Category Archives: Cosmetics

Beauty, Business, Cosmetics, Entreprenuer, Fashion Models, Supermodels, The Ebony Dolls

The Ebony Dolls: Iman

Somali Queen of Fashion and Global Beauty Icon

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Iman Abdulmajid is a Somali supermodel, entrepreneur, and humanitarian whose career fundamentally reshaped global standards of beauty, race, and representation. Born on July 25, 1955, in Mogadishu, Somalia, Iman emerged as one of the first African supermodels to achieve worldwide fame, becoming the embodiment of high fashion elegance and later the architect of one of the most influential Black-owned beauty empires in history.

Iman’s early life was intellectually and culturally rich. Her father was a diplomat and former Somali ambassador, and her mother was a gynecologist. She was educated in Somalia, Egypt, and Kenya, and spoke several languages fluently before ever entering the fashion world. Contrary to common myth, Iman did not aspire to be a model; she was studying political science at the University of Nairobi when she was discovered.

She was discovered in 1975 by legendary American photographer Peter Beard, who encountered her while she was walking in Nairobi. Beard photographed her and presented her as an exotic African muse to the fashion world, launching her career internationally. Within months, Iman appeared on the cover of Vogue, marking one of the first times a dark-skinned African woman graced the magazine.

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Iman’s rise was meteoric. She quickly became the muse of fashion icons such as Yves Saint Laurent, Gianni Versace, Calvin Klein, Halston, Issey Miyake, and Thierry Mugler. Yves Saint Laurent famously stated that he could not have designed his iconic “African Collection” without Iman, declaring that she represented his ideal woman.

Her runway and editorial career spanned two decades, during which she became one of the most in-demand models in the world. She appeared on the covers of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Allure, and Time, and worked with elite photographers such as Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, Irving Penn, and Steven Meisel.

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Iman’s beauty became legendary. She is celebrated for her luminous, deep brown skin, regal height, sculpted cheekbones, elongated neck, almond-shaped eyes, and symmetrical facial structure. Her Somali features reflect classical East African Nilotic aesthetics, often compared to ancient Nubian and Pharaonic beauty ideals.

In fashion theory, Iman is often described as the epitome of “model beauty” because her appearance combines proportion, bone structure, posture, and presence. She possesses what scholars call architectural beauty—features that translate powerfully across photography, film, and live runway.

Iman did not simply succeed within Eurocentric systems—she redefined them. At a time when Black models were rare and often marginalized, she became the standard rather than the exception. She normalized African beauty within luxury spaces that had historically excluded it.

In her personal life, Iman married iconic musician David Bowie in 1992. Their marriage became one of the most admired interracial celebrity unions in modern history, lasting until Bowie died in 2016. Together, they had one daughter, Alexandria Zahra Jones, born in 2000. Iman also has a daughter, Zulekha Haywood, from her previous marriage to basketball player Spencer Haywood.

Beyond modeling, Iman made history as a beauty entrepreneur. In 1994, she founded IMAN Cosmetics, one of the first global beauty brands created specifically for women of color. The brand addressed a massive gap in the cosmetics industry, which had long ignored deeper skin tones.

IMAN Cosmetics became a revolutionary force, offering foundation, skincare, and makeup products for a wide range of melanin-rich complexions. Iman famously stated that she created the brand because “women of color were invisible in beauty.” Her company is now regarded as a blueprint for inclusive beauty, preceding brands like Fenty by decades.

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Her entrepreneurial success transformed her from model to mogul. Iman became one of the wealthiest self-made Black women in fashion, proving that Black beauty could generate not only cultural value but economic sovereignty.

Iman’s impact extends into humanitarian and political advocacy. She has worked extensively with organizations such as CARE, Keep a Child Alive, and the UN Refugee Agency, focusing on African development, famine relief, and global health.

She has received numerous honors, including the Fashion Icon Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), TIME Magazine Icon Award, BET Lifetime Achievement Award, and multiple humanitarian recognitions.

As an “Ebony Doll,” Iman represents the highest archetype of Black feminine beauty—regal, dignified, and timeless. The term here signifies symbolic elevation: she is not decorative, but iconic; not consumable, but monumental.

Her Somali beauty challenged colonial narratives that framed African features as primitive or undesirable. Instead, she presented African aesthetics as classical, royal, and divine—comparable to ancient queens, goddesses, and empresses.

Unlike hypersexualized representations of Black women, Iman’s beauty has always been associated with intellect, grace, and power. She embodies what cultural theorists describe as sovereign femininity—beauty aligned with authority rather than submission.

In sociological terms, Iman converted beauty into symbolic, cultural, and economic capital. She did not merely model luxury—she became luxury itself, reshaping global visual culture.

Iman’s legacy paved the way for generations of Black models, including Naomi Campbell, Alek Wek, Liya Kebede, Jourdan Dunn, Adut Akech, and Anok Yai. Without Iman, the contemporary presence of African beauty in fashion would be unimaginable.

