My aunt Christiana has told me many times that every young woman needs a role model. Someone that she looks up to, someone that inspires her, and someone that’s a good example of what it is like to be secure in herself. All my life I have struggled with being that one black girl in a room full of white people. My mom would constantly encourage me to be proud of my ethnicity and realize that black was beautiful. Unfortunately I never quite believed her. In my mind, the only picture of universal beauty I knew was a woman like Audrey Hepburn or Marilyn Munroe, both tremendously stunning women but neither had any connection to my heritage. Then one day as I blindly followed my mother around Victoria’s Secret I found myself face-to-face, nose-to-nose with a poster. Startled I backed up and allowed my eyes to focus on the beautiful ebony woman portrayed in front of me. She was poised and elegant, confident and demure. A woman that seemed to recognize her heritage and was clearly confident in the skin that she was placed in. That woman was Chanel Iman and as I was shaken from my hazy gaze by the sound of my mothers voice I vowed to find out more about this woman on the poster. That night I Googled the name Chanel Iman and instantly came across her website and personal blog. As I scanned the pages, which swiftly summed up the eventful life of Chanel I quickly fell in love. For the first time in my life I was presented with a black woman and saw nothing but pure beauty. Not only that but her character and accomplishments was something that inspired and bewildered me. I had never come across a woman before that I held so many characteristics that I wanted to develop. Chanel Iman has a perfectly balanced sugar and spice personality, which I envy on a day-to-day basis, a shy, quiet, yet confident way of presenting herself to scouts and an undeniably beautiful face. Born to a Korean father and an African- American mother Chanel Iman has a very interesting heritage. I myself, coming from an African- American mother and a Venezuelan father find it to be encouraging that another woman from two second- world ethnicities has come as far as she has, to the point of being incredibly successful.
Recognized as one of the most successful female African- American models of her time, Chanel Iman is the epitome of success. With a net worth of over 8 million dollars, Iman has had many lucrative opportunities. What’s even more impressive is the portfolio that has garnered her so much attention. At the age of thirteen years old Chanel moved from Atlanta, Georgia to Los Angeles, California and was signed to the prestigious Ford Modeling Agency and placed 3rd in Ford’s Supermodel of the World contest. In 2006 Chanel’s career took off like never before as she graced the runways of fashion icons such as: Marc Jacobs, Ana Sui, Phillp Lim, and Valentino. In the season following the hype of her electric debut Chanel Iman’s name began to take on a sense of reverence in the fashion world as she was dressed by some of the greatest designers of all time including: Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga, John Galliano, Tom Ford, Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Hermes, Jean Paul Gaultier, Alexander McQueen, Ralph Lauren, Micheal Kors, Oscar De La Renta, and Givenchy. In May 2007 Chanel Iman was on the cover of Vogue (which makes her the youngest African-American model to ever grace its cover) and was named one of the most promising 10 Up and Coming Models. In the spring of 2009 Chanel Iman stunned the fashion world by strutting proudly down the runway of Gucci; she was the first black model to walk for this designer in over eight years!
In July of 2011 Stylebistro.com interviewed Chanel Iman asking her questions about her career and family. When asked what the hardest part about modeling was she was quoted as saying: “Obviously, I think most people would agree, but just being away from my family. I'm very family oriented and I love my family and everyone's from LA and no one's here in New York, but I'm the one who lives in New York so it's very difficult to be distant from my family when I'm away.” This is another one of the characteristics of Chanel Iman that I admire. Even through all of the attention and fame Chanel has still stayed grounded and committed to her family. Numerous magazine articles have quoted her saying that without the support and encouragement from her family she would be nothing. Metacafe.com even has a video posted on their website titles “Family Dynamics” which interviews Chanel and her mother and explores their bond. Chanel Iman proves she is down to earth as she admits to shopping in the most modest of stores and even channels much of her attention into The HerShe Group Foundation, an organization dedicated to mentoring teen girls in foster care as the make the transition into society. I really value the fact that Chanel Iman takes a special interest in children in foster care because I have several friends that were adopted out of foster care and their lives have been greatly enriched.
As a young girl living in America I will not deny that life can be difficult. Young ladies are in desperate need for positive role models! Everywhere we turn we are bombarded with images of airbrushed, makeup covered, cleavage barring women. We read magazines like Seventeen and Cosmopolitan and are told that boys are attracted to skin, boobs, and curves. We have played with idealistically formed Barbie dolls for as long as we can remember and watch movies and television shows which allow the most beautiful women in the nation to parade around the set as if it’s the most normal, realistic thing in the world. All these “norms” that the world has used to dominate the minds of adolescent females have caused us to doubt the beauty, which God has created us all with. Statistics show that girls between the ages of 7-13 experience major mood swings and need to shown how to properly channel their emotions. Women like Chanel Iman make a difference, not only in my life, but also in the lives of girls all over America because they douse our lives with a touch of refreshing realism that soothes the doubtful hormonal rager that dwells inside the minds of thousands of teenage girls. Chanel Iman inspires me because she shows that an average thirteen-year old mixed girl from Georgia can defy the odds and become one of the most famous supermodels of her time. If she can pull that off then I, an average fifteen-year old girl from Tucson, Arizona is capable of becoming anything that I want to be.
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