Ciara, Teyana Taylor, And Iman Cover July-August Issue of ‘Essence’
Ciara, Teyana Taylor, and Iman all cover Essence magazine’s July/August issue.
The summer issue is titled “Our Tribe,” and is all about being black, bold, and beautiful. Three separate interviews were done for Ciara, Teyana Taylor, and Iman, and in each of them, they discussed how they’ve carved their own paths and the moment they changed course.
Ciara entered the music industry at 18-years-old. Now, 33, the married mother of two is embarking upon a new journey as the CEO of Beauty Marks Entertainment, her imprint that’s newly launched and as a student at Harvard Business School.
“My faith has carried me through every challenge and triumph,” Ciara said. “When I was younger and wanting things to happen when I wanted them to happen, I could never have imagined that 15 years later I’d be having the time of my life.”
Similar to Ciara, Teyana Taylor made a splash in the entertainment industry at an early age in her teens, starring in an episode of MTV’s “My Super Sweet 16.” The multihyphenate and entrepreneur now has a successful music career, her own nail salon in Harlem, and a production company where the “Gonna Love Me” singer is behind the camera directing music videos for other artists. The married mother of one credits her daughter, Junie, as what made her maneuver differently.
“Being a mom makes you move differently, think differently and speak differently,” Taylor said. “Once I had Junie, I realized I was living for so much more.”
Iman is the most famous model from the continent of Africa. Not only is she a supermodel, but she’s also the owner of an eponymous beauty line, Iman Cosmetics. Iman credits her late husband, David Bowie as the person who encouraged her to start her Cosmetics company that clearly was ahead of its time valuing inclusivity.
“He literally did not understand fear,” Iman said. “He was in my corner cheering me on every step of the way. If it wasn’t for him, I would never have done it.”
Glennisha Morgan is a Detroit-bred multimedia journalist and writer. She writes about intersectionality, hip-hop, pop culture, queer issues, race, feminism, and her truth. Follow her on Twitter.
