British supermodel Naomi Campbell, 37, has revealed that she wants to be a mom. With the main condition being after she finishes drug rehabilitation. Naomi talks candidly, admitting that she would love this to happen after she has worked her life out.
I would love to be a mom. I don’t think a woman is 100% a woman unless she has a child and becomes a mother.
Source: Daily India
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Showing 57 comments
emzi on
She should think more carefully about her comments. There are thousands of infertile women out there (myself included) who will be grossly insulted and very upset at her words
m on
I find her comment to be extremely offensive. There are many wonderful and smart women out there who cannot have children OR don’t want to have children and they are just as much “woman” as the next gal. Having a baby doesn’t make one more of a woman. Please Naomi, keep your antiquated opinions to yourself.
lola on
maybe that was the drugs talking to make such an ignorant comment
sarah on
i resent that comment. iand agree wholeheartedly with you emzi.
Spiff on
From what I have seen, she doesn’t have a very high tolerance for frustration…which is definitely something you need if you are going to be a mother!
Melissa on
That was a nasty thing to say. Did she ever stop to think about anyone besides herself and realize that some woman can’t have children through no fault of their own?
M on
I agree with you emzi. But, she didn’t say becomes pregnant, she just said “has”, so that could mean adoption too. If you’ve adopted a child, you have a child and you have become a mother. I don’t necessarily agree with her comment, but hopefully she didn’t mean it quite the way it initially sounded.
CTBmom on
I agree with you totally emzi; her words could be taken very badly by women who are infertile. I am unable to have children, and it was something that was very hard for me to come to terms with. I would like her to tell me to my face that I am not 100% a woman because I am unable to carry and give birth to a child. In 1997, I became a mother via adoption to the most beautiful, amazing little boy…and I feel so blessed, but comments like this still burn me.
Larissa on
I agree emzi.That was my first thought too.She needed to choose her words a lot more carefully.Some people lack so much tact and consideration for others.
k on
Well, this is the most hurtful thing I’ve heard in a while!
I don’t think we need women like Naomi Campbell defining what a real woman is!
poppy on
Haha. It’s amusing because that comment is so obviously idiotic. And what do you expect, Naomi Campbell is an idiot.
gina on
I love children i have 20 nieces and nephews.I interact with them all the time.Unfortunately im not able to have children.I find her comment very offensive.I do not feel less of a woman because i can’t have children.She needs to think before she says anything!!!!
Michelle on
I’m not a fan of Naomi Campbell but personally, I tend to take comments from these type of sources with a little grain of salt. There is a probability that these were not her exact words or something may have been lost in a translation.
Just my 2 cents.
sadie on
It took me many years to fall pregnant and I understand exactly how intensely hurtful these comments are. After many rounds of IVF, I am now seven months pregnant and I want to assure all the fabulous woman out there without children that I am certainly no more a “woman” now than I was before.
Naomi Campbell, at 37, with a history of drug abuse, she literally shouldn’t count her chickens before they hatch. Blessings to all who are struggling with infertility xx
Jenny on
No one should feel hurt by her comments….if that is how she feels, it is not surprising. Think of all the other petty, ignorant things she has done and said.
michelle on
yes, what she said is very offensive. however, naomi herself does not have children. she is 37 and unmarried. i doubt she has even tried to get pregnant so she has no idea as to how long it could take her to become a mother. and adoption? her track record alone should be reason enough for any adoption agency not to give her a child. i feel like her comments were hypocritical.
Karen on
With her track record this woman should never have children born to her or adopted. Just because someone can “have” children it does not mean they should.
lilianic on
I’m with Jenny. Come on, people, this is Naomi Campbell. The woman is ten pounds of crazy in a five pound bag. She could just as easily have said, “I don’t think a woman is 100% a woman unless she has attacked multiple employees with telephonic devices” OR “I don’t think a woman is 100% a woman unless she has performed community service in haute couture.” It should be pretty clear by now that the world she inhabits is not located in reality.
Her words might be hurtful if I thought that she could conceptualize what they meant, but I don’t, so there’s no sting.
legemc on
Gosh, first Milla Jovovich and now Naomi! While I don’t believe either of them actually meant to hurt or disrespect women that can’t or don’t want to have children, their words can definitely be taken that way by some people so they probably should be more careful when making statements like that.
