50 years of fashion and beauty

Ebony, August, 1995 by Lynn Norment

Gradually, the doors of the fashion industry were opened to African-American women and the stage was set for the emergence of popular Black models of the '70s, such as Naomi Sims, Pat Cleveland, Iman, Betham Hardison, and Beverly Johnson. In 1974, Johnson became the first Black model to grace the cover of Vogue magazine. Overall, she has appeared on more than 500 magazine covers.

During the '80s, EBONY continued to showcase the most glamorous fashions from European and American designers, including the latest in swimwear and casual attire. There were features on sensational and daring beach wear, classy lingerie, sassy and colorful French ready-to-wear, creations from the masters of haute couture, dramatic wedding gowns and the works of Black designers.

It was also during that decade that Black models began showing up on European and American runways and in the pages and on the covers of fashion magazines in significantly greater numbers. It was as though the world finally realized what EBONY had been saying all along: that Black women with their full luscious lips and glowing bronze complexions represent the epitome of beauty.

Today, strikingly beautiful Black women such as Naomi Campbell, Tyra Banks and Beverly Peele rule the runways and are seen repeatedly on the pages and covers of the world's top fashion magazines. They command fees of up to $15,000 a day for their exotic looks. And both Campbell and Banks have expanded their careers into films and music videos.

Throughout the '90s, there have been various indications that Black beauty is accepted on a much broader level. While for decades they were caricatured in the media, the natural assets of Black women are now being recognized and glorified beyond the Black community. In 1990, for the first time ever, Black women simultaneously reigned as the country's premier beauty queens: Debbye Turner as Miss America and Carole Gist as Miss USA. In articles and interviews, beauty experts praise the virtues of full, luminous lips, and scores of ads tout beauty products that enhance this asset.

Ironically, as Black models became more prominent and were elevated to the status of superstars on the covers of major White fashion magazines and in television advertisements, an increasing number of White women--famous and not-so-famous--began flocking to plastic surgeons to have their lips enlarged in an effort to emulate the big, luscious pouty mouths that are nature's gift to most African-American women. In a 1991 EBONY Story, a Black plastic surgeon said: "I'm not surprised that White women now want larger lips. Beauty standards are moving more toward homogeneous definitions. Beauty is not necessarily blond hair and blue eves any more .... This ethnicity is becoming the new standard of beauty, and Caucasians are having their lips enlarged, attempting to become more exotic, more beautiful."

Yes, Black beauty is en vogue these days, but as EBONY has consistently chronicled over the past 50 years, Black women have always been beautiful. However, racial barriers on the beauty, and fashion front persist. For despite their success in achieving the status of supermodel, today's Black fashion divas still experience subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle forms of discrimination in their glamorous profession. But like their role models before them, they consistently prevail. And with pizzazz and classic style, they will continue to set the pace for future generations of beautiful Black women on through the next century.