3. Naomi Sims
This model-turned-businesswoman and author is considered the first Black supermodel. Teased as a teen for her 5’10” stature, Naomi was turned away by many modeling agencies after being told her "skin was too dark.” After retiring from the catwalk, she launched a multimillion-dollar wig and cosmetics line.
The New York Times wrote that her "appearance as the first Black model on the cover of Ladies’ Home Journal in November 1968 was a consummate moment of the Black is Beautiful movement." She was also the first Black model to grace the cover of the then-popular Life magazine.