Ultimately, Iman is not simply a model—she is a civilizational figure. She represents the re-entry of African beauty into global consciousness after centuries of erasure.

She is the Ebony Doll, not as fantasy, but as truth: the living standard by which model beauty itself is measured.

References

Iman. (2001). I Am Iman. HarperCollins.

Iman Cosmetics. (2020). Brand history and founder biography. IMAN Global.

Council of Fashion Designers of America. (2010). Fashion Icon Award: Iman.

Beard, P. (1975). Discovery of Iman photographic series.

TIME Magazine. (2018). Iman: Global fashion icon and entrepreneur.

Entwistle, J. (2009). The aesthetic economy of fashion: Models and symbolic capital. Berg.

Hunter, M. (2011). Buying racial capital: Skin bleaching and cosmetic surgery in a globalized world. The Journal of Pan African Studies, 4(4), 142–164.

Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). Greenwood.

Banks, I. (2015). Black bodies in fashion: Representation and resistance. Fashion Theory, 19(3), 267–289.

Crenshaw, K. (1991). Mapping the margins: Intersectionality and identity politics. Stanford Law Review, 43(6), 1241–1299.

Business, Cosmetics, fashion

💄 Shades of Success: The Fashion Fair Legacy 💄

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Fashion Fair Cosmetics was founded in 1973 by Eunice Johnson, the trailblazing wife of John H. Johnson, founder of Ebony and Jet magazines. Born Eunice Walker in Selma, Alabama, in 1916, she married John in 1941 and became an influential force in both publishing and fashion. The couple had one daughter, Linda Johnson Rice, who would later lead Johnson Publishing Company. Eunice Johnson’s vision for Fashion Fair emerged from her experience organizing the Ebony Fashion Fair, a traveling fashion show she began in 1958 to raise money for Black charities. While touring, she discovered a lack of makeup shades for darker skin tones—prompting her to create a cosmetics line specifically designed for women of color (Taylor, 2016).

The Fashion Fair brand quickly became an international success. Ebony and Jet magazines, both owned by Johnson Publishing, were instrumental in promoting the cosmetics line, featuring glamorous spreads of Black models such as Pat Cleveland, Barbara Summers, and Jennifer Lawson. These models embodied elegance and sophistication, challenging Eurocentric beauty norms. The line expanded beyond foundation and lipsticks to include skincare products, eventually becoming the largest Black-owned cosmetics company in the world. At its peak in the late 1970s and 1980s, Fashion Fair reportedly generated annual revenues exceeding $20 million from its cosmetics division alone (Byrd & Tharps, 2014). While its core was cosmetics, the company did not primarily sell clothing; instead, the Ebony Fashion Fair fashion shows featured high-end designer garments from global couture houses as part of its fundraising and branding strategy.

✨ Ebony Fashion Fair vs. Fashion Fair Cosmetics ✨

Ebony Fashion FairFashion Fair Cosmetics
Founded: 1958 by Eunice Johnson as a traveling fashion show.Founded: 1973 by Eunice Johnson as a cosmetics line for women of color.
Purpose: Raise funds for African American charities while showcasing high fashion to Black audiences.Purpose: Provide makeup shades that catered specifically to darker skin tones, which were ignored by mainstream beauty brands.
Products: No physical products for sale; featured garments from top designers like Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy, and Oscar de la Renta.Products: Cosmetics (foundation, lipsticks, eyeshadow, skincare), with shades suited for a diverse range of Black complexions.
Promotion: Advertised in Ebony and Jet magazines, plus national press; toured across the U.S., Canada, and Caribbean.Promotion: Featured in Ebony and Jet magazines, department store counters, and special events tied to the fashion shows.
Key Figures: Models like Pat Cleveland, Barbara Summers, and Jennifer Lawson graced the runway.Key Figures: Many of the same Ebony Fashion Fair models were used in cosmetics ads, linking beauty and fashion images.
Impact: Elevated Black representation in haute couture, inspiring cultural pride.Promotion: Advertised in Ebony and Jet magazines, plus national press; toured across the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean.

The era of Fashion Fair’s dominance spanned the 1970s through the 1990s, a time when Black representation in beauty and fashion industries was still severely limited. The brand’s products filled a void in the marketplace, offering shades that had never been available in mainstream beauty lines. Fashion Fair not only thrived financially but also reshaped the beauty landscape by validating and celebrating darker skin tones. Even as competition grew in the 2000s, the company’s legacy as a cultural pioneer remained strong, influencing today’s inclusive beauty brands. Eunice Johnson’s work stands as a testament to how one woman’s vision—rooted in cultural pride and social responsibility—could transform both an industry and the self-image of generations of Black women.

References

Byrd, A. D., & Tharps, L. L. (2014). Hair story: Untangling the roots of Black hair in America (2nd ed.). St. Martin’s Press.

Taylor, U. Y. (2016). The promise of patriarchy: Women and the Nation of Islam. University of North Carolina Press.