August 4, 2009

"Naomi was the first. She was the great ambassador for all black people. She broke down all the social barriers."

Naomi Sims, the model, dead at the age of 61.
Two images of Ms. Sims — one from the 1967 Times fashion magazine cover and the other from a 1969 issue of Life — are in the current Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition “The Model as Muse.” In a catalog, the curators Harold Koda and Kohle Yohannan wrote, “The beautifully contoured symmetry of Sims’s face and the lithe suppleness of her body presented on the once-exclusionary pages of high-fashion journals were evidence of the wider societal movement of Black Pride and the full expression of ‘Black is Beautiful.’ ”...

In 1972, the producers of the movie “Cleopatra Jones” sought to cast Ms. Sims in the title role, but she turned it down because, she said, she was offended by its racist portrayal of black people....

In 1973, Ms. Sims decided to start her own business. As a model, she often did her own hair and makeup, since many studio assistants were unfamiliar with working with darker skin. And she noticed that most commercially available wigs were designed for Caucasian hair, so she began experimenting with her own designs, baking synthetic hairs in her oven at home to create the right texture to look like straightened black hair. Within five years, her designs, produced by the Metropa Company, had annual sales of $5 million.

9 comments:

Jason (the commenter) said...

Anything she did as a model, that wasn't her, it was the people who decided to use her image. They're the ones who should be celebrated, not her.

But starting an innovative business and getting it to work, amazing!

MadisonMan said...

Anything she did as a model, that wasn't her, it was the people who decided to use her image. They're the ones who should be celebrated, not her.

Well, part of it was her image, sure. But she also had the instinct to alter her presentation to be what others wanted. That's a gift.

I liked the story of how she got started, too -- mailing out her image. I wonder if that could be done today?

The Crack Emcee said...

Maybe I'm running too far ahead of the racial pack here but, frankly my dear, I don't give a damn.

Also, reading Jason's comment reminded me of a thought I had regarding the glorification of Michael Jackson: Quite a bit of the "talent" we give Michael credit for actually belongs to The Corporation. (I dare anyone to listen to a song like "ABC" and tell me the drummer, for instance, isn't as responsible for the success of that song as anyone showcased in the group singing.) People misplace their loyalties and love to believe the hype. They're tools. Sheep, ready for slaughter. And happy to be so. 12 people in the Michael Jackson Fan Club killed themselves after he died. How much would you like to bet they'd never considered all the other people engaged in the process of making him a star? They probably could've used a bit of devotion, themselves, no?

knox said...

The first, and better, Naomi supermodel.

William said...

She died of cancer at age 61. We like to pretend that we can inflict justice on the world, but all our attempts at fairness are grist for the mills of God. I'd rather have non-carcogenic genes than any amount of beauty or courage.

Jason (the commenter) said...

MadisonMan : I liked the story of how she got started, too -- mailing out her image. I wonder if that could be done today?

I'm sure companies have "people" to prevent it. They'd have to once Sims told her story. Everyone else would try to copy her.

That's all part of her entrepreneurial spirit though. There are many successful black people and had been before her.

Generally, I never think highly of people who were "the first." There's nothing to learn from someone like that, often it was just dumb luck. I'd rather hear about "the best" or someone who worked their way to success. Those are the type of people I can learn from. That's why I'll admire Naomi Sims, not because she was the first, but because of everything else she did.

Bissage said...

As much as Ms. Sims is deserving of our respect and admiration, still one cannot help but feel some sense of loss that she never bore Sidney Poitier’s love child.

Jason (the commenter) said...

William : I'd rather have non-carcogenic genes than any amount of beauty or courage.

Better to live in constant fear and self-loathing for a hundred years than live a normal, full life?

BJM said...

I wandered down a number of story paths following the Model As Muse links which reminded me of an apt Isaac Mizrahi quote:

“You can’t listen to other people if you want style."

Mizrahi also wears colorful toenail polish, so yes, there is an Althouse-Meade nexus.