Supermodel of the World
1993 album by RuPaul
Supermodel of the World is the debut studio album by American singer and drag queen RuPaul, released on June 8, 1993, by Tommy Boy Records. It is his second album overall, his first release being a soundtrack album. With the release of the Supermodel of the World album, RuPaul obtained higher celebrity status, notably due to the album's first single, "Supermodel (You Better Work)". Before the release of this album, he had done some modeling work as a drag queen, hence the album title.
Background
African American actress/comedian LaWanda Page (best known as Aunt Esther on the television series Sanford and Son) is featured in spoken word clips on several album tracks, though she is heard most notably on the track "Supermodel (You Better Work)". That song's chorus also features RuPaul repeating the phrase "Sashay! Shantay!" When asked about the meaning of "shantay", RuPaul replied that the term means "to weave a friend" (from the French "enchanté" which means nice to meet you). The term had previously appeared in the 1990 drag ballroom documentary Paris Is Burning. It also sounds like the French expression "Sachez chanter!", at the imperative form, meaning "Know how to sing!"
The album was reissued on Rhino Records.
Singles
The album's first single, "Supermodel (You Better Work)", was a huge club and dance hit that peaked at number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 and achieved Gold sales status.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Supermodel of the World” as 1993 album by RuPaul. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as 1993 album by RuPaul. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jan 28, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3977990. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1993 and 1990.
Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Supermodel of the World” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.