Naomi Sims
She shattered the color barrier on major magazine covers and built a beauty empire when the industry offered Black models little future.
1949–2009 (age 60)·American model, businesswoman, and author·Birthday: March 30·Baby Boomers
Biography
Naomi Sims didn't just break into modeling; she rewrote its rules and then built a kingdom of her own. In the late 1960s, a time when Black faces were virtually absent from mainstream fashion pages, her striking features and regal grace forced editors to pay attention. Her 1967 cover for the 'Fashion of The Times' supplement was a quiet revolution, but her 1969 Life magazine cover was a national statement. Sims understood that a modeling career had an expiration date, especially for women of color. With foresight and fierce business acumen, she launched a wig line designed for Black women, using her own image to sell products that catered to a neglected market. This grew into a multimillion-dollar beauty empire. She later authored books on health, beauty, and success, cementing her role not just as a face, but as a pioneer who created a path where one barely existed.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Naomi was born in 1949, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Naomi Was Born
The biggest hits of 1949
#1 Movie
Samson and Delilah
Best Picture
All the King's Men
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Naomi's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1949Born
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1954Started school
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1962Became a teenager
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1965Could drive
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1967Could vote
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1970Turned 21
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1979Turned 30
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 40
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 50
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 60
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
Key Achievements
- Became the first African-American model to appear on the cover of Life magazine in 1969.
- Featured on the cover of Ladies' Home Journal in October 1968, another first for an African-American model.
- Founded the Naomi Sims Collection, a highly successful wig and beauty product line for Black women.
- Authored several books, including 'All About Health and Beauty for the Black Woman' and 'How to Be a Top Model.'
Did You Know?
She was exceptionally tall for a model of her era, standing at 5 feet 10 inches.
She initially pursued a career in psychology before being discovered.
She was married to art dealer Michael Findlay.
Later in life, she struggled with bipolar disorder and wrote about her experiences.
“I never wanted to be a model; I wanted to create an empire.”
