--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a model, I didn't have an identity; I…" description: "\"As a model, I didn't have an identity; I was a chameleon, a silent actress. I was an amorphous thing. I wasn't full of personality, I was full of solit..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b72/carmen-dell-orefice-14701_actresses_as-a-model-i-didn-t-have-an-identity-i-w_2649384.jpg" --- # As a model, I didn't have an identity; I was a chameleon… ![“As a model, I didn't have an identity; I was a chameleon, a silent actress. I was an amorphous thing. I wasn't full of personality, I was full of solitude and solemnity. I wasn't a cover-girl type.” quote by Carmen Dell'Orefice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b72/carmen-dell-orefice-14701_actresses_as-a-model-i-didn-t-have-an-identity-i-w_2649384.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b72/carmen-dell-orefice-14701_actresses_as-a-model-i-didn-t-have-an-identity-i-w_2649384.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b72/carmen-dell-orefice-14701_actresses_as-a-model-i-didn-t-have-an-identity-i-w_2649384.jpg) > “As a model, I didn't have an identity; I was a chameleon, a silent actress. I was an amorphous thing. I wasn't full of personality, I was full of solitude and solemnity. I wasn't a cover-girl type.” [Carmen Dell'Orefice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-dell-orefice/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She describes feeling identity-less, adaptable, and solitary, likening herself to a chameleon and a silent actress, emphasizing a lack of fixed personality. **In simple terms:** She feels she has no fixed identity, just adapts and feels alone. Key Takeaway Embrace authentic self‑expression over conformity. Themes identity adaptability solitude self‑perception creativity Mood introspective melancholic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career transitions - creative projects - personal development - social interactions Key Concepts existentialism personal branding psychology Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of your identity feel most authentic? - How does solitude influence creativity? A Different Perspective Risk of losing sense of self in constant adaptation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actresses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actresses/) [Chameleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chameleon/) [Chameleon Silent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chameleon-silent-2337315/) [Cover girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cover-girl/) [Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Identity Chameleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity-chameleon-2337313/) [Model Didn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/model-didn-370526/) [Models](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/models/) [Personality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personality/) [Personality Solitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personality-solitude-2337314/) [Silent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silent/) [Silent Actress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silent-actress-1253884/) [Solemnity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solemnity/) [Solitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solitude/) [Type](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/type/) ## Related quotes > [I was a silent actress: a body. I belonged to dreams - to those who can't be broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-kristel/i-was-a-silent-actress-a-body-i-belonged-to-dreams-to-those-who-can-t/) [Sylvia Kristel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-kristel/) > [In terms of being a role model, I didn't start out to be one. I don't go to work every day with that in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-pratt/in-terms-of-being-a-role-model-i-didn-t-start-out-to-be-one-i-don-t/) [Victoria Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-pratt/) > [I did a little modeling in Minnesota, but because I was a heavier 'model,' I didn't pursue it much when I lived there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brianna-brown/i-did-a-little-modeling-in-minnesota-but-because-i-was-a-heavier/) [Brianna Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brianna-brown/) > [I didn't even aspire to be a model because I didn't see myself represented, even as simple as the freckles on my skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-kostek/i-didn-t-even-aspire-to-be-a-model-because-i-didn-t-see-myself/) [Camille Kostek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-kostek/) > [“I never met a model I didn't like," says Nick Laws in The Shallow Man (The Dolce Vita Press, 2010/thedolcevitapress.com)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coerte-v-w-felske/i-never-met-a-model-i-didn-t-like-says-nick-laws-in-the-shallow-man/) [Coerte V.W. Felske](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coerte-v-w-felske/) > [Even when I was a teen model, I didn't think it was fair that I had to enter the acting world to get insurance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyra-banks/even-when-i-was-a-teen-model-i-didn-t-think-it-was-fair-that-i-had-to/) [Tyra Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyra-banks/) > [I started out like any other model - I didn't use my name as leverage. I went out with a portfolio and pounded the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-hearst/i-started-out-like-any-other-model-i-didn-t-use-my-name-as-leverage-i/) [Lydia Hearst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-hearst/) > [“I never wanted to have to look at myself in the mirror and say that I didn’t try as hard as I could to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shonda-rhimes/i-never-wanted-to-have-to-look-at-myself-in-the-mirror-and-say-that-i/) [Shonda Rhimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shonda-rhimes/) > [You