NAIJA BLOG

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    Former top model, Naomi Sims, has lost her battle with breast cancer yesterday (August 4, 2009) at the age of 61. Who is Naomi Sims and why is this newsworthy? Miss Naomi was considered by many to be the “first black supermodel” for appearing on the cover of Ladies Home Journal in November 1968. This was remarkable considering women of color were barely featured within pages of mainstream magazines let alone magazine covers. Sims modeled for “IT” designers of her time like, Halston & Giorgio di Sant’Anglelo and appeared on many covers including Cosmopolitan, Life and New York Times. In fact the covers she graced for Life (1969) and New York Times (1967) are on display in the Metropolitan Museum’s “The Model As Muse” exhibit. When she retired from modeling, she started a multi-million wig-making business that focussed on the needs of African-American women. She even parlayed her career into the publishing world as well by authoring several books discussing modeling, healt