In the immortal words of military strategist and legend General George Patton, ‘success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.’ Those words are as relevant today as they were back in World War II. Fascinating!
I’m always amazed when I hear rags to riches stories and of the wanton waste of the rich and famous. What is more fascinating is the similarities in behaviour and attitude of people who have the distinction of being able to call themselves ‘successful.’
In this article we’ll take a look at two highly successful women in similar professions; modelling, acting singing and business, socialite Katy Price and Fashion Icon Naomi Campbell.
Katy Price. Photo courtesy Wikipedia.org
Apart from the financial wealth they have both amassed over the years, their experience with illicit drugs and their impressive contact lists these women both have bad tempers and a blatant disregard for the law.
Katy Price, known by many as ‘Jordan’ from her modelling days and high profile Page 3 articles in The Sun tabloid newspaper has been arrested for breaching a restraining order.
The 43 year old socialite, singer and businesswoman thought it was a good idea to send an abusive text to her former husband Kieran Hayler and his wife-to-be Michelle Penticost in direct violation of the court order. Sussex Police confirmed having arrested a woman in her early thirties for allegedly breaching a restraining order.
Jordan a convicted felon is no stranger to the courts having been arrested and convicted several times for driving offences the latest being in September 2021 when she was convicted for driving drunk without insurance and while disqualified. She is currently on a two-year ban from driving. The judge on sentencing remarked that Jordan had the worst driving record she had ever laid eyes on.
Then there is Naomi Campbell, also British but of Caribbean descent having been brought up by Jamaican parents in south London. Naomi who is 52 is also a world famous model, actress, singer and businesswoman.
While Naomi climbed the social ladder and travelled the world as a supermodel from the age of 15, as adjudged by the fashion industry at the time, she has had her fair share of confrontation with the law, all largely based on her abuse of employees and press representatives – paparazzi’s.
In spite of her apparent unending successes in modelling, music and acting and having been bestowed the coveted Fashion Icon award by the Council of Fashion Designers of America, Naomi could not control her temper and is well reputed for throwing mobile phones at employees and assaulting photographers.
It is no surprise that Naomi is also a convicted felon having been tried and convicted for assault on four separate occasions. In a show of defiance to the courts and her victims Naomi was seen and photographed wearing a provocative T-Shirt which read, ‘Naomi Hit Me and I loved It.’
Naomi Campbell. Photo courtesy wikipedia.org
Unlike Jordan, Naomi’s last brush with the law was some seven years ago in July 2015 when she was sentenced to a probation term of six months in a Sicilian court for assaulting a photographer. She is said to have hit the paparazzo photographer with her handbag for taking photos of her in company with her then boyfriend without permission.
Of course it is not common or the norm for successful women to behave in a way that suggests they have no self-control or were not socialised properly as children. There are lots of highly successful women from many ethnic backgrounds that conduct themselves with dignity both in private and in public. There is an old adage, ‘Your altitude is determined by your attitude.’ So ideally what this means is regardless of one’s talent or skill if their behaviour is not up to scratch they won’t progress but in reality this does not always hold true.
Let’s look at Serena Williams briefly, a prolific American tennis player who won the Grand Slam singles title 23 times. Serena who has a knack for speaking her mind with a passion for pushing women’s equality has never been featured in the press for anything other than tennis or race related matters. Of late her controversial pregnancy and giving birth to Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr has attracted some unwanted publicity but she turned the situation plus her medical complications around as a cause for women health and wellbeing.
So what is the reason some successful people believe they can run roughshod over their helpers, colleagues or handlers with impunity? Is it the idea that their celebrity status allows them to intimidate all around them into submission; or is it the feeling of invincibility borne out of having powerful friends, and associates who are well connected that can facilitate favours with politicians and government officials?
Whatever the reasoning it certainly hasn’t worked for Naomi who has a criminal record and will be regarded as persona non grata in some quarters around the world including British Airways that has banned her for life; and neither has it helped Jordan the holder of a criminal record in spite of all her celebrity friends, colleagues and associates.
It would seem that such individuals possess quite possibly a complex of some sought that acts as a stimulant to assert themselves, to prove their worth, to enable them to fit in. An inferiority complex maybe…Who knows.
It is the writer’s view that there really is no excuse for an important person of any description to treat people in a way that is demeaning, derogatory or downright disrespectful. However if any situation calls for such behaviour then intervention or intermediation is necessary and people who hold sway over lots of individuals who regard them with reverence should be cautioned and or restricted from holding such influential positions. Though it may be too late for Katy and Naomi for the world to change the perception of their attitude to their craft, there is hope for those who aspire to be global celebrities in any field. Treat people the way you wish to be treated!
D Fitz-Roberts is a multi-talented writer on socio-economic issues having worked in journalism across the Caribbean (Grenada, Guyana and BVI) in the 90s. He has worked in London with Black Britain Online, New Nation Newspaper and Caribbean Times. An academic with a passion for research on distributed ledger technologies in emerging economies he is keen to see the Caribbean embrace bitcoin and blockchain technologies to keep pace with the west. He writes periodically for mainstream publications and is the founder of CaribDirect.com. He is also the author of Caribbean children's book LifeSucks! available on Amazon.
