Iman, Somali Supermodel And Former Mrs. David Bowie, Then And Now

By | December 27, 2020

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Vogue 1977: Model, Iman, wearing a bandeau top with frilled edges and long gold-embroidered skirt by Yves Saint Laurent. (Photo by Kourken Pakchanian/Conde Nast via Getty Images)

Iman's story goes from Somali refugee to iconic supermodel to rock-star wife (that David Bowie was a lucky one) -- truly an incredible path to fame and influence. As one of the first black models to make it big, she also increased diversity in the beauty and fashion worlds. Iman's face and figure adorned the covers of the leading fashion magazines -- Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Bazaar and others -- and she appeared in ads for clothing, fragrances and other products. Along with her groundbreaking career, today she is most recognized as the muse and wife of the late rocker David Bowie in their fairytale love story.

Iman Fled Her Home Country

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Source: Pinterest

Iman was born as Zara Mohamed Abdulmajid in Mogadishu, Somalia on July 25, 1955, but her grandfather advised her name to be changed to Iman with the belief that a masculine name would provide her great wealth. Contrasting with her country’s views, her parents raised her with the wisdom that she was equal to men and that there were no limitations on what she could accomplish. When Iman’s diplomat father Mohamed became the ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Iman enrolled in boarding school in Egypt where women were given opportunities unavailable in Saudi Arabia, which included education. Through her studies here beginning at the age of 4, she became fluent in Arabic, Italian, French, and English. In 1969 when Iman was 14, political issues arose in Somalia and Mohamed was forced to return, but he urged his family to escape the dangerous country. At her father’s request, Iman, her mother Maryan, and her siblings fled to Kenya as refugees.