PSB on
Maybe with her history of violence and drug and anger problems, she’s not the best person to be shaping a young mind and rearing children. Just because you can physically have a child doesn’t mean you should – and just because you can’t, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. As usual, she only thinks about herself when she speaks!
yaosa on
I agree with Emzi and many other posters here that she should have chosen her words carefully and even though I don’t agree with Naomi, her statement echoes a lot of what many people (even in modern western societies) and cultures believe about a woman and her ‘womanhood’.
In many cultures a woman is not a woman until she has gone through the rite of passage of bearing a child. And even in our western, modern societies there is an expectation that a couple marries only to procreate and so when couples marry either they are expected to announce a pregnancy within a year of their nuptials or explain why they are waiting a year or two. (Of course this all depends on the families and perhaps for some there isn’t this upsoken pressure looming over them.)
In many ways her statement should be seen against this backdrop of cultural and societal pressures and expectations of women in general. I think she and her statement are just a result of what society tells us as women. Thank goodness, there are enough of us who don’t succumb to this and fight against these ridiculous definitions put upon us.
I wish her well on her recovery in rehab.
gianna on
What a mean thing to say, than again coming from her I am not surprised.
Campbell on
I agree w/ you k. If I had to guess, she probably wasn’t speaking specifically to ALL the ways a woman can become a mother. However, to say that a woman must become a mother (wether thru pregnancy, adoption, fostering, etc.) in order to realize womanhood is ignorant, immature, and seriously lacking insight. jmo
Spot on
I am so sick of people believing that a women must be defined by their choices regarding children! A woman should just as much be applauded for choosing not to have children, as having them if she has had the courage to make that decision for her own life. A woman should instead be defined by their morals and life achievements. I don’t believe that Naomi is educated well enough to have intended this comment to be offensive however I think that she is so unaware of the world around her that she truly believes this as sad as that may be.
Petra on
I wouldn’t want to be her baby. She can’t control herself very often, so how she could take care of babies who need a lot of patience?
On the other hand I don’t denounce her opinion concerning women and babies. I understand that infertile women can find this hurtful, on the other hand we have freedom of speech and anybody is entitled to express their opinion, even though somebody doesn’t agree with it.
PL on
What an archaic statement to make… And, very offensive to many women! Hopefully she will rethink her statement and correct herself.
sarawara on
Fertility is not an accomplishment.
Scorpia on
Agreed Jenny. As much as I understand how hurtful her comments are, it’s Naomi Campbell. She’s not exactly the queen of sensitivity and consideration for others, is she? I take her comments with a bucket of salt.
Judy on
This is the woman who slaps her housekeepers around and throws telephones at them? God help any child who is born to her. One more abuse statistic.
gargoylegurl on
I don’t always believe what I read, but I know first hand that this woman has a HUGE ego! My husband was bar tending in a club that she came into, It was very busy and many people were waiting to be served. Naomi literally pushed people aside and demanded to be served by saying: “Don’t you know who I am?”
As others have commented, she certainly doesn’t seem to be the most patient person in the world. I sure hope there are no cell phones around when/if her child upsets her!
Also, Naomi is pushing 40. There are no guarantees that she is going to be able to conceive easily…she should be careful of what she says!
meg on
i don’t care for Naomi, but i do think what she said people are taking out of context. she is entitled to her opinion and ok she may have phrased it wrong, i think she is speaking purely for herself.
i agree that she could well mean through adoption, at no point does she specify how people become mothers.
Keeley on
I think people are taking her remarks too seriously. Consider the source people, seriously.
I like children well enough, I guess, but I have no desire to be a mother. EVER. That does not make me less of a woman. I don’t need Naomi Campbell to validate me in order for me to feel secure with myself. Neither should any of you.
Please, do not let this woman hurt you with her careless comments.
Sarah J on
meg, I agree.
Everyone here seems to be blowing it WAY out of proportion.
It seemed clear enough to me that what she said meant that for HER as a woman it was the fullest thing she could hope for. She did not say that all women must have children and if you don’t you are incomplete. She was speaking for her own fullfillment. And did not mention anybody else, nor did she say it had to be naturally born children.
Also, no one seemed to notice that on top of that…she at least has her priorities right. She will not attempt having any children until she sorts her life out. That’s the main thing.
KM on
I know several women who can’t have babies and they are more of a woman the some of these women that pop out 10 kids and to care about them! Her publicist really needs to put her on check.
