SINGAPORE - There was a time when the public knew little about the private lives of the top models.

Social media changed everything, says Naomi Campbell, one of the most prominent of the 1990s "supermodels".

Brands now court spokesmen with large online followings, creating a system that rewards those most willing to give up their privacy, to show it all on Instagram and Facebook.

Campbell, who is here for a business conference, says that this pressure to build audiences has come at a cost.

"When I started modelling, with the greats - Yves Saint Laurent, Azzedine Alaia, Versace, Valentino - there was mystery," she told The Straits Times on Friday (Sept 15).

"That's what made the photographers choose you. There was mystery and allure. Now it's all out there, " said the 47-year-old, who with models such as Claudia Schiffer, Christy Turlington, Elle Macpherson and Linda Evangelista created the supermodel phenomenon of the 1990s.

"Social media is a great thing. But there is a fine line. I don't think you should show everything. You have to save some of it for yourself."

Campbell's Instagram feed features tributes to friends and colleagues, and her charity work with Fashion For Relief, a group she founded in 2005 that has raised millions to help victims of disasters around the world.

But it is not all work.

"I show desserts that I like," she said.

Like the stars of social media, she has done her share of "hanging out on boats".

But she added: "I don't think I will ever let people know the real me. There is a side of me that is public, but then there is the side of me that likes being alone, chilling and doing my own thing."

Campbell, who is single, is speaking at the Milken Institute Asia Summit, a business conference. She is part of a panel on leadership.

Of late, she has been seen more on television, in dramas such as Star and American Horror Story. She has a recurring part in the drama series Empire.

Acting is just one of the various entertainment-related activities she is involved in, which include producing television shows.

"Acting is something that's fun for me. I'm not going to give up my day job," said Campbell, who executive-produced the modelling reality show The Face in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia.

She is hoping to work more behind the camera.

"I'd love to produce an event here in Singapore. I think it's a great platform - just going out and feeling out the people, that would be a lot of fun," she said.

But for as long as she has a chance, she will continue to model and act, she says, because of the need to add to the diversity of races in the fashion industry, an issue she has advocated for years.

She is no stranger to controversy: She has been in the news for attacking police officers and photographers, a history she alluded to when, during a panel discussion, she said that "everyone makes mistakes".

She has no regrets, however.

"Everyone's life has a path, and you are here to learn from your mistakes. I am grateful that I am here today, and can explore the world. You should always live in the present and look forward to what the future holds.