Naomi Sims

Naomi Sims ( born March 30, 1948 in Oxford, Mississippi; † August 1, 2009 in Newark, New Jersey ) was an American fashion model. In the 1960s, she was the first African American woman who became known as a model worldwide.

Life

Naomi Sims grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and then attended in New York City, the Fashion Institute of Technology. As a student, she began to work as a model. It was helpful for them while the black civil rights movement, the slogan " Black is beautiful " ( engl. Black is beautiful) in the 1960s coined. Highlights of her career include cover pictures on the magazines " Ladies Home Journal " (1968) and "Life" (1969). Both magazines had never previously displayed a black woman on the front page.

1972 offered the Warner Bros. in Hollywood Sims the title role in Jack Starrett's movie "Cleopatra Jones ", which she refused but after reading the extremely racist script.

In 1976, Sims a company that brought out a very successful collection of smooth hair wigs for black women. Today the company markets primarily cosmetic products for black women. Since the 1970s, published Sims also produces books with beauty tips.

Sims was in the 1970s with Michael Finney, curator of the New York Cultural Center, married, which they brought out in an event of the event artist Ray Johnson in the role of Anna May Wong in 1972.

Naomi Sims died on 1 August 2009 her breast cancer.