Iman

“When my daughter Zulekha was born, I was at the pinnacle of my working life as a model, and I pulled myself in two trying to cope with being both a mother and a career girl.”

“I've always said if what I'm going to create doesn't look good on everybody, I'm not going to do it.”

“The truth was I felt ugly growing up. I only really started feeling comfortable in myself when I was 40.”

“Looking good is a commitment to yourself and to others. Wigs, killer heels, Pilates, even fillers - whatever works for you, honey.”

“My given name was Zahra, which is the 'flower of the desert.' I don't look anything like the flower of the desert. My name was changed by my grandfather to Iman, which means 'have faith.' And it meant to have faith that a daughter would come.”

“I didn't start exercising until the end of my modeling career. When you're young, you eat and drink what you want and stay up all night and still look good.”

“Italian was my first foreign language. I speak it better than English.”

“Multicultural markets are nuanced but not alien.”

“I speak five languages besides mine. I went to school in Egypt because girls weren't allowed to go to school in Saudi Arabia. It's very restricting, especially for girls; we're not allowed to go anywhere.”

“I tell all my younger friends, 'Don't be afraid of change. That is when you truly see what your destiny is.'”

“I was never a practicing Muslim. But I do consider myself a Muslim.”

“Granted, I've changed internally as I've gotten older - I take it easy, I know when to stop and take care of myself, I laugh much more and with my belly and soul - but this comes from the confidence and acceptance that comes with maturity.”

“On a Friday night in 1983, I was in a taxi in New York riding home from dinner with friends. A drunk driver ran a red light and hit the cab, and I was thrown toward the glass partition. I tried to duck, but my face hit the glass, and the impact fractured my cheekbone, my eye socket, my collarbone and several ribs.”

“I beg you, don't use the verb, 'discover', I hate it. What does it mean, that I didn't exist before?”

“People get numbed when they see picture after picture, year in and year out, of people starving.”

“I have no intention of ever writing beauty tips on how to make an African-American nose look slimmer or Asian eyes look bigger. That's degrading. Asian eyes are what's beautiful about you and what makes you different.”

“We all want what every girl wants: to look fabulous while we're out there ruling the world.”

“I don't look like a white woman. I look Somali.”

“I'll be truly happy when we're not counting the number of ethnically diverse models on a fashion runway or campaign, when having a representation of the entire human race is the norm and not an exception.”

“On my 50th birthday in 2005, my discount-wielding AARP card came in the mail. I hurled it in the trash, put on something fabulous, and had a decadent meal. Just the thought of putting it in my wallet felt like a concession.”