In recent years, models have increasingly been using their platforms to speak out about social and political issues and to advocate for causes they are passionate about. From body positivity and inclusivity to racial justice and LGBTQ+ rights to criminal justice reform and environmentalism, models use their visibility and influence to create positive change in the world and demand equality. In this new series, we highlighted a few of the many incredible models who are activists and are using their voices and platforms to drive meaningful impact. These models are reshaping the fashion industry, bringing attention to global issues, and inspiring others to speak out and take action for change. Through their advocacy work, they are setting an example for the fashion world and beyond. Stay tuned for more coverage on models and creatives making an impact in the industry.
Adwoa Aboah
Adwoa Aboah, a Models.com Industry Icon, has graced campaigns for fashion powerhouses such as Fendi, Jil Sander, and Valentino, cementing her status as one of the greats in the industry. However, Aboah’s impact extends far beyond the runway. In 2015, she founded Gurls Talk, a non-profit organization that serves as a platform for young women and girls to engage in open and honest discussions about mental health, body image, social justice, relationships, and more. Gurls Talk offers a range of resources, including a podcast, coping kits, and community events, all with the aim of destigmatizing mental health conversations and fostering a supportive community that amplifies the voices of all girls.
Amber Valletta
Amber Valletta, one of the most recognizable faces in the fashion industry, has been steeped in activism from a young age due to her grandmother’s influnce. She attended her first protest at the young age of six/seven and, at 15, made her debut as a model. Since then, Valletta has graced campaigns for top fashion brands such as Stella McCartney, Saint Laurent, and Louis Vuitton. However, Valletta’s passion for environmental causes led her to enroll in a class at NYU, and after her son’s birth in 2000, she took a break from modeling and relocated to California. On the West Coast, Valletta collaborated with numerous NGOs, including the Natural Resources Defense Council, Oceana, and the World Wildlife Fund. In 2019, the supermodel took part in Jane Fonda’s weekly Fire Drill Fridays protest to urge government officials to consider the impact of climate change and was arrested alongside Diane Lane and Piper Perabo. In 2021, she became the Fashion Institute of Technology’s inaugural sustainability ambassador, a role that involves raising funds for the university’s Sustainability Fund, auditing classes, and leveraging her vast experience and industry network to benefit students and the institution alike.
Arizona Muse
Arizona Muse a prominent figure in the fashion industry, having worked with esteemed photographers such as Alasdair McLellan, Inez & Vinoodh, Craig McDean, Mert & Marcus, and David Sims. But after a long and illustrious career, Muse realized that she had no idea where her clothes were made and was appalled by the findings. This realization sparked her journey into activism, leading her to found DIRT a foundation focused on Earth regeneration. Through this NGO, the supermodel works to support farmers and raise awareness about biodynamic farming practices, striving to make a positive impact on the fashion industry and the environment.
Ashley Graham
Ashley Graham is a well-known American supermodel and body positivity activist who has been at the forefront of the movement for greater size inclusivity in the fashion industry. Graham has been vocal about the need for greater representation and diversity in fashion and has used her platform to challenge traditional beauty standards. Graham has worked with a number of organizations to promote body positivity and self-love, including speaking at national conferences, high schools, and girls’ groups, and TEDx talks about body image and self-acceptance. In addition to her advocacy work, Graham has been featured in over 50 campaigns and 60 covers with Revlon, American Vogue, Chaos SixtyNine, and more.
Bella Hadid
Bella Hadid may be known for her work in the fashion industry, but the supermodel is also a passionate advocate for the Free Palestine movement. As someone of Palestinian and Dutch heritage, Hadid has used her platform to raise awareness about the ongoing struggles in Palestine. Despite facing challenges and even losing job opportunities due to her advocacy, Hadid remains committed to speaking out about the atrocities happening in her ancestral homeland. In 2017, Hadid joined her sister Gigi in participating in a #NoBanNoWall protest against former President Trump’s discriminatory travel ban, and the sisters also made efforts to reduce their carbon footprint by donating trees to offset their air travel emissions. In an episode of journalist Noor Tagouri‘s podcast Rep, Hadid opened up about her experiences with imposter syndrome and being called a terrorist as a child, highlighting the importance of representation and speaking out for marginalized communities.
Christy Turlington
Supermodel and philanthropist Christy Turlington is renowned not only for being a legend in the industry but also for her tireless work as the founder of Every Mother Counts, a nonprofit dedicated to enhancing maternal health care worldwide. Turlington created the organization after enduring her own birth complications, realizing that countless women around the globe suffer preventable deaths due to inadequate maternal care. Every Mother Counts operates in Bangladesh, Guatemala, Haiti, Tanzania, and the United States, striving to provide women with the necessary care and resources for safe childbirth.