can feel very strongly that someone doesn't like you. I think any model who didn't have the same sort of upbringing as me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alek-wek/you-can-feel-very-strongly-that-someone-doesn-t-like-you-i-think-any/) [Alek Wek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alek-wek/) > [Just because I could model didn't automatically mean I could act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-sims/just-because-i-could-model-didn-t-automatically-mean-i-could-act/) [Molly Sims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-sims/) > [This guy, when I met him he was 47 years old, he'd just come out of a divorce and he was, you know, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pia-zadora/this-guy-when-i-met-him-he-was-47-years-old-he-d-just-come-out-of-a/) [Pia Zadora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pia-zadora/) > [“One woman filled with self love and self acceptance is a model more super than any cover girl.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-leigh-mercree/one-woman-filled-with-self-love-and-self-acceptance-is-a-model-more/) [Amy Leigh Mercree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-leigh-mercree/) > [I'd rather be able to see your face when I talk to you, can you take off that six pounds of cover girl ? fakerthanbarbie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author-name/i-d-rather-be-able-to-see-your-face-when-i-talk-to-you-can-you-take/) [Author Name](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/author-name/) > [It's every girl's dream to be a cover girl!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rihanna/it-s-every-girl-s-dream-to-be-a-cover-girl/) [Rihanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rihanna/) > [Ladies, just know that when you grow your hair too long, you got about two inches difference between really hot, sexy supermodel - religious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iliza-shlesinger/ladies-just-know-that-when-you-grow-your-hair-too-long-you-got-about/) [Iliza Shlesinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iliza-shlesinger/) ## More by Carmen Dell'Orefice > [There's no way I would have got to see so much of the world, with my humble background, without modelling. We were penniless and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-dell-orefice/there-s-no-way-i-would-have-got-to-see-so-much-of-the-world-with-my/) [Carmen Dell'Orefice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-dell-orefice/) > [I've grown up in the lap of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-dell-orefice/i-ve-grown-up-in-the-lap-of-the-world/) [Carmen Dell'Orefice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-dell-orefice/) > [We're all works of art in progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-dell-orefice/we-re-all-works-of-art-in-progress/) [Carmen Dell'Orefice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-dell-orefice/) > [My mother was harsh and constantly told me I had jug ears and heaven knows what else. But she was devoted and a hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-dell-orefice/my-mother-was-harsh-and-constantly-told-me-i-had-jug-ears-and-heaven/) [Carmen Dell'Orefice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-dell-orefice/) > [When you understand how to do that dance, when the photographer says, 'Hold it, do it,' and you know you're getting it right, oh,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-dell-orefice/when-you-understand-how-to-do-that-dance-when-the-photographer-says/) [Carmen Dell'Orefice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-dell-orefice/) > [I'm a working woman of 80 trying to work out what the image I can project is. How I can do it with, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-dell-orefice/i-m-a-working-woman-of-80-trying-to-work-out-what-the-image-i-can/) [Carmen Dell'Orefice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-dell-orefice/) > [I understood that synergistic dance between photographer and object - 'muse,' if you will, 'model,' whatever you call us. It's that silent language of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-dell-orefice/i-understood-that-synergistic-dance-between-photographer-and-object/) [Carmen Dell'Orefice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-dell-orefice/) > [I was friends with Salvador Dalí until the day he died. Lucky me. I can't say why. I didn't live to be noticed, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-dell-orefice/i-was-friends-with-salvador-dal-until-the-day-he-died-lucky-me-i-can/) [Carmen Dell'Orefice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-dell-orefice/) > [ I have had more magazine covers in the last 25 years than I have had in my whole elongated career. \[...\] Today I am… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-dell-orefice/i-have-had-more-magazine-covers-in-the-last-25-years-than-i-have-had/) [Carmen Dell'Orefice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-dell-orefice/) > [I don't believe in funerals. I believe in celebrating life, and showing people, while they're alive, how much I care about them. