Women’s History Month Heroes You Should Know: Donyale Luna
Happy Women’s History Month! This is the 12th blog of a series of blogs called “Women’s History Month Heroes You Should Know”. This series will be a collection of my research into little-known American women who have made history in one way or another (or multiple ways!).
The focus of today’s blog is Donyale Luna, the first Black supermodel and the first Black woman to appear on the cover of British Vogue.
This is her story.
Discovered as a Model
Born Peggy Ann Freeman in 1945, Donyale Luna grew up in Detroit as a middle child. At the age of 18, Luna was on the way to a local theatre rehearsal when a fashion photographer named David McCabe stopped her to speak. He told her that if she was ever interested in becoming a model, she should travel to New York City and he would make it happen. A year later, she moved to New York City.
Move to New York City
As a woman of color, Luna didn’t have many opportunities to model, other than African American publications like Ebony. She moved to New York City with only the photographer’s phone number and no other real plan. When she did call him, he kept his word and introduced her to many different fashion editors. Out of this came a contract for editorial modeling with Richard Avedon, which brought her national acclaim as the first Black model.
Move to London
During this time, Luna also met and worked with Andy Warhol. She inspired him so much that he placed her in his film Camp. However glamorous her life became, discrimination and racism still persisted. In the middle of Beatlemania in 1965, she moved to London to try and escape the discrimination of the United States. Here, she found much success. In 1966, she became the first Black model to be featured on the cover of British Vogue.
Working with Big Names
During this time, she also modeled for Paris Match and worked with many famous photographers of the time including Valentino, Yves Saint Laurent, and Paco Rabanne. She also starred in films like Blow-Up in 1966 and The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus in 1968. She even worked directly with Salvador Dalí, visiting his home and becoming his muse. Time named 1966 the Luna Year. Although her modeling success kept growing, Luna still had a dream of becoming an actress.
Partner, Family, and Legacy
In the late 60s, she moved to Rome and starred in several movies like Fellini’s Satyricon and Carmelo Bene’s Salomè. In Rome, she met a photographer named Luigi Cazzaniga. They fell in love and traveled the world together until she became pregnant with their daughter. Donyale Luna passed from drug-related complications in 1979, just months after her daughter was born. Read more about Donyale Luna from her daughter here.
Source: Vogue.co.uk
Read another post from the blog series “Women’s History Month Heroes You Should Know” here.
