Goddess Energy and Black History Month
Donyale Luna
b. Peggy Ann Freeman 8/31/Detroit, Virgo
d. May 17, 1979, Italy
Luna is credited as the First Black Supermodel.
She is the first Black cover model for Vogue and went on to do 11 covers in 10 years.
She was seen in Cosmo, American & British Vogue, and Mademoiselle and also had an exclusive contract with Harpers Bazaar.
The thing was, there were times where her features would be edited to be more palatable to white audiences. Luna's goal was that Black women be seen, period, in the industry. She was known for crawling like a cat down runways or dancing, especially moving her hips in sensual ways as she walked.
Luna was a Warhol darling and was also the toast of Italy and did extremely well in modeling overseas where she moved when Harpers Bazaar ended the contract relationship with her exclusive photographer after they lost advertisers and subscription revenue for making a Black woman cover girl more than once.
Luna wanted to diversify beauty standards and often was known to push the envelope to open doors. She appeared on British covers in headwraps and worked with designers to make mannequins more shapely by having them create mannequins in her body shape, which would push limits at department stores as far as sizes go. So when you see a mannequin with a little shape and curve, please thank Donyale Luna.
She was known for being highly eccentric and extravagant. Most of all, unapologetic.
Goddesses never apologize for greatness.