And Sarah J – the comment was
“I don’t think a woman is 100% a woman unless she has a child and becomes a mother”
That is a general statement about women, not about herself! Obviously the posters who think we are way off base here have never experienced infertility or been close to someone that has. It’s a completely insensitive comment to say the least!
raylene on
What Keeley said, all of it. I also have no children and doubt I’ll ever want them. If anyone says that makes me less of a woman, that’s their problem, not mine.
And seriously, Naomi Campbell has always been insane. To get offended by what she says is kind of pointless.
Sarita on
She’s just telling us her opinion! I think that’s a right we al have, thankfully.
Di on
I do not have a problem with Naomi’s comments. There are many out there who probably feel they weren’t truly a woman until they have gone through the process of pregnancy and then giving birth. In fact I remeber Katie Holmes saying something to effect of that after she gave birth to Suri she felt like a real woman.
As I write this there are probably hundreds of thousands of women in the US who are spending tens of thousands of dollars on fertility treatments just so they can get pregnant. These women are well off, educated, married and yet feel their life is not or will not be complete until they add a child to it. As women we can do so many things but one of the most amazing things a woman can do is to get pregnant and give birth. I am sure there are some women who would give anything to just have a child of their own. Adoption is wonderful but nothing compares to having your own biological child in my opinion. If adoption was considered equal to have your own child, all the fertility clinics would be out of business but they are not because somewhere deep down inside is that instinct procreate.
Kelly on
I am a young (27yo) woman struggling with infertility and I’m completely offended by her insensitive comment. I may never have my own natural children and it pains me to no end. I guess since she has never been through our struggle, she can not understand.. it doesn’t make it any easier though…
Aimee on
“Adoption is wonderful but nothing compares to having your own biological child in my opinion. If adoption was considered equal to have your own child, all the fertility clinics would be out of business but they are not because somewhere deep down inside is that instinct procreate.”
I never wanted to procreate and haven’t. My husband and I are currently in the midst of adopting from Russia. Am I missing a component in my brain? Your comment is appalling.
As for Naomi’s – what about men? If a man doesn’t sit around and watch football, does that make him less of a man? I guess Naomi puts a lot of stock in gender roles…unfortunately for everyone.
esperanza on
uh the comment says “i don’t think” therefore one could argue that she’s stating an opinion.
CTBmom on
Di,
I adopted my son, and have never given birth to a child so I don’t know know if “nothing compares to having your own biological child.” What I do know, is that the love I feel for my son is the most overwhelming love I have EVER felt, and even though he is 10 years-old I still get teary eyed sometimes when I go check on him at night before I go to bed. He is my heart, and I thank God everyday for him. If adoption is second best to “having your own biological child” then I am perfectly happy with second best.
Campbell on
If my opinion was blurred from tears of pain i am sorry. again, i stand by what i said,. I’v just found that my sweet daughter has miscarried and we are grappling w/ a death that i can not explain. our hearts are in a state that we can’t describe.
Sheri on
I hope Naomi isn’t allowed to adopt a child but she’s a celeb so unfortunately she may be allowed to adopt. The chick seems too vain to want to give birth. She may be like Joan Crawford and beat her kids.
Nancy on
To be very blunt she is obviously very abusive and spoiled. Nobody should pay any attention to what she has to say. Not only does her police record speak volumes but so do all the negative comments made by people who know her personally and professionally. I would feel sorry for any innocent child she brings into her life. She only seems capable of offering material things on a regular basis.
Annoyomus on
Sarah J- ITA! At least Naomi seems to have her priorities straight. She she said that she wants to get her life in order BEFORE she has kids. Therefore, I don’t think we should judge what kind of parent she’d be until she has gone through rehab and actually becomes one.
Also, about her being 37….Yes, she may have difficulty concieving….But perhaps she is also considering adoption. Even with her history, the fact is that she may still be able to adopt, at least outside the U.S.
Angelina Jolie also has quite a wild past (true, I’m pretty sure she never actually physically abused anyone, but she definently did have issues)…and she has adopted three kids from foregin countries (that said, her history is probably the answer to the “Why doesn’t she adopt kids from the U.S.”? question. She probably wouldn’t be allowed to because of her history.).
gargoylegurl on
Campbell…I’m so sorry for your loss! *hugs*
CTBmom…I think what you said was beautiful! 8)
FC on
I’m only going to say she sort of indicated that was her opinion by sticking the “I don’t…” in front of her words. But, the chick needs to choose her words next time, not that she knows how to choose much of anything as far as right and wrong goes.
