People called me 'Iman the black model'. In my country, we're all black, so nobody called somebody else black. It was foreign to my ears.

Iman

Black Country Ears Else

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I wasn't a major in political science for nothing, so I understood the politics of beauty and the politics of race when it comes to the fashion industry.

Iman

Beauty Fashion Fashion Industry Industry

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My mother was an activist; so was my father. They came from a generation of young Somalis who were actively involved in getting independence for Somalia in 1960.

Iman

Actively Activist Came Father

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I'm lucky in some ways in that I really don't need more than five or so hours of sleep.

Iman

Five Hours Lucky More

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There is no age better than another. The commitment to give of yourself and the knowledge that the time is right are what's important.

Iman

Age Another Better Commitment

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I was not considered beautiful at all. Really. And this is what all models say. But I'm still not considered that beautiful in my country. I don't know the beauty ideal where I come from - but it's not me.

Iman

Beautiful Beauty Come Considered

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There are highlights when you become irreplaceable as a model, like when you become a muse to designers. They look at you differently; you're not a coat hanger for hire.

Iman

Become Coat Designers Differently

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Beauty is being comfortable and confident in your own skin.

Iman

Beauty Being Comfortable Confident

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The day you settle for less is the day you will get less.

Iman

Day Get Less Settle

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The women I gravitate to are the ones who defy convention and reinvent themselves - hence, they reinvent the world around them.

Iman

Around Convention Defy Gravitate

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We are very private, so we decided from early on that we will keep the press and editors and everybody out of our house.

Iman

Decided Early Editors Everybody

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Nobody has ever said to me that I was pretty, 'til I met Peter Beard.

Iman

Beard Ever Me Met

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I am so far more secure and more grounded and more know who I am than when I was in my 20s.

Iman

Am Far Grounded I Am

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I did not want to get involved with a rock star. No way. It is not a sane thing to do.

Iman

Did Get Involved Rock

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My father... gave me a positive connection with men because he is a gentleman.

Iman

Because Connection Father Gave

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I have a certain manner of speech that is unique to me. I tried once to have my staff tweet for me, and it was a disaster! People knew right away that it wasn't me.

Iman

Away Certain Disaster Knew

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My looks have changed. I have laugh lines - not wrinkles.

Iman

Changed Laugh Lines Looks

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I'm a very political person, and I think things through clearly, even when I was 18 years old.

Iman

Clearly Even Old Person

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When I was in high school,we were, like, 4,000 or 5,000 students, and 50 girls - and I didn't have a date for my prom. My father paid my cousin to take me.

Iman

Cousin Date Father Girl

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People talk about the miracle of birth. No. There's the miracle of conception. I did IVF, but nothing happened. So I began to think of adoption, and then I got pregnant. It was definitely a miracle.

Iman

About Adoption Began Birth

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The difference between rearing a child in your 20s and one in your 50s is one of patience.

Iman

Between Child Difference Patience

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I was never a practicing Muslim. But I do consider myself a Muslim.

Iman

Consider Muslim Myself Never

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When everyone is telling you, 'You're so beautiful, there's nobody like you,' you begin to think it's true. But of course there is nobody like you.

Iman

Beautiful Begin Course Everyone

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Italian was my first foreign language. I speak it better than English.

Iman

Better English First Foreign

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You want a career? Do that first. You don't want to have kids? Then don't. You don't want to get married? Then don't. But once you do something, you've got to know that there is compromise.

Iman

Career Compromise First Get

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We never wore burkas because Somalis had our own culture.

Iman

Because Culture Had Never

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We never do Valentine's dinner, because everybody, they look. On Valentine's, imagine me and David going to a restaurant! Like, everybody's going to say, 'Did they talk? Did they hold hands?' Twenty years. We've been married twenty years!

Iman

Because Been David Did

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People get numbed when they see picture after picture, year in and year out, of people starving.

Iman

After Get Out People

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I would go to cosmetics counters and buy two or three foundations and powders, and then go home and mix them before I came up with something suitable for my undertones.

Iman

Before Buy Came Cosmetics

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I speak five languages besides mine. I went to school in Egypt because girls weren't allowed to go to school in Saudi Arabia. It's very restricting, especially for girls; we're not allowed to go anywhere.

Iman

Allowed Anywhere Arabia Because

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I'm against a signature look, as that can be very outdating. But having said that, I also know my best qualities, so I'm not going to foolhardily give away my power.

Iman

Against Also Away Best

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Modeling gave me so many experiences, like traveling and being exposed to global cultures, but the most valuable lesson has been working with designers who truly are visionaries in their field.

Iman

Been Being Cultures Designers

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There is a lot of noise out there. I don't want to follow the trend - I want to create the trend.

Iman

Create Follow Lot Noise

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I'll be truly happy when we're not counting the number of ethnically diverse models on a fashion runway or campaign, when having a representation of the entire human race is the norm and not an exception.

Iman

Campaign Counting Diverse Entire

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I've always said if what I'm going to create doesn't look good on everybody, I'm not going to do it.

Iman

Always Create Everybody Going

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I was studying political science; I was adamant that I was going to follow in my father's footsteps.

Iman

Adamant Father Follow Footsteps

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We all want what every girl wants: to look fabulous while we're out there ruling the world.

Iman

Every Fabulous Girl Look

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Intelligence is sexy. Don't play dumb, especially young girls. Don't play dumb. And let people see that you are intelligent.

Iman

Dumb Girl Intelligence Intelligent

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I don't do anything by myself. I have a whole crew to get me ready every day.

Iman

Anything Crew Day Every

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I believe in glamour. I am in favor of a little vanity. I don't rely on just my genes.

