Naomi Sims
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Naomi Sims (born March 30, 1949) is an American model and businesswoman.
Born in Oxford, Mississippi, Sims moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where she attended high school. Because she was so tall for her age, she was ostracized by many of her classmates. Ms. Sims credits her upbringing as a Catholic for getting her through adolescence.
Ms. Sims began college at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. She became one of the first black supermodels while still in her teens, and achieved world wide recognition from the late 1960s – early 1970s, appearing on the covers of prestigious fashion and popular magazines one of the early models with Wilhelmina. In 1969, at a time when most models, regardless of race or ethnicity, were not known to the general public by their names, Ms. Sims scored a major coup by appearing on the cover of Life magazine as the most successful and most recognizable of the new generation of black models.
By 1972, Hollywood took an interest in her as a potential actress and offered her the title role in the movie Cleopatra Jones, but when Ms. Sims read the script, she was appalled by the racist portrayal of blacks in the movie, and she turned it down. Ms. Sims ultimately decided to go into the beauty business for herself.
In 1973, she thus retired from modeling to create a successful wig collection fashioned after the texture of relaxed black hair.
She has authored several books on modeling, health, and beauty.