The comment was rubbish, but…I keep forgetting who I am talking about. It’s great she wants to be a mom, The other part was…blah. I’m just going to say her views are definitely not mine and “a woman is woman” the moment she takes responsibility for herself, takes care of herself, etc…
Sam on
I hope that these comments were taken out of context. This type of thinking just goes along with the cultural bias against single and/or childless women, and the mountains of insensitive questions they deal with from (mostly) women who are convinced that the only way to live and die is if you’ve had a child and can compare pram prices. My sister, who CHOOSES to remain single and childless, has to deal with rude questions at work like “you don’t have children?!”, “don’t you want children?”, “you like being alone?”…and on and on. It’s awful for her and other women who are either childless BY CHOICE or who are having fertility issues. It’s a shame that, for the most part, we women put other women through this with this asinine, thoughtless and insensitive comments.
Rebecca on
Wouldn’t it be just desserts for her to go through fertility problems after making this comment? She seems like she needs to be knocked down a few pegs, this is a woman that has made her living off of her looks. She has no discernable talents yet she seems to think she’s queen of the world.
renee on
I love fashion, and have watched Naomi Campbell for a long time…followed her through Kevyn Aucoin through the supermodel years….lots of ups and downs and harassment, battery and assault charges. I find it hard to believe that any of the brilliant mothers, non-mothers, fertile or infertile women with an education of at least high school could be so affected by what this abusive crackhead has to say!! Would you all be offended if Britney Spears said the same thing?? Honestly, I’m about to be married, and I have a condition that might make childbearing diffficult at best. I might be offended if my mother said something to that extent, but Naomi Campbell?? She showed up to do her community service in Gucci. What a travesty. It’s your own responsibility to yourself to define what makes YOU a woman; it’s not anything you can find in a book, on the internet or anyone else’s opinion.
legemc on
Oh Campbell I am so sorry to hear about your daughter’s miscarriage. I know you were over the moon excited about your first grandbaby. Your family will be in my prayers.
terri on
Well it’s her opinion and she’s free to have it. I don’t happen to agree. Nobody’s entitled to go through life without being offended.
DWS on
I have experienced infertility and I don’t find her statement/opinion offensive. I felt that I was not quite a full woman because I couldn’t have a baby….but that is something that I overcame when I decided that being a mother isn’t just about giving birth to your child. A mother is more than just biology. Who knows what she meant and I mean, who really cares?
Sami on
ITA with M, Meg, and Sarita… I don’t think Naomi was excluding adoption as a means to becoming a mom. She never said that she thought a woman had to give birth to a child to be a mom.
And even if she had, it is still her opinion. As someone who struggles with infertility it definately makes me feel like less of a woman sometimes. That is one of the reasons infertility is so painful! I know a lot of other infertile women who feel the same way.
I think Naomi is finally showing some maturity in wanting to work her life out before bringing a child into it and I hope that things work out for her if she is able to stay clean and stable.
m-dot on
I’m sorry ladies, but i agree with Naomi. I have no children, nor have I tried to have them. However, if i were to never parent children by an old age, I would ceratainly feel like I’d missed out on the essence of womanhood. That is not an insult to anyone, it’s just a feeling. There would always be that yearning.
kema on
WOW, its funny how people take everything a person says to heart!! She is talking in general, I feel the same, and I’m infertile… motherhood can really change a woman. I feel there are many ways to full fill that. I am a woman , and i was born without ovaries. I plan to adopt, I would love to have a child between 2-4 years old:)one day. I have nieces , nephews, godchildren. I actually got to keep my god-daughter her 1st year (her mom was unsure about keeping her) I knew she would come around, so i kept her. I’m telling you everything about me changed, for the better.. just knowing I had to take care of her. So I can truly appreciate Naomi’s opinion. Just remember its just that, an opinion!
Sam on
Well everyone is ENTITLED to their opinion about it. That’s why this is a forum where people can respond and people have. I think it’s a lazy response to just brush it off and then say everyone is offended by something at some point, which is true. I mean, I GUESS certain racial groups SHOULDN’T be offended about the use of racial slurs but I’m not one of those people who will NEVER tolerate lazy/”say whatever you want” speech around ME. So, no, I don’t agree with her comments, was offended my them (as a mother). CBB posted this item and the quote and then posted it for discussion: for people to agree or not agree, to be offended or not be offended.
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