Iman

Am Believe Favor Genes

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Looking good is a commitment to yourself and to others. Wigs, killer heels, Pilates, even fillers - whatever works for you, honey.

Iman

Commitment Even Good Heels

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I thought at 46 years old, I've been removed from the fashion industry for 10 years. I couldn't possibly write a model's book. That's for a 20-year-old. But I could say what I want to say without chastising the industry.

Iman

Been Book Could Fashion

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I was raised to treat my body as a temple, but even as a little girl, I had a major issue with self-esteem. I thought there was something wrong with the temple.

Iman

Body Even Girl Had

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At the end of the day, a 34B doesn't give you self-esteem.

Iman

Day End Give Self-Esteem

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I don't love eating meat. I really only like chicken and fish.

Iman

Chicken Eating Fish Like

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Remember the sunshine, and walk confidently in the direction of some shade.

O. C. Ukeje

Remember Sunshine Walk Confidently

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Process. Everything is process, a baby, a seed, milk teeth, a concert, manufacturing, sales, promotion. Time is one thing you canâ€™t take out of the equationâ€¦

O. C. Ukeje

Process Baby Seed Manufacturing

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O. C. Ukeje

Everyday Good Happy

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No One Is Ever Satisfied With What They Have Achieved

O. C. Ukeje

One Satisfied Have Achieved

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Stop seeking peopleâ€™s validation. The value you place on yourself will determine the value people place on you.

Joseph Benjamin

Stop Validation Value Place

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1120 Model Quotes

People called me 'Iman the black model'. In my country, we're all black, so nobody called somebody else black. It was foreign to my ears.

Iman

I wasn't a major in political science for nothing, so I understood the politics of beauty and the politics of race when it comes to the fashion industry.

Iman

My mother was an activist; so was my father. They came from a generation of young Somalis who were actively involved in getting independence for Somalia in 1960.

Iman

I'm lucky in some ways in that I really don't need more than five or so hours of sleep.

Iman

Iman

I was not considered beautiful at all. Really. And this is what all models say. But I'm still not considered that beautiful in my country. I don't know the beauty ideal where I come from - but it's not me.

Iman

There are highlights when you become irreplaceable as a model, like when you become a muse to designers. They look at you differently; you're not a coat hanger for hire.

Iman

Iman

The day you settle for less is the day you will get less.

Iman

The women I gravitate to are the ones who defy convention and reinvent themselves - hence, they reinvent the world around them.

Iman

We are very private, so we decided from early on that we will keep the press and editors and everybody out of our house.

Iman

Iman

I am so far more secure and more grounded and more know who I am than when I was in my 20s.

Iman

I did not want to get involved with a rock star. No way. It is not a sane thing to do.

Iman

My father... gave me a positive connection with men because he is a gentleman.

Iman

I have a certain manner of speech that is unique to me. I tried once to have my staff tweet for me, and it was a disaster! People knew right away that it wasn't me.

Iman

Iman

I'm a very political person, and I think things through clearly, even when I was 18 years old.

Iman

When I was in high school,we were, like, 4,000 or 5,000 students, and 50 girls - and I didn't have a date for my prom. My father paid my cousin to take me.

Iman

People talk about the miracle of birth. No. There's the miracle of conception. I did IVF, but nothing happened. So I began to think of adoption, and then I got pregnant. It was definitely a miracle.

Iman

The difference between rearing a child in your 20s and one in your 50s is one of patience.

Iman

I was never a practicing Muslim. But I do consider myself a Muslim.

Iman

When everyone is telling you, 'You're so beautiful, there's nobody like you,' you begin to think it's true. But of course there is nobody like you.

Iman

Italian was my first foreign language. I speak it better than English.

Iman

You want a career? Do that first. You don't want to have kids? Then don't. You don't want to get married? Then don't. But once you do something, you've got to know that there is compromise.

Iman

We never wore burkas because Somalis had our own culture.

Iman

We never do Valentine's dinner, because everybody, they look. On Valentine's, imagine me and David going to a restaurant! Like, everybody's going to say, 'Did they talk? Did they hold hands?' Twenty years. We've been married twenty years!

Iman

People get numbed when they see picture after picture, year in and year out, of people starving.

Iman

I would go to cosmetics counters and buy two or three foundations and powders, and then go home and mix them before I came up with something suitable for my undertones.

Iman

I speak five languages besides mine. I went to school in Egypt because girls weren't allowed to go to school in Saudi Arabia. It's very restricting, especially for girls; we're not allowed to go anywhere.

Iman

I'm against a signature look, as that can be very outdating. But having said that, I also know my best qualities, so I'm not going to foolhardily give away my power.

Iman

Modeling gave me so many experiences, like traveling and being exposed to global cultures, but the most valuable lesson has been working with designers who truly are visionaries in their field.

Iman

There is a lot of noise out there. I don't want to follow the trend - I want to create the trend.

Iman

I'll be truly happy when we're not counting the number of ethnically diverse models on a fashion runway or campaign, when having a representation of the entire human race is the norm and not an exception.

Iman

Iman

I was studying political science; I was adamant that I was going to follow in my father's footsteps.

Iman

We all want what every girl wants: to look fabulous while we're out there ruling the world.

Iman

Intelligence is sexy. Don't play dumb, especially young girls. Don't play dumb. And let people see that you are intelligent.

Iman

I don't do anything by myself. I have a whole crew to get me ready every day.

Iman

Iman

Looking good is a commitment to yourself and to others. Wigs, killer heels, Pilates, even fillers - whatever works for you, honey.