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-dell-orefice/i-don-t-believe-in-funerals-i-believe-in-celebrating-life-and-showing/) [Carmen Dell'Orefice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-dell-orefice/) > [I was the Kate Moss of my day, atypical of what the public wanted, which was Brigitte Bardot. I was always tall, skinny and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-dell-orefice/i-was-the-kate-moss-of-my-day-atypical-of-what-the-public-wanted/) [Carmen Dell'Orefice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-dell-orefice/) > [A lot of people around me were really staggeringly rich, which I never have been. I walked in between the raindrops of real money,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-dell-orefice/a-lot-of-people-around-me-were-really-staggeringly-rich-which-i-never/) [Carmen Dell'Orefice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-dell-orefice/) > [I hate a man who looks dirty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-dell-orefice/i-hate-a-man-who-looks-dirty/) [Carmen Dell'Orefice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-dell-orefice/) > [I respect Gloria Steinem enormously. But I never wanted to be in any kind of movement - and if you're over a certain age,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-dell-orefice/i-respect-gloria-steinem-enormously-but-i-never-wanted-to-be-in-any/) [Carmen Dell'Orefice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-dell-orefice/) > [Being on the cover of 'Vogue' at 15 meant nothing to me. I never really understood what it was they were looking at, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-dell-orefice/being-on-the-cover-of-vogue-at-15-meant-nothing-to-me-i-never-really/) [Carmen Dell'Orefice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-dell-orefice/) [Explore all 45 Carmen Dell'Orefice quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-dell-orefice/) ## More Actresses quotes > [I feel excited about getting older as an actress, too. I think there are some amazing opportunities around the corner and I don't need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sutton-foster/i-feel-excited-about-getting-older-as-an-actress-too-i-think-there/) [Sutton Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sutton-foster/) > [I think most of us are raised with preconceived notions of the choices we're supposed to make. We waste so much time making decisions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bullock/i-think-most-of-us-are-raised-with-preconceived-notions-of-the/) [Sandra Bullock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bullock/) > [I've been told before, and I tend to believe it, I'm not like most actresses out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moira-kelly/i-ve-been-told-before-and-i-tend-to-believe-it-i-m-not-like-most/) [Moira Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moira-kelly/) > [Marilyn was a great actress, not a dumb blond bombshell. She was very smart, very astute and a good businesswoman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-schiller/marilyn-was-a-great-actress-not-a-dumb-blond-bombshell-she-was-very/) [Lawrence Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-schiller/) > [By the time I was seventeen, I was on my way to Hollywood and didn't look back. My family is supportive now, but like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-heard/by-the-time-i-was-seventeen-i-was-on-my-way-to-hollywood-and-didn-t/) [Amber Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-heard/) > [Just have fun. Smile. And keep putting on lipstick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-keaton/just-have-fun-smile-and-keep-putting-on-lipstick/) [Diane Keaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-keaton/) > [There are a lot of great actresses out there. You learn to appreciate each one for what they offer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-pratt/there-are-a-lot-of-great-actresses-out-there-you-learn-to-appreciate/) [Victoria Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-pratt/) > [I want to be fulfilled creatively as an actress and get to be in roles that are meaningful and impactful. I hope the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amandla-stenberg/i-want-to-be-fulfilled-creatively-as-an-actress-and-get-to-be-in/) [Amandla Stenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amandla-stenberg/) > [There's certain things I try to avoid, as an actress, just to keep my world from being as narrow as it could be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/famke-janssen/there-s-certain-things-i-try-to-avoid-as-an-actress-just-to-keep-my/) [Famke Janssen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/famke-janssen/) > [All the baggage that comes with fame, being an actress. The down side to it is the intrusion into your life and this expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-watson/all-the-baggage-that-comes-with-fame-being-an-actress-the-down-side/) [Emma Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-watson/) > [I am going to be a great actress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivien-leigh/i-am-going-to-be-a-great-actress/) [Vivien Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivien-leigh/) > [As a black actress you've got to work doubly hard. But it doesn't ever get me to the point where I give up on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naturi-naughton/as-a-black-actress-you-ve-got-to-work-doubly-hard-but-it-doesn-t-ever/) [Naturi Naughton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naturi-naughton/) > [I've seen new actresses do one show and disappear or struggle for years to get their next break. I've been fortunate enough to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjeeda-sheikh/i-ve-seen-new-actresses-do-one-show-and-disappear-or-struggle-for/) [Sanjeeda Sheikh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjeeda-sheikh/) > [I knew I wanted to be an actress as soon as I popped out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-wallace/i-knew-i-wanted-to-be-an-actress-as-soon-as-i-popped-out/) [Dee Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-wallace/) > [Campaigning actress ASHLEY JUDD refuses to 'breed' with her racing star husband DARIO FRANCHITTI while there are starving children in the world. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-judd/campaigning-actress-ashley-judd-refuses-to-breed-with-her-racing-star/) [Ashley Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-judd/) [Browse all 1,881 Actresses quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actresses/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As a model, I didn't have an identity; I was a chameleon, a silent actress. 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