Cindy Bruna
Cindy Bruna, one of France’s most recognizable models, has been breaking barriers and pushing boundaries since her debut on the fashion scene in 2013. Bruna has since used her platform to raise awareness about domestic abuse. Growing up in a family where abuse was a constant, she became a member of Solidarité Femmes, a French organization that supports survivors of domestic abuse. In 2022, Bruna released a book titled “Le jour où j’ai arrêté d’avoir peur” (“The Day I Stopped Being Afraid”), in which she courageously shares her own experience with domestic violence and how she overcame it, hoping to inspire others to find their strength and break free from similar situations.
Liya Kebede
Supermodel Liya Kebede has not only graced countless runways and campaigns, but she’s also a dedicated philanthropist. In 2006, she founded The Lemlem Foundation, which has been empowering women artisans in Africa by providing them with better access to healthcare, job opportunities, and promoting responsible production. Through sales from her fashion brand, Lemlem, the foundation’s impact has been powerful with 43 women graduating from artisan skills training since 2017, and over 15,000 midwives being trained to support safe birth campaigns. The foundation has also screened 400 women to prevent cervical cancer, proving that Kebede’s commitment to making a positive impact on the lives of women in Africa is unwavering.
Meadow Walker
Meadow Walker is making a name for herself beyond the runway. In addition to her modeling debut for Proenza Schouler’s Pre-Fall 2021 Lookbook, the young star has founded and leads The Paul Walker Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting marine science education and wildlife conservation. As a passionate advocate for UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, and global ambassador for Pencils of Promise, Walker has made significant contributions to improving education and amenities in underprivileged communities. In recognition of her outstanding activism, she was awarded Pencil of Promise’s Activist of the Year at the organization’s in-person gala last year. Together with the Paul Walker Foundation, Walker and Pencils of Promise built the Jasikan College of Education Demonstration Primary School in Ghana, and collaborated on its WASH program to promote healthy behavior, provide bathrooms, and distribute water filters to students and communities in need.
Munroe Bergdorf
Munroe Bergdorf is a trailblazer in championing LGBTQ+ rights and has partnered with organizations such as Mermaid, an NGO that supports trans and non-binary children and their families. She is also an advocate for UN Women UK and sits on L’Oreal’s Diversity and Inclusion Advisory board, building her relationship with the cosmetics giant after they dropped her from a campaign in 2017 for expressing her views on white privilege and racism. Last year, she joined British Vogue as a contributing editor. In a recent op-ed published in January for the publication, Bergdorf discussed the UK government’s blocking of the Scottish Gender Recognition Reform bill and highlighted the systemic barriers and blockades that trans people face in every social system. In the article she said, “from employment to housing, the police to the media, healthcare to education, trans people are facing barriers and blockades within every social system, yet this hardly ever gets a mention in UK parliament. Rarely are trans people spoken of as contributing members of society who deserve dignity, shelter, safety, bodily autonomy, and the respect that our cisgender counterparts are afforded. Our government should be advocating for all of its citizens, finding solutions to issues that are exposing people to disproportionate levels of violence and harm. What we need right now is a government that leads with solutions, not one that hides behind an endless slew of crises, while weaponising its own citizens in a culture war fuelled by misinformation, fear, and opportunism.”
Quannah Chasinghorse
Quannah Chasinghorse, a model and activist, hails from Alaska and belongs to the Hän Gwich’in, Sičangu, and Oglala Lakota tribes. Growing up, Chasinghorse learned hunting and hiking, following the generational tradition. She proudly wears multiple face tattoos, which are a rite of passage for Gwich’in women. In 2019, Chasinghorse traveled to Capitol Hill to advocate for climate change action and lobbied alongside Congress to pass a bill preventing oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, also known as Iizhik Gwats’an Gwandaii Goodlit – a sacred place for the Gwich’in people. In 2020, Chasinghorse partnered with the Native Vote campaign, helping Native voters swing the election in President Biden’s favor. However, on the last day of Trump’s presidency, the government sold oil and gas leases on the Coastal Plain of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, posing a threat to the way of life, food security, and wellness of the Nuiqsut community. In a recent op-ed for CNN, published on March 10th, 2023, Chasinghorse emphasized the need to stop the Willow Project, located just miles from the homelands of the Nuiqsut community and creating massive and destructive impacts on the environment. Chasinghorse has experienced firsthand the effects of climate change and is inspired by the bravery of the Nuiqsut community who are speaking out against the project.
Wali
Alexander McQueen muse Wali made their runway debut at Gabriela Hearst’s S/S 22 show and has since been shot for i-D by Mario Sorrenti and was featured in the Lanvin F/W 22 campaign. Growing up in a family of defense lawyers who won cases for the Black Panthers and The Attica Brothers in Southern Illinois, questioning authority is in Wali’s blood. Their passion for justice led them to work as a program manager at the Illinois Prison Project (IPP), an organization that has helped free nearly 80 people from Illinois state prisons using creative legal strategies. Wali’s work involves running two mass clemency campaigns, one for clients sentenced to life under Illinois’ three strikes law and another for elderly veterans who have been incarcerated for 20 years or more, many of whom suffer from PTSD. In an interview with Models.com, Wali stated, “This work is how I want to make an impact.”
