"I don't think I ever had a swollen head: I remember where I come from"
About this Quote
Modeling is a profession built to inflate people: the camera magnifies, the culture mythologizes, and the business rewards a carefully managed sense of exceptionality. Eva Herzigova’s line works because it refuses the expected arc. Instead of playing into the “I stayed humble” script with vague gratitude, she anchors humility in something sturdier: memory as an antidote to celebrity gas.
“I don’t think I ever had a swollen head” is almost comically plainspoken, like she’s swatting away a rumor rather than delivering a manifesto. The real engine is the second clause: “I remember where I come from.” It’s not just a moral claim; it’s a practical strategy. In a world that constantly tells you you’re a brand, origin becomes a leash, a way to resist the disorienting feedback loop of being seen, praised, and projected onto.
Herzigova’s context matters. She rose from a then-communist Czechoslovakia into the glossy machinery of ’90s supermodel fame, a moment when models became global icons and tabloid fodder. That trajectory invites a particular kind of narrative theft: your identity gets rewritten by photographers, campaigns, and public fantasy. “Remembering” is a subtle reclamation. It implies that the most dangerous part of fame isn’t arrogance; it’s amnesia.
There’s also a sly edge in the phrasing. “I don’t think” leaves room for self-doubt, acknowledging that ego can be invisible to the person wearing it. The humility here isn’t self-effacement; it’s self-possession.
“I don’t think I ever had a swollen head” is almost comically plainspoken, like she’s swatting away a rumor rather than delivering a manifesto. The real engine is the second clause: “I remember where I come from.” It’s not just a moral claim; it’s a practical strategy. In a world that constantly tells you you’re a brand, origin becomes a leash, a way to resist the disorienting feedback loop of being seen, praised, and projected onto.
Herzigova’s context matters. She rose from a then-communist Czechoslovakia into the glossy machinery of ’90s supermodel fame, a moment when models became global icons and tabloid fodder. That trajectory invites a particular kind of narrative theft: your identity gets rewritten by photographers, campaigns, and public fantasy. “Remembering” is a subtle reclamation. It implies that the most dangerous part of fame isn’t arrogance; it’s amnesia.
There’s also a sly edge in the phrasing. “I don’t think” leaves room for self-doubt, acknowledging that ego can be invisible to the person wearing it. The humility here isn’t self-effacement; it’s self-possession.
Quote Details
| Topic | Humility |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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