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Tyra Banks became the first black woman to grace the covers of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and GQ. She became so successful as a model that she used her popularity to try her hand at acting, singing, writing, and producing. She is only one of seven women to appear consistently on Time magazine's world's most influential people list.
Ciara is an American singer-songwriter whose debut single, Goodies, earned her the title Princess of Crunk&B. Her songs, Goodies and Yeah!, are credited with introducing the substyle of contemporary R&B and crunk music called crunk&B to music lovers. Also a dancer and model, Ciara has had a major impact on the American entertainment industry for the past 10 years.
R&B and hip-hop singer Teyana Taylor gained fame with MTV's My Super Sweet 16. She signed with Kanye West’s label and also appeared on the reality show Teyana and Iman, with her husband, NBA player Iman Shumpert. In December 2020, she announced her retirement from music through Instagram.
Karrueche Tran is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Vivian Johnson in the popular web series, The Bay. Apart from playing an important role in The Bay, Tran also produced the series for which she won two Daytime Emmy Awards. Before becoming an actress, Karrueche Tran worked as a model and was the face of Lady Crooks.
Alek Wek is a South Sudanese-British designer and model. Since making her fashion debut at the age of 18, Alek has been an influential figure in the world of fashion; she has been praised for redefining beauty and altering the perception of beauty within the fashion industry. In 2015, she was included in the BBC's 100 Women list.
Jeremy Meeks is an American convicted felon whose mug shot posted on Facebook by the police helped him land contracts as a fashion model. Dubbed the buff bad boy by Vogue magazine, Jeremy Meeks is a former member of a notorious gang called the Crips. He now serves as an inspiration to other convicted felons, thanks to his inspiring journey.
Grace Jones began her career as a model in New York and Paris, popularizing her androgynous style. One of VH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll, she experimented with disco, punk, reggae, and pop, and contributed to the 1980s’ cross-dressing movement. She later appeared in films such as Vamp.
Fleur East is an English rapper, singer, and songwriter. She is best known for her participation in the popular reality television music competition The X Factor where she finished second in 2014. She then went on to release her debut studio album Love, Sax and Flashbacks which peaked at number 12 on the Scottish Albums Chart.
Somali model, writer, and women’s rights activist Waris Dirie is best known for her advocacy against female genital mutilation through the Desert Flower Foundation. Born into a poor nomadic family, she ran away at 13 to avoid marriage and then worked as a maid in London, before gaining a modeling contract.
Nigerian beauty queen Agbani Darego made headlines with her Miss World win in 2001, when she became the first indigenous African to win the pageant. A bright computer science student back then, she was also the first from her country to make it to the Miss Universe Top 10.
British fashion-model Adwoa Aboah has modelled for Calvin Klein, H&M, DKNY and Fendi among others and featured on the cover of British Vogue, Vogue Italia, American Vogue, Vogue Poland, and i-D. A contributing-editor of British Vogue, Aboah was voted by the fashion industry in 2017 as Model of the Year for models.com and found place on the Powerlist in 2020.
