Beauty Surpasses Prejudice - Naomi Sims

Naomi Sims, youngest of the three daughters, was born in Oxford Mississippi, the USA in March 30th, 1948.  She grew up in a single parent home after her father left at a very young age.  It is said, because of her unusual height,  Naomi did not have it easy growing up as she was constantly teased by other children.  Little did anyone know, that the features they thought were odd, was the very thing together with her constant determination, which paved the way for her amazing career in the world of beauty and fashion.

Before the Iman's, Alek Wek's, Tayra Banks, and Naomi Campbell, there was Naomi Sims.  The first African American who paved the way for the rest of the brown ladies in the world of fashion models.  I can just but imagine how difficult it was back in the 20th century to have a breakthrough in a mainstream Fashion Industry which was, back then predominantly a "white affair".
"When she decided to become a model, however, her early encounters with the agencies were not encouraging; all turned her down, some taking the trouble to explain that her skin was too dark.  Deciding to bypass the agencies altogether, she went directly to fashion photographers - a tactic that paid off when Gosta Peterson, a photographer for The New York Times, agreed to do a shoot for the cover of the newspaper's August fashion supplement"
With her determination, she achieved worldwide recognition.  Naomi's shots appeared in prestigious fashion magazines in the late '60s, one of them being the "Life" magazine cover of October 1969. Kudos to her!

"As the designer, Halston told The New York Times in 1974; Naomi was the first.  She was the great ambassador for all black people.  She broke down all the social barriers"

As much as I hate thinking that race could be a factor, the reality is, this case was an issue. Therefore it is our obligation to acknowledge and appreciate people like her and many others who went through mental, and in some cases physical war, to make a statement for themselves and others.  We appreciate them all a great deal! 
I choose to pay a  tribute to a great woman who made it to the top,  Naomi Sims.  She sadly passed away in Newark New Jersey, on August 1st, 2009 of breast cancer, she was 61, but she had achieved her dream.
 Read more http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/5978858/Naomi-Sims.html

There goes young Naomi!!

Impressed only by her beauty, Peterson offered his help and her photos became part of the history!

Source
http://fashionandoutfits.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/top-7-african-american-super-models.html

http://www.ciaovogue.com/2011/02/june-1972-us-vogue.html
http://mylittleboudoir.com/2012/02/05/supermodel-sunday-naomi-sims/
http://blackandbeautiful.fr/blog/en/2014/03/21/black-beauty-fashion-naomi-sims-first-black-supermodel/

Africa Adorned!

Wow! How exotic!

When we are clothed in a certain way, we have high expectations.  That is to be accepted or treated in a manner that we desire and our clothing has the power to achieve that before we speak.   

So I re-visit my library for some inspiration. I love going back to history books that I have collected over the years and searching for a spark of ideas.  I found "Africa Adorned" by Angela Fisher.  It is such a useful book for any artist to have in their library collection. Well, it motivates me a lot.  Not only for inspiration but gives one a wealth of positive insight into what Africa is all about.  From Northern Africa all the way down to South.  It is fantastic!

The author wrote about her fascination with Africa during her first visit to Southern Africa in the early '70s. Of course, she did not stop there but traveled to my country Tanzania- in East Africa- where she encountered the famous African tribe- the Maasai warriors. 
Her curiosity made her travel deeper into the heart of Africa all the way to up North; she claimed it was like stepping into a completely different planet. Mhh!   She encountered more diverse tribes, lifestyles, and cultures with distinguished and striking customs (in terms of) outstanding tribal costumes, remarkable hair forms, body paintings, and all sorts of decorations that she had never seen before.

"I began to discover that all these exotic fashion - in jewelry, body art, even clothing - were not merely adopted for beauty.  Each Item was of individual significance and proffered a wealth of information about the wear"

Yes! In general, we are what we wear and body language has become a media of expression in its own right.  We call it 'The Language of Clothes' as in a book by: Alison Lurie.

We often identify or send messages by what and how we wear; this is exactly what Angela Fisher encountered so evidently and powerfully may I say, in Africa. 

In my earlier post about Khanga, a native Swahili garment in Tanzania, I referred to this as being the cloth that speaks a culture of silence. 

 The language of dress is an automatic one since the history of mankind.  Before the so called 'Fashion' or civilisations, people were geographically identified through the communication of their traditional costumes, hairstyles, body adornment, and body painting.

I have selected other stunning, breathtaking, and extremely stylish images from Africa taken by photographer Ken Hanmann and what have I got to say about these images.

Source: 

http://www.kenhermann.dk/personal/beauty-of-omo-valley/

Grace

Love, Security & Family

Sheer Elegance, Style & Pride

Youth, Beauty,& Pride

oozing with style & poise

Confidence

Innocence & Purity

Purity

Pride & Identity

.........and then there is of course what we call the 'High End Fashion Adorned'! 

http://iiiinspired.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/that-thing.html

Christian Dior, Fall 1999, photos by Annie Leibovitz

Fashion throughout the decades has demonstrated to be an influential force in the establishment and expression of both cultural and personal identity.

Source

Africa Adorned: Angela Fisher

Photos courtesy of :  Ken Hanmann