INTRODUCTION OF DONYALE LUNA
In her daughter’s intriguing, profound story, she describes her relationship with her mother as, “a life colored by her absence more intimately than she could ever have known her presence.”
As the first Black supermodel, Donyale Luna faced numerous challenges in the predominantly white fashion industry during the 1960s. Firstly, racial discrimination was rampant, and she often encountered overt racism from both clients and colleagues. Many agencies were hesitant to represent her due to her ethnicity, thus limiting her opportunities.
Additionally, Luna struggled with the industry’s Eurocentric beauty standards. Her unique and unconventional appearance, while groundbreaking, sometimes posed difficulties in securing high-profile campaigns or magazine covers. She had to break through the traditional mold of what was considered beautiful in the fashion world.
Donyale Luna was born on August 31, 1945, and grew up in a time when the Civil Rights Movement and the Jim Crow era stood for reference. Despite racism, discrimination, and the stereotypical face of the fashion industry, she was the first Black model to have graced the cover of Harper’s Bazaar and British Vogue back in the 1960s… to the chagrin of sponsors and subscribers. After all, how could Black women be seen as any measure or standard for beauty?
One could almost assume that Luna viewed life from an introverted perspective. She seemed to have wanted to be seen beyond the body she wore to house her soul. Kotch Magazine.
She described herself as racially ambiguous, which some interpreted as a way to disguise her superficial presence. But despite her attempts at ambiguity in embracing a body-colored by Polynesian and Mexican lineage, she could not be seen or accepted by any other measure but Black.
Donyale faced isolation as the only Black model, and this led to feelings of alienation and a lack of camaraderie among her peers. Despite these adversities, her pioneering efforts paved the way for greater diversity and inclusion in the modeling industry, inspiring future generations of Black models to challenge the status quo.
Luna died from drug-related complications at the age of 33 when her daughter Dream Cazzaniga was only 18 months old. Her daughter narrated the movie which brings into focus a woman yet unknown despite being featured on the cover of glamour’s largest publications in America. The film gives credence to the fact she indirectly contributed to breaking down barriers for Blacks to be accepted in the modeling industry.
