Today I found this excellent interview with the superlative Iman. Her width and depth of knowledge about everything from the fashion industry to philosophy is a testament to her "total package" of wisdom, grace, and beauty. Although I am not in the same industry as her, the advice and stories she shares about being a woman of colour in a cut-throat business really resonated with me.
As a quick aside, however, I have to mention how impressed I was with the interviewer who was quite respectful and courteous (which is unfortunately all too rare and refreshing). He let Iman say her piece without ever talking over her or asking inappropriate questions related to her personal life. He didn't avoid the topic (and neither did she, as she mentioned being Bowie's "black wife" and her first marriage), but he also made sure to always relate it back to her professional accomplishments. He also asked her relevant and interesting questions about her business in a way that allowed her to highlight her business acumen and offer general wisdom rather than merely talking about alleged scandals and her sex life. One of the main reasons I have a difficult time watching interviews, in general, is because of the treatment interviewers give to the interviewee. I've seen many interviews with Bowie where the questions are vapid (literally every interview addresses the whole "gay"/"bisexual" thing), the interviewers don't let his wit and voice shine through, and on the whole don't offer a good platform for him to promote his work/accomplishments (which is one of the main reasons to have an interview). As a result, I find myself tuning out rather than tuning in, and saddened that the interviewer seems more like a nosy high schooler rather than a professional. So props to Ernie Manouse.
Back to Iman, her discussion of identity and ethnicity were particularly excellent, as she responded to the interviewer, who asked her about being called the first "black" or "African" model. Iman pointed out how people from the continent of Africa are lumped together as "African" and made a point to distinguish that not only are "African" and "African-American" different but also that Africa is a continent. The individual countries that compose the land mass are as ethnically and culturally diverse as European nations like Germany and France. As an Asian-American, I completely related to this remark as I don't consider myself "Asian" so much as "Chinese", and even then I don't consider myself to fall into most (if any) Asian/Chinese stereotypes because I am adopted. Thus, I have faced similar problems of people failing to understand the cultural distinction(s) and problematic stereotypes associated with my own ethnic group.
I also found her advice and testimony about how multi-billion dollar industries turn you into a commodity (and even how to "brand" or "sell" yourself as a product to deliver) particularly enlightening. It reminded me of a conversation I had with my aunt a few months ago. She asked me what I wanted to do and how I planned on "selling myself". Obviously, this was not meant physically, but in what millennial terms would be my "branding" or the trademark image/reputation/product/skillset that I could deliver. I've thought a lot about this over the past few months, and thankfully I think I have found what my "Thing" is, although I'm still trying to find a way to commodify it as such (relating to what jobs could demand said marketable skill). Additionally, I loved her encouragement of "selling yourself" at the price you're "worth". Converting my mindset from "student/amateur" to "professional" has been difficult, and it's been equally hard figuring out how to charge and demand payment for services rendered. So I appreciated Iman's no-nonsense attitude about staying firm to your convictions and expecting payment for the value your work (and, of course, her aside about making sure to deliver what you promised was also excellent).
Moreover, I was amazed at how open she was talking about self-esteem issues and our society's philosophy/commodification of beauty. I thought she was great at answering the interviewer's question about if she felt like she was contributing to the self-esteem problem of young women as a model. In response, she highlighted the fact that society has forgotten about "content" rather than superficial beauty. Which then led to her insightful discussion about celebrity and fame. The interviewer kept circling back to her "Discovery" and how the events unfolded for her and asked her different questions about her celebrity status. What I loved was how her view on fame seemed to support her husband's perspective on the whole kit and kaboodle. Iman related how young people seek a type of superficial fame without considering how fleeting celebrity is, and what they want to do with it. Like Bowie, Iman seems to view fame as a business mechanic - it's a vehicle to be used in order to say a statement, gain an audience, and make a profit, but otherwise (in Bowie's words) doesn't seem to be worth anything else than for getting a good seat at a restaurant. (Which, as a host, I can tell you fame only gets you so far there as well - although the managers may say differently if you ever go into a restaurant, your table assignment depends on a lot more than fame).
And finally, I loved her insight at referring to her life post-modelling career as her "Second Act". Although I personally go back and forth about whether or not it is helpful to consider our lives as "narratives" and the people in them as "characters" (with ourselves, of course, being generously cast in the role of the protagonist), I loved this analogy. As someone who is still trying to find their "First Act", it gives me hope and excitement to think that I can have multiple "acts" in my life to discover and explore.
So in short, if you are someone looking to go into a multi-billion dollar industry like fashion, film, music, or something else - and particularly if you are a woman of colour - I highly recommend this insightful interview. I know that it's given me a lot of food for thought for the next few weeks, and I also think that it will offer you some wisdom in the form of an experienced pro's perspective.
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| One of my favourite photographs from the May 2017 edition of O magazine, showcasing how representation is important |
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