ELAINE GEORGE

Elaine George stands proudly as the first ever Indigenous woman on the cover of Vogue Australia, in 1993. A Bundjalung and Arakwal woman, she was discovered at a theme park and plunged into the spotlight as a young girl, changing fashion history. Now, respected in the community as a child protection officer, she has returned for her second Vogue cover and to take part in FNFD’s second Australian Fashion Week show that combines music, dance and storytelling through clothing, and to mentor young models, passing on experience in the name of empowerment.

“Modelling wasn’t what I aspired to do, but I didn’t realise the effect it would have for years to come. I did it then went away and have now done 29 years [as a child protection officer]. If you asked for my name in child protection, everyone knows me, but even my boss didn’t have any idea I’d been in Vogue before. She said, ‘Why don’t you tell everyone?’ I said, ‘It’s just something I did,’ but it’s nice to see the young girls coming through with Cindy [Rostron] and Charlee [Fraser] – it’s good to see that someone else is picking it up.

I think the reason I came out of retirement after nearly 30 years, is the fact that, as First Nations people, we don’t even have a public holiday … We’re the only First Nation people in the world that don’t celebrate First Nation People’s Day. But I think the industry is changing for the better.

Back in my day, there was only me and it was one-size-fits-all. So, if your body shape didn’t fit that, you made it fit into those outfits. With First Nation designers, there’s a story. It starts from the beginning and it weaves through the models and then it weaves through the songs and the dance, whereas, when I was modelling, I was used as a canvas – which is fine, that’s what it was – but there was no power behind it. It’s just, ‘Here’s what you’re going to be putting on.’

I wasn’t aiming to be a model. My family did not treat me as beautiful, they just treated me like me, so when I went to Dreamworld and Diana [Finke, who was with her husband and photographer Grant Good when they scouted George] found me, I thought she was a stalker. She wrote a number on a napkin and I just shoved it in my pocket. The next minute Vogue rang and said, ‘Can you come and do a shoot?’ and I thought, ‘I’ve never been to Sydney.’ Nancy Pilcher [then editor] was there and they said, ‘Okay, we’ve just got to check to see if we want to do Naomi Campbell, you or someone else.’

And I’m saying, ‘Oh, yeah, whatever.’ And they said, ‘You don’t know who Naomi Campbell is? Do you know Vogue?’ I’m like, ‘Buying a magazine? I can get a loaf of bread and milk for my family instead, so, no, we don’t buy magazines.’ Doing it, they were very patient with me, because I’d never done it, but it had to be perfect because we used film back then – there were no touch-ups, no correction of lighting – it’s just what you had. When the cover came out, people were saying, ‘Oh, it was too white.’ They didn’t realise it wasn’t touched up at all, it was just the lighting. But what I wanted to get out of that was it doesn’t matter what colour your skin is, to be Blak, it’s about what’s inside. I’m grateful for what that’s given the girls now, because it is a sisterhood.

Then it was a whirlwind; all these interviews, all these meetings, I never got taught how to speak or walk, I just went along with it. And then [model agent] Peter Chadwick took me onboard and sent me overseas, but it was just too much for me. Getting manicures, haircuts, not being allowed to play sports. It just wasn’t me. But I am grateful for it because it started the journey.

I thought it would be earlier than 17 years later for Samantha Harris [the second Indigenous model ever on the cover of Vogue Australia in 2010], but it took 17 years. And now it’s just getting shorter and shorter and shorter, so I’m excited.

I think that we [First Nations people] naturally don’t bignote ourselves. We do it because we love our family or we love what we are doing. So, for the young ones, it’s more about how do they balance their own cultural identity with thinking, ‘Okay, you need to be interviewed,’ or ‘Okay, you’re getting compliments.’ You need to put your head up and go, ‘Yeah, that’s me.’ It’s guiding them, telling them you are here for a reason. Vogue doesn’t choose random people, they have a vision. If you are here, it’s because they want you here.”

“To be Blak, it’s about what’s inside. I’m grateful for what that’s given the girls now, because it is a sisterhood”