The 55 most Beautiful People of 2000

Ebony, Dec, 2000

IT'S in our title, it's in our mandate, it's in our vision: ebony is beautiful. Long before it was fashionable, long before it was profitable, we were fascinated by the extraordinary beauty of the Black persona and the extraordinary variety of the beauty--ebony, cream, mahogany and burning brown--in beautiful people like Lena Horne, Edward Kennedy Ellington and Mary McLeod Bethune.

Since 1945 we have moved from Lena Horne, the only person to make every most beautiful list since our founding 55 years ago, to Lena Horne and Tyson and Lauryn Hill. And in commemoration of our 55th anniversary, we are honored to cite 55 of the most beautiful people of the new millennium, including two sisters, a married couple and engaged couple, with the understanding that in 2000, as in 1945, beauty to us is not a purely ornamental concept. As in the beginning, as in African, it is a functional category. It is for something. It is for use, for love, for life.

TYRA BANKS

LIKE her name, Tyra Banks possesses a rare beauty. The honeyed eyes. The long legs. The radiant smile. And then there are the curves ... In a world where rail-thin models are celebrated, Banks stands out for her sexy shape.

Forget the catcalls and double-takes. With one glimpse, Tyra can turn men to jelly. Or at least send them quivering in the corner like the L.A. Lakers player who covered his face with a cushion to avoid meeting his crush. Mesmerizing in person, Tyra can be lethal when she's modeling. "When I saw her on the runway, it was, `Damn, she is beautiful,'" former boyfriend John Singleton told a reporter. "I was dying."

With all the hoopla, supermodel Tyra, who is also an actress, remains grounded. Away from the spotlight, she's most happy without the makeup and the fancy 'dos. She can often be found courtside at a basketball game or being a homegirl with friends.

But whether she's decked out in couture fashions or lounging in sweats, one thing is certain, she attracts attention. Designer Todd Oldham says, "She was just born with grace."

LENA HORNE

IS there a more enduring symbol of beauty than Lena Horne? For more than 60 years she has dazzled us with her almost contradictory combination of smoldering, uptown-girl good looks and down-home charm. We have always loved her, not just for her ethereal beauty and way with a song, but because we recognize in her an indomitable pioneer who endured Hollywood's indignities and opened doors for the actors and actresses who followed. Since then, incredibly, as the voice and the career took on new and deeper shadings, she has grown more beautiful. Some people talk learnedly of the "Lena Horne Look." But the look is not in the skin or the features; it is in the presence, the flair and the fire which remind us that real beauty is a complex and undefinable relationship between the external and the internal. No wonder she is the only person who has been on every EBONY most beautiful list for 55 straight years.

TYSON

TYSON Beckford knew he was destined be revered by many, but thought that his calling card to fame was hip-hop music. Little did Tyson know that his rich, dark skin, chiseled cheekbones, crescent-shaped eyes and soft, seductive lips were so astounding that he could make it without even opening his mouth. The supermodel says he maintains his looks by weight-training at least three times a week and avoiding red meat and alcohol.

He was discovered the way many starlets and models hope to be discovered. He was walking down the street, minding his own business, when a pair of strangers walked up to him and asked him to pose for their urban magazine. Leery at first, Tyson, who stands 6-foot-1, agreed. And faster than the average Sister can say, "My God isn't he a tall drink of water," Tyson became the first Black model to sign a contract with Ralph Lauren. Today, his face can be found everywhere, and each new Tyson appearance is like taking a sip of your favorite fantasy.

NAOMI CAMPBELL

ONE of the world's most unforgettable women, Naomi Campbell dares you not to look. From her luminous mocha skin to her sensuous lips and intense eyes, she demands your stare.

The London-born model is used to adoration. One of the original five supermodels, Naomi was the first Black model to pose on the covers of certain major U.S. and international magazines. She is a pioneering diva, paving the way for a greater recognition of Black beauty.

Naomi, runway darling, successful entrepreneur and international celebrity, continues to reinvent herself. Along with modeling, she is a singer, actress and co-author of a best-selling novel.

She is so well-known that fans don't even need to hear her full name. Just the whisper of Naomi invokes an image that endures--the skin, the lips, the eyes.

"She is now known simply by her first name," says one article, "which is the ultimate sign of fame."

DENZEL WASHINGTON

HE says he doesn't see it. "There's nobody swooning in the streets when I pass by," he once told EBONY. Come on, Denzel. That might be true if the streets in question were on Mars. But down here on Earth, women are climbing all over themselves and swooning left and right to catch even the faintest glimpse of him. There is more to his appeal than mere looks, however. Sure, he's tall, dark and handsome, but he also has characteristics that make him the thinking woman's sex symbol--intelligence, intensity, maturity, passion. And even though his 27 film roles have displayed his remarkable versatility as an actor, those seductive, star-making qualities always seem to shine through. The fact that he's married hasn't dampened the enthusiasm either. It's as though his 18-year union with wife Pauletta and his reputation as a devoted family man make him seem even more fetching. Perhaps poet, actress/director Maya Angelou said it best when summing up Washington's appeal: "He is as totally contained as a vault of rare gems," she told EBONY, "and as totally accessible as air."