Aged 16, Noémie Lenoir was about to embark on a diploma to become an office secretary. Before heading to class, she stepped into a post office to get some stamps, where she was spotted and signed up by Ford Models. Her decade-long modelling career, during which Lenoir pushed the envelope on ethnic boundaries in the fashion world, saw her working with Jean-Paul Gaultier, Gucci, and Mario Testino. But Lenoir’s career was an emotional journey too – of the roller-coaster kind. Today, she is 32, a mother, and is working on her singing debut. sleek met with Lenoir in Shanghai, where she headed the jury of the Elite Model Look Contest 2011.
sleek: Has modelling evolved much since you first started? Noémie Lenoir: Before, girls could have careers that would last 6 years or more. Alessandra Ambrosio still works for example and she is of the “2000 generation.” Today girls start at 14, they come from backgrounds with absolutely no money and are suddenly put up in 5-star hotels, have drivers and so on, and then two years later, it’s all over. Modelling is a surreal life. You’re valued for your physique and nothing else, and you’re told you’re the most beautiful girl in the world. But eventually, you have to come back down to earth, whether you like it or not.
sleek: What are your views on girls’ weight? NL: When I started modelling, I weighed 49 kilos for 1m80. I looked scary. I’ve since become curvy and now that’s something I like seeing on women, and I highly encourage it. Men like it, trust me. But the terrifying truth is that on a catwalk, the best way to show a dress is on a thin model because if the girl is skinny, it is the dress you’re promoting. If the girl is curvy, it’s the girl you’re fantasising about.
sleek: Have you worked in China? NL: Yes, all over Asia actually but always for foreign clients. They’re really into black, mixed race and Latino types here. They’re still a little behind on skin tone, like France was ten years ago. But it’s funny, in Europe, I’m used to men turning around in the street but here no one looks at me. I could walk around naked and no one would even pay attention.
sleek: Do you feel the fashion world is racist? NL: No, today, you can’t say fashion is racist anymore. I know at least five black top models, which is a lot. Italy was the slowest to incorporate black girls into their shows, but now they’ve picked one for Gucci. I was always referred to as the black French model, as opposed to just a French model, but you know what really annoys me? I’m not black! Or not just black. I’m mixed race. I’m just as black as I’m white.
sleek: Apart from modelling, you have also acted… NL: No, come on, I wouldn’t call that acting, that would mean taking credit away from real actresses. Let’s say I’ve been featured in films. Today, I’m working on something I really want to succeed in. I’ve been working on for a year – singing.
sleek: What will you be looking for during the contest? NL: Charisma, the ‘wow’ factor. But I know how hard it is for them, they’ve learned to walk two weeks ago and they’re babies. But they’re here, not because the parents are pushing for it but because it’s their lifetime dream. I hope they remember that even if they lose, it doesn’t mean it’s the end of their career.