In March 1966, Donyale Luna became the first black model to grace the cover of British Vogue.Supermodel Beverly Johnson holds the history of being the first black woman on the U.S. edition of Vogue, but that was eight years after Luna’s photos were published. A beauty icon, Luna’s likeness was later copied as a mannequin for the fashion industry. In fact, 1966 was aptly described as “The Luna Year” by Time magazine.
Although she was the choice covermodel of British Vogue, editors asked the 20-year-old from Detroit to cover half of her face with her hand in order to disguise her true ethnicity. With the looming discrimination in the industry, Luna would give her interviewers different answers about her ethnicity, adding to a more “exotic” illusion about her heritage. Her responses were never proven through family history.
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