Unsurprisingly, almost all white
Back in the 90s, Linda Evangelista famously said she wouldn’t get out of bed for less than $10,000, which compared to today’s top earners seems pretty cheap. When it comes to the top-paid models in fashion, you might have an idea of who would make the list, but Forbes’ recent countdown of the top ten probably has a few names you weren’t expecting.
This year, taking the top spot is Kendall Jenner, replacing Gisele Bündchen who has been the world’s highest earning model since 2004. Other names who are being paid the big bucks are Adriana Lima and Gigi Hadid.
Unexpectedly, Chrissy Teigen took the third spot as a newcomer. Elsewhere Bella Hadid and Ashley Graham joined the list, replacing Cara Delevingne, Candice Swanepoel and Miranda Kerr, who failed to make the cut. While she is not the first plus-size model to make the list – Kate Upton appeared on the 2015 edition – it is another big moment for Graham who appeared on the cover of Vogue earlier this year.
Unsurprisingly, the top ten is lacking in POC, with Chinese model Liu Wen as the only model who isn’t white. Although it is to be expected with models like Jenner and the Hadids as the faces of global beauty campaigns like Maybelline and Estée Lauder, it is disappointing that the list is not more diverse.
It would be great if this would encourage brands to use more models of colour – especially for high-paying commercial work – but considering that the last time a black model made the list was Jourdan Dunn in 2014, it is probably wishful thinking.
View the full list below.
- Kendall Jenner, $22 million USD
- Gisele Bündchen, $17.5 million USD
- Chrissy Teigen, $13.5 million USD
- Adriana Lima, $10.5 million USD
- Gigi Hadid, $9.5 million USD
- Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, $9.5 million USD
- Karlie Kloss, $9 million USD
- Liu Wen, $6.5 million USD
- Bella Hadid, $6 million USD
- Ashley Graham, $5.5 million USD