Iman Chats David Bowie, Agism in Modeling Industry & Rumors About the Start of Her Career With British Vogue

Iman opened up about her relationship with David Bowie and the modeling industry in an interview with British Vogue.

The 67-year-old supermodel covers the January edition, notching her first-ever cover story with the publication. She spilled some tea and dispelled a rumor about her earliest days in the industry in the accompanying interview.

We rounded up some of the highlights.

Click inside to read more…

On origin stories that describe her as a “Somali tribeswoman” or “cattle girl” before she became a professional model: “I said, ‘By the way, I do speak English and four other languages. I’m not a goat herder,’” she said. “I’d never seen a jungle in my life. But they took the other story and they ran with it.”

On agism in the modeling industry: “That’s a very Western mentality,” she countered. “I come from Africa, we celebrate getting older. A friend was telling me there’s been a rise in cosmetic surgery, all because [people] have been looking at themselves in Zoom meetings.”

“I’m like, ‘If you are worried about that, just put the camera up [so it’s tilted down on your face], for God’s sake,’” she added. “This really is a mentality rooted in the West. For me, it has never been a problem.”

On why Iman doesn’t refer to David Bowie as her “late” husband and their relationship: “He is not my ‘late husband’. He is my husband,” she stressed. “I don’t mind at all being referred to as ‘David Bowie’s wife’. But I always remind people that I existed before I met him. And he was also very particular. He never introduced me by saying, ‘Meet my wife.’ He’d always say, ‘Meet Iman, my wife.’ So we both already had our own identity. We were separate but together.”

If you were curious, see where Iman falls on the list of the richest models of all time!