Models Breaking the Mold

            Beauty is defined as a combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight. Even though we tend to believe that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, top fashion magazines have defined a standard that has excluded many other beautiful women in the past. Fortunately, we have made some progress on the runway and in print - and the beautiful women we didn’t see before are now being appreciated worldwide.

            Khoudia Diop is a stunning Senegalese model who was bullied as a child because of her dark skin tone. At the age of 15, she moved to France and was soon approached by many photographers who wanted her photos. She finally relented and proclaimed herself the “Melanin Goddess” in celebration of her skin tone. She became a social media sensation when she was featured in a campaign for The Colored Girl Project, a creative agency that shows the world the beauty of women of color.

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            Precious Lee is a gorgeous woman who has advocated for diversity in size, gender, and race in the fashion industry through Lane Bryant’s body positivity campaigns. She is the first black plus size model to be featured in Sports Illustrated and the highly influential Vogue.  

            Winnie Harlow is a model with a skin condition called vitiligo, which is when the skin loses its pigmentation, leaving whitish patches. She became famous due to her condition when she was a contestant on America’s Next Top Model. She’s been featured in lots of magazines, such as: Glamour, Complex, Cosmopolitan, and Vogue. She’s also appeared in a Sprite commercial and modeled at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in 2018.

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            Liris Crosse has been dubbed the “Naomi Campbell of Plus” for her fierce walks on the runway. She also made history as the first black model chosen to star in the British Goddess Lingerie’s lookbook. She has also been in several movies!

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