Iman spoke ‘five languages’ when she was discovered

Supermodel Iman is clearing the air surrounding the story of how she was first discovered in Nairobi by photographer Peter Beard in 1975.

During an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, the 65-year-old stunner revealed that Beard had ‘concocted this idea’ that she ‘didn’t speak a word of English’ and was ‘found in a bush.’

In truth, Iman, who was in college at the time, told Drew that she spoke five languages and was ‘indignant’ about how she was being portrayed.  

‘When he brought me here he concocted this idea, this story, that he found me in the bush,’ the catwalker said. ‘Needless to say, my father was a diplomat and I speak five languages, and he told everybody that I didn’t speak a word of English, literally.’ 

‘I can definitely say he did not mean any harm by it, but of course I was indignant about it,’ Iman explained. ‘I even speak more languages than he does. So I did correct the whole idea.’

At the time that she was discovered, Iman had been studying political science at the University of Nairobi. 

And, she didn’t come from humble beginnings. In fact, her father was a diplomat and former Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Iman’s mom was a gynecologist. 

Looking back, Iman said she now sees why Beard framed her to the public, as ‘somebody that is brought from the jungle to another jungle, which is New York’.

‘It’s the whole idea of that fantasy,’ the beauty said. ‘I’ve always said it’s rooted in racism but I can definitely say in all honesty that he was not – because he has passed away – a racist person, but sometimes that’s what it is.’

She went on to explain to Drew how important language is because subtle racism can sneak in through the words people choose.

‘When people say, “Oh you don’t look black.” I mean l look very Somali, so I don’t know where they are coming from but a lot of the times people would even say, “Well you look like you can be mixed,”‘ Iman said, showing an example. ‘I’m not mixed, I’m pure Somali so language does matter.’

That under current of racism is something that Iman dealt with for much of her career and it helped spark her desire to create her own cosmetics line.

The five foot nine model recalled a story from 1975 during her very first photo shoot, which happened to be for Vogue, where the makeup artist asked if she had brought her own foundation because they hadn’t come prepared to do makeup for a black woman. 

‘He asked me specifically, “Did you bring your own foundation?,” but it wasn’t lost on me that he didn’t ask that question to the Caucasian girl,’ recalled Iman who was 19 at the time. 

Before coming to America to become a model, Iman said she had no idea that the fashion world existed and had never worn makeup or high heels. 

‘I had no idea what he was talking about, I didn’t even know what foundation was,’ she said. ‘So then he proceeded to mix and match some products and put it on my face and I looked in the mirror and I looked grey, I looked horribly grey my skin. 

‘So what saved my career, because that way my first shoot, what saved my career was that the photographs were actually black and white and those black and whites hide a multitude of sins.’ 

The supermodel then made it her mission to find products – even if she had to mix them herself – that would work for her skin tone.

‘That was the seed that was implanted in my head that I had to take control of my own image,’ she said.

Since then, she has created Iman Cosmetics, which is specifically formulated for women of color.

Iman’s full interview will air on the latest episode of The Drew Barrymore Show which airs weekdays.