The life of Naomi Sims was inspiring. I first read about her when I visited the Model as Muse exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum. Beautiful brown skin, big brown eyes and long slender body, Ms. Sims was well known in the 1960's and was considered the first black supermodel. Because, she was not very popular to a lot of today's generation, I was planning to write a story on her in the next issue to highlight her life and her accomplishments. She was the first black model to grace the cover of Ladies Home Journal and appeared in other publications such as Cosmopolitan, Essence and Life.

What made me admire her even more is that although she modeled, she created other paths of success when she started her own successful businesses. One very successful business was a wig company for black women. She also wrote a few books focusing on success and beauty and her most popular book was "All About Health and Beauty for Black Women".

She died today of cancer at age 61.
Read more about Naomi Sims in the next issue of ZEPHORAHmagazine.

sources
http://www.twirlit.com/2009/08/03/black-supermodel-naomi-sims-dead-at-61/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/03/naomi-sims-first-black-su_n_250...