Samantha Harris, one of Australia's most recognisable models, has opened up about the pressures of the fashion industry and the personal challenges she faced during a 22-year career that began at age 13. In her new book, Role Model: Taking Up Space in the Fashion World, Harris reflects on her rise from a schoolgirl in Tweed Heads to international catwalks, and the struggle to fit in as one of few Indigenous models in the early 2000s.
Harris, now 35 and expecting her first child, said she initially wanted to look like other models and 'just slot in'. But today she embraces her distinct look, noting that no one could place her ethnicity – often mistaking her for Brazilian or Italian. She feels proud of the progress towards inclusivity, citing models like Charlee Fraser and Magnolia Maymuru, and the increased presence of standalone Indigenous designers at Australian fashion week.
The book also includes a deeply personal account from Harris's mother, Myrna Davison, who writes about her early childhood on a New South Wales Aboriginal mission before being forcibly removed as part of the Stolen Generations. Harris said reading those chapters was 'gut-wrenching' and that her mother agreed to share her story only if Harris shared hers.
Reflecting on the early years of her career, Harris recalled being flown to New York at 14 for a shoot with photographer Patrick Demarchelier, though the significance was lost on her at the time. She struggled with being away from family, sleeping with the lights on in hotel rooms. Her agent, Kathy Ward, remembers Harris preferring to play with children rather than socialise with adults during castings.
