The icon, the legend,
the face known all over the world.
Iman, welcome to The Daily Show.
Okay, so, I was listening to you,
'cause I'm a huge fan of the show.
And I love that bit about your grandmother
-thinking you're famous. -Thank you. Thank you very much.
And I-- Just like an African grandmother, yeah?
-(laughs) -They're all the same.
-They're all the same. Yeah. -They're all the same. They're--
They think our name now is famous.
Well, I feel like your name could be famous
because you are synonymous with the fashion industry.
You're synonymous beyond the fashion industry,
and-and when I heard you were making a docuseries
about the impact that Black models have made
on-on not just the fashion industry but America as a whole,
I was really intrigued, and I was surprised and shocked.
Because many people would say,
-okay, we understand maybe... -Yeah.
how Black people have influenced fashion,
but Black models in-in the world of Civil Rights?
How did you even begin to know about the story
and want to tell it?
Well, uh, they, um...
YouTube and the directors contacted me during COVID,
-and they said that they wanted to do this docuseries -Uh-huh.
and, um, about Black beauty
and Black, specifically, the history of Black models.
And I said to them, "What will you bring to the table
that is new?"
And they said, "There is no documentary on Black beauty
or Black models ever."
-What? Wow. -This is the first.
So automatically, of course, I said, "Yeah, I'm on board."
But what I really wanted to make sure
is that I wanted to-to, uh, to highlight
not just the trial and tribulations of Black models
-in this industry, -Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
-but the joy and the celebration. Yeah? -I love that.
I love that.
-I love that. -Yeah.
Because I feel like that is, that is the journey, you know.
Trials, tribulations, but the joy as well,
which is oftentimes overlooked in many stories.
Exactly, exactly, you know, uh, the...
-And also the-- as culture. -Mm-hmm.
I mean, the, the, the cri de coeur in the '60s
-was "Black is beautiful." -Yes.
That hasn't changed.
We are just now a tribe of Black beauties.
-I love that. -Yeah.
-I love that. -(applause)
You're now showcasing a generation
from the current models
all the way through to many of the pioneers.
All the Naomi Sims, Donyale Luna, you know...
-Exactly, exactly. -Yeah, yeah.
When you look at the industry
through the lens that only you can,
do you think it's changed enough?
Have you seen change that-that you're proud of?
And how far do you still want it to go?
The-- what-- what's been happening in the industry
is like when I started in 1976.
Um, a lot of designers were using Black models.
But then it happened, like, in 2013 there was
this article in The New York Times that said
"The Blonde Leading the Blonde,
and the Blackout of the Black Model."
-Wow. -For six years, in 2013...
-Wow. -...for six years, none of the designers
-have used any Black models. -Wow.
So I was shocked by that. By then, I retired from modeling.
I was doing Iman Cosmetics.
But when I saw that article,
Naomi Campbell and I and Bethann Hardison,
the three of us joined forces together
and wrote to the designers of, uh... of America
and the European designers
to talk about, specifically, about this issue.
"What-what is happening?
"How come there was more Black models
-"in the '70s and '80s and, in 2013... -That is so--
-Yeah, that's crazy. -...nobody was using them?"
What happened was that a lot of, uh, uh, designers
were having casting agents who do the casting for them.
The casting agents now become the-the people
-with the-- with the power. -Right, the gatekeepers, yeah.
And they said-- they said to the agents,
"We are not seeing Black models this season."
As if they were a trend.
-(gasping) -Yeah.
-Wow. -So-so we were...
What we were trying to talk about was not calling them out
-or canceling them out. -Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
We were trying to call them in to understand,
"Are you aware, on your behalf, on your name,
"what these casting agents are doing?
"Because before I call you any names,
-I just want you to know first." (chuckling) -I love that.
I love that. And did they-- and did they respond accordingly?
You-- It-it was palpable, the change.
-I love that. -Yeah. Palpable, the change.
So it's like if you see it, say something.
-So basically. Yeah. -I love that.
-Yeah, that's what it was. -See? Legend.
And legend and legend and legend,
from the beginning, to the middle, to the end,
even when you're out of the modeling industry.
You're now telling these stories, and you know what?
I didn't know so many parts of your journey.
-For instance, starting a cosmetics brand... -Yeah.
...when Black women weren't getting any cosmetics brands
that were focusing on them.
-You've really paved the way for brands like Fenty... -Yes.
...that we see today that are doing so well,
that are growing everywhere.
If you could change one thing
about the modeling industry instantly,
what is the thing you would change?
I would change the decision-makers.
-The people on the top should be exclusive. -Huh.
'Cause a lot of times, you find Prada did an ad,
and everybody was in an uproar because it was purely racist.
-Right. -H&M will do, uh... you know, the monkey.
Oh, yes, the hoody with the monkey, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, exactly.
If there were people in the decision-maker
in their... in their companies,
this would not even be happening.
And that's what you need-- allies.
Not people that will say, behind closed doors,
how much they love you,
but come out and say, "This is how much I love her."
-(applause and cheering) -Well, I say to your face
how much I love you.
Thank you so much for joining me on the show.
-Thank you. -Such an honor having you.
Iman, everybody.