A fashion model who has become famous in her own right — not just a face in a photograph, but a name the public knows, with high fees, magazine covers, and a career that carries on outside the clothes. An ordinary model is hired to show a dress; a supermodel is hired partly because she is herself.

A fashion model who has become famous in her own right指的是一位靠自己成名的時尚模特兒——not just a face in a photograph不只是照片裡的一張臉，but a name the public knows而是大眾都認識的名字，with high fees, magazine covers有高額的酬勞、雜誌封面，and a career that carries on outside the clothes還有一份不只靠衣服撐起來的事業。An ordinary model一般的模特兒 is hired to show a dress是被請來展示一件洋裝的；a supermodel supermodel is hired partly則有一部分是被請來的 because she is herself因為她自己這個人。

The word existed earlier, but it took off in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when a small group — Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington and a few others — became household names. That period is what people mean by "the supermodel era".

The word這個字 existed earlier更早以前就存在，but但 it took off一直到才真正紅起來 in the late 1980s and early 1990s1980年代末到1990年代初，when當時 a small group一小群人 — Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington and a few othersNaomi Campbell、Linda Evangelista、Cindy Crawford、Christy Turlington，還有幾位其他人 — became household names變成了家喻戶曉的名字。That period那段時期 is what people mean by就是人們說的 "the supermodel era"「the supermodel era（超模時代）」。

It is a journalist's word, used in newspapers, gossip magazines and advertising, and it is nearly always used about women, though "male supermodel" exists. Because it is a fame word, not a beauty word, there is no test for it: whether someone counts as a supermodel is exactly the kind of thing magazines argue about.

It這 is a journalist's word是個記者愛用的字，used in newspapers, gossip magazines and advertising出現在報紙、八卦雜誌和廣告裡，and而且 it is nearly always used about women幾乎都是用在女性身上，though不過 "male supermodel" exists「male supermodel（男性超模）」這種說法也是存在的。Because因為 it is a fame word, not a beauty word這是個跟「知名度」有關的字，不是跟「美貌」有關的字，there is no test for it所以沒有一個標準可以測試：whether someone counts as a supermodel誰算不算supermodel is exactly the kind of thing magazines argue about正是雜誌會拿來爭論的那種話題。