A CENTURY OF Black Beauty & Style - African Americans' sense of style, fashion and beauty

THROUGHOUT this constantly changing century, Black Americans consistently have led the American beauty and style parade, deepening skin tones, popularizing full lips and body features and making our rhythm America's rhythm. From the flappers and Charleston dancers of the '20s to the hip-hop rhythms and styles of Lauryn Hill to the sass of Oprah and Whitney and Janet, Black Americans have been in the forefront of a century that redefined beauty and style.

The Black style revolution was not confined to celebrities. Photographs dating back to the turn of the century capture the beauty and elegance of ordinary but proud Black men and women who dressed to the nines for Saturday nights out and who made runways out of the streets and avenues of the Harlems and South Sides on Sunday afternoon. Despite funds being few and hardships being plentiful, we dressed up in our finery for Sunday church meetings, family gatherings and other special occasions.

In the early 1900s, pretty and petite Florence Mills wowed Broadway with her comedy, vocals and dance talents, and became the first Black female entertainer to win recognition on the national and international levels. That was the era when stylish dressers such as legendary entertainers Bill Robinson, W. C. Handy and Eubie Blake, as well as famed boxer Jack Johnson, were in their heyday. Langston Hughes writes: "It was, period wheat local and visiting royalty were not at all uncommon in Harlem. And the parties of A'Lelia Walker, the Negro heiress, were filled with guests whose names would turn any Nordic social climber green with envy ... It was a period wheat every season there was at least one hit play on Broadway acted by a Negro cast ... It was the period when the Negro was in vogue."

In the '40s and '50s, movie stars such as Lena Horne and Dorothy Dandridge were revered film goddesses, and both were fashionable off screen as well. And then there were entertainers such as Eartha Kitt, Josephine Baker and Billie Holiday, who had their own unique styles. But the men of that day were not to be overlooked. Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, Duke Ellington and Billy Eckstine not only were supertalented performers, they also were (and some still are) handsome men who greatly influenced fashion trends.

Also in the '50s, Sara Lou Harris became the first Black model to appear in national advertisements, while Dorothea Towles became the first Black model to work for top designers in Paris. In the late '50s, the Ebony Fashion Fair show was launched and quickly emerged as a major force in the fashion industry. Fashion Fair's star model was Terri Springer, a beautiful Black woman who demonstrated quite elegantly that bright colors such as purple and red looked fabulous on women of color.

As we exploded into the '60s, some icons like the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson and Angela Davis adopted big Afros and African-inspired attire. Along with the revolutionary '60s came an explosion of color and style that still has repercussions today. Hemlines went up, and Black women and men redefined the concepts of beauty and style. We wore minis, maxis, bell-bottoms, hip-huggers and hot pants, accessorized with fishnet hose, platform shoes and extravagant hats and jewelry. The Supremes topped the record charts but also made a bold statement with their classy, coordinated gowns, as did The Temptations and the Miracles with their coordinated and sometimes colorful suits.

Following EBONY's lead, the doors of the fashion industry finally opened to African-American women in the '70s, and the stage was set for the emergence of beautiful Black models of that decade, such as Naomi Sims, Pat Cleveland, Iman, Bethann Hardison and Beverly Johnson.

But it wasn't until the '80s that Black models in great numbers began to show up on European and American runways and on the pages and covers of fashion magazines. It was as though the world finally realized what EBONY had been saying all along--that Black women with our full lips and glowing bronze complexions represent the epitome of beauty. A milestone came for Black beauty and style in 1983 when Vanessa L. Williams became the first Black woman to wear the coveted tiara of Miss America. In more recent years, Black women have held the titles of Miss America and Miss Universe concurrently.

Today, beautiful Black models rule the runways and are seen repeatedly on the pages and covers of the world's top fashion magazines. On any given morning in any major city, armies of beautiful Black women and men stride into corporate towers impeccably attired in business suits. At the same time, some creative men and women who work in jobs with more relaxed dress codes are adopting African-inspired garb. The Afrocentric fashion trend is evident throughout the country, especially at urban churches and at any large gathering of Black men and women.

And today's Black man or woman chooses from a vast range of hairstyles. The Afro is making a comeback, but this retro coif now shares the spotlight with intricate braided, cornrowed and lock styles, in addition to a wide range of other ethnic hairstyles. In addition, many men are opting to shave their heads, while some Black women prefer close-cropped (sometimes blond or red) haircuts.