a model.”  Surprising topic?  Yes, but it presented an issue of self-image that was moving and effective.  As a model, she knows about image better than most anyone.  Her job revolves around looks and images.  Speaking on the topic was an easy way for her to unleash the master within.  This message about image and perception being superficial coming from a person who lives off it validates the talk.  Her passion for confidence in is clear.  Her talk was fearless and unapologetically honest. 

Cameron Russell at Victoria's Secret Fashion Show

Cameron Russell at 2012 MidAtlantic TED Conference

http://www.ted.com/talks/cameron_russell_looks_aren_t_everything_believe_me_i_m_a_model#t-556930 

Storytelling is key in relating to and gaining the trust of an audience.  Russell tells stories about her life at the times that certain photos were taken.  She shows the contrast in home and modeling pictures taken on the same day to illustrate how superficial images can be.  She connected to the audience in a strong way, even with a photo of herself from Vogue projected.  She is more than an image.  When she began speaking this became clear.  The entire speech was very relaxed and conversational.  As a model, she could easily come off as intimidating, especially while discussing looks.  She relates with her audience, however, in a conversational tone that makes her real and relatable. 

Slide from TED Talk - "Same Day"

I learned a lot from her talk.  Image is powerful but superficial.  Looks are not everything, but many people are unhappy because of theirs.  “53% of 13-year-old American girls unhappy with their bodies, this grows to 78% by the time they are 17 (Maine, 2011)” appeared on her screen.  She concentrated on self-esteem and body image, issues very important to Girls on the Run.  Last week, we looked at similar images and discussed why they are not always healthy or realistic.  This issue gives her talk purpose.  This issue isn’t new, however.  How did she make it her own?  She used a jaw-dropping moment.  By walking out in a tight, short dress and changing into something much more modest within the first minute of the talk made the audience think.  There’s no doubt several people judged Russell when she walked onto stage solely based on her appearance, but soon they realized that they were wrong.  The audience was taken back by their assumptions.  This produced a hook to the audience’s ethos immediately and kept them engaged.

In her perfectly timed 9-minute, 37-second talk, she employed humor to humanize herself and engage her audience.  She joked about reading Twitter and seeing their initial reactions to her appearance to break the tension from her opening outfit change.  This was successful and warmed her audience up, an audience that was most likely intimidated by her at first.  She even mocks her own industry for a moment by describing the steps of taking a “walking shot” – bouncing back and forth, laughing at her “imaginary friends.”  She humanized herself and her colleagues by making fun and not taking herself too seriously.  She was honest and genuine with her humor making her speech as a whole more effective. 

Slide from TED Talk - "Walking Shot"

Overall, Russell’s talk is focused.  She stays in her lane and keeps her audience fully attentive by using multisensory experiences.  She paints a mental picture with her words, visuals, and humorous demonstrations that support her argument in the superficiality of images.  Her talk is effective because of this in addressing the issues of self-image and self-esteem of girls everywhere.  These issues are extremely important to Girls on the Run.  Because of this, I enjoyed the TED Talk and found it very interesting.