Cultural thieves had robbed us of pride in our looks and prejudiced us against ourselves, confusing us with imitations of life, bleached dreams, and fears of our own darkness. For their unique blends of elegance and innocence, the media had no convenient place. Neither Jezebel nor Jemima, in a society that could not imagine whatever else they might be, Black models were women of rare presence. Skin color, hair texture, facial features, body types, and much more were factors in a giant social audition whose lines echoed this perennial top tune: If you're light, you're all right We did not compile that list, yet that list helped to make us, to shape and define us in ways that continue today. We have been many others on a too-long list. Historically, Black women in White America have been called many things: Mammy and mule, radical and religious, Sapphire and sexpot, whore and welfare queen. Her response only fueled my determination to learn as much as I could about what I was certain would be a big, rich, and important story. "Well, Barbara," she said, "it's going to be a very short book."ĭespite over four decades in the modeling business as one of the founders, innovators, and great success stories, Eileen Ford was wrong. But when I exultantly asked Eileen Ford, my long-time agent, for her opinion of a book project on the history of Black fashion models, her response was characteristically brisk and blunt. Not for their existence alone, but for their persistence in the silently revolutionary acts that removed blinders, corrected our cultural vision, and expanded our definition of beauty.ĭuring my many years as a model I saw much more than people acknowledged. We have seen them, often admired and even idolized them, but rarely have we known them, and never have we examined their history.īlack and Beautiful seeks to name, know, and honor these women. Since the middle of this century, every generation has had its pathfinders and trailblazers, its novas and shooting stars, extraordinary women who shone with a special light.
At the end of the 20th century, these models stand tall because they are supported by the many women who preceded them, women of color who were pioneers in a special wilderness, the profession of fashion and beauty.
PrefaceBlack and BeautifulIt is a sign of their success that Black models are taken for granted today.
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