From New York Daily News:

From Stylelist:

Copper-toned complexion. Statuesque neck. Gorgeous gaze. Iman, I am confident in my own skin partly because of you.

As a supermodel, actress, entrepreneur, humanitarian, mother and wife, you've reshaped the "universal perception of beauty" and allowed me to embrace and love the young woman that I am -- long legs, neck and all!

From the camera's viewfinder of famed artist/photographer Peter Beard to the runways of Thierry Mugler and Jean Paul Gaultier, you were able to walk away from the political unrest of your native Somalia and stride confidently into the fashion world. And I can't ignore how you've revolutionized this ideal of the black model when Yves Saint Laurent tapped you as the muse of his African Queen Couture Collection and coined you his "dream woman" -- paving the way for Naomi Campbell, Tyra Banks, Jourdan Dunn and Chanel Iman.

Read the whole letter as well as look back on her best looks here.

From HelloBeautiful.com:

You know how the saying goes, "Black don't crack," well although I'm black I can't even front, I know sometimes this is a bald head lie, plain and simple. There are many African American's that just don't age well. Period. BUT, as a whole I have to say my beautiful people of color age pretty damn good compared to other races. While I don't want to make this out to be a black/white issue, posting posts and viewing pics of celebs all day long I can't help but see how gracefully we tend to age. Although I can't go through every single average Joe walking down the street, I can however pick out celebs.

From Coco & Creme.com

Heading home from my gym in the Chelsea section of Manhattan, I had often passed a luxury tanning salon courting new customers. I would brush off the marketers who seemed to waste my time and theirs by trying to hand me coupon cards for discounts on luxury tans. But I became more and more curious each time. What was it like to go to a tanning salon? Determined to spread the word about their services like church people handing out ministry tracts, they drew me in. On a whim one day, I finally took one.

Read more here.