I have to say that I am very proud of Chanel Iman. She has defied the "normal" trajectory of the modeling industry which is to make an appearance for a couple of seasons and disappear into oblivion, she has moved forward making a name for herself. She had a good run as a high fashion model and while she may not have bagged the major blue chip campaigns, she had regular editorial appearances in the magazines that matter in addition to being a regular on the runways of many top designers. Sure she didn't do shows like Chanel and Prada but that is through no fault of her own. Think how many models of color get the opportunity to walk these shows and is infact a testament to the myopic thinking of certain designers who do not believe that models of color are able to shift sales or perhaps does not look good in their clothes.
While Chanel's counterparts have almost disappeared altho sad (think Tanya D who she was close to, being similar in age) She was smart enough to realize that she had to change courses and go the commercial route. I will tell you this much; she may not be booking the major campaigns but i'm pretty sure the commercial work she's doing along with that sort after VS contract keeps her bank account well padded and perhaps with many more figures than those models who do book the campaigns. Less work, more money and more time to play? I will take it any day as opposed to being a slave to the high fashion labels, having to kiss ***es and almost wh*re myself to photographers, casting directors just so that I could be in the "In" crowd. ( Say what you want about that but i do know exactly what I'm talking about and No not every successful girl has had to do that.)
With that being said, I do wish her continued success in everything that she does and I do hope that she can continue to evolve and grow her brand. She has come this far despite having so many haters (read: people who will NEVER be as successful as she is, good looking as she is, rich as she is, Skinny as she is... you get the point.) It was a similar situation with Tyra Banks who did have some success as a high fashion model but was smart enough to move over to mainstream commercial modeling and while her counterparts got the blue chip campaigns etc NONE of them made the $6 million per year Banks made and even now banking $35 million a year. It was her commercial success which allowed her to parle' her image and brand into mainstream media success. So right on Chanel Iman, use Banks as an inspiration and do what is best for you and will give you the most money. Years later when the current high fashion "it" girls will have faded and become a distant memory ( and yes there will come a time when they will have faded), You will be able to continue working and banking those millions, assuming you're able to create a brand around yourself and market is wisely.
To the haters: If you find out from all the top industry people including agents, casting directors etc, What is the crown jewel of a models career? they will tell you that it is either a long term cosmetics/beauty contract or a VS contract... how many of your favorite girls are able to snag one of those? And don't kid yourself, EVERY SINGLE MODEL would absolutely die to have a VS Angel contract! so there!
Hopefully it's a cover too.
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