Naima Mora
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| Naima Mora | |
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| Date of birth | March 1, 1984 |
| Place of birth | Detroit, Michigan, United States |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Hair color | Brown |
| Eye color | Brown |
| Measurements | 34B-24-34 (US); 86-63-86 (EU) |
| Dress size | 4 |
| Shoe size | 8.5 |
| Agency | 301 Models, AYO Models |
Naima Mora (born March 1, 1984 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American fashion model and the winner of Cycle 4 of America's Next Top Model.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Naima Mora was born on March 1, 1984 in Detroit, Michigan, the daughter of jazz percussionist Francisco Mora Catlett. Her grandparents are painter Francisco Mora and sculptress, painter and printmaker Elizabeth Catlett. She grew up near West McNichols and Schaefer on Detroit's northwest side and attended Bates Academy for middle school.
Named after John Coltrane's song "Naima," Mora is the youngest of four sisters, one of whom is a twin sister, Nia, a photographer in New York. Her father is Mexican, Native American and African-American, while her mother is Irish and African-American.
A serious student of ballet, Mora attended Detroit's Ballet Renaissance and was enrolled in American Ballet Theatre's Detroit summer programme. Naima graduated from Cass Technical High School in Detroit in 2002.
She also worked as a coffee shop waitress before moving from Detroit to New York to attend the school of Dance Theatre of Harlem.[citation needed] Mora decided to audition for America’s Next Top Model at the behest of a scout that visited her at her job.
[edit] America's Next Top Model
With her mohawk and introverted personality, Naima was originally thought to be a long-shot to walk away with the title of “America’s Next Top Model.” Though her earlier photographs were not as strong as runner-up Kahlen Rondot, the judges were blown away by Naima's final performance on the catwalk. Tyra, in particular, felt that Kahlen was "the girl who did excellent during the semester and kind of failed the final exam", while Naima was "the girl who did alright during the semester but "killed" her final exam." Her win consisted of a fashion spread in ELLE, a contract with Ford Models and a $100,000 contract with CoverGirl cosmetics. It was also revealed in a Top Model challenge, that Naima is a vegetarian. She was recently voted as one of the most memorable contestants by AOL.[1]
[edit] Modeling/acting career
Naima and Cycle 3's Ann Markley were Trophy Girls at the 2005 Primetime Emmy Awards. She has made multiple appearances as a guest on The Tyra Banks Show. She appeared on the second season premiere of Veronica Mars, "Normal Is the Watchword".[2] Mora also served as a judge at the Miss Teen USA Pageant in 2005.[3] Naima was a guest host at the Ramapo College Enerve Couture Fashion Show in Spring 2006. In 2006, she wrapped up filming on an independent film called Sarbanes-Oxley, and has made an appearance in a music video for TV on the Radio’s “Wolf Like Me.” Naima has modeled for CoverGirl, ELLE Magazine, Fuego Magazine, US Weekly Magazine,Radaar Magazine, IN Touch Magazine, Star Magazine, Teen People Magazine, Split Clothing, Jazz Album Samsung. She also modelled with her sister Ife for iTunes. Naima's runway shows include Christopher Deane Spring 2006 Collection, Gharani Strok Fall 2005, Carlos Miele Fashion Show, Walmart and ELLEgirl Presents Dare To Be You Spring 2006, Fashion Comedy Style 2005 (Charity Event), and New York Fashion Week 2007.[citation needed] She appeared in a commercial Sheer Cover make-up, along with ANTM Cycle 2 winner Yoanna House. In 2007, she was on the cover of U&U magazine and Uzuri magazine and was photographed by Romer Pedrome and Derek Blanks. In 2008, she had a cover and editorial in Vicious magazine. Signed with Miami agency 301 Model Management and AYO Model Management in New York City.
[edit] Music career
Naima is the vocalist for band, "Chewing Pics" who are thus far unsigned. Their EP, "Tarantula" was released on March 10, 2008.[4]
[edit] Family
Naima has 5 sisters, including her identical twin, Nia, who is a photographer. Her older sister Ife Mora, (born 1977) is a vocalist, trip-hop, and rock experimental artist of the group livemas.
She is the inspiration for her grandmother's 2001 black marble bust entitled Naima. Catlett described it as:
| “ | That black marble head, Naima: we have twin granddaughters who came to stay with us one summer, they were studying Spanish. I kept looking at one of them, who has a very dynamic personality. I thought I would like to do a head of her. And then it was the shape of her hair with a knot at the back. It was a whole different shape. She posed for me a little bit, to get the general shape of it. She has a little bump in her nose that I wanted to put in. | ” |
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— Elizabeth Catlett, April 3, Vol 22 #3,Sculpture Magazine
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[edit] References
- ^ Top Model Contestants We Can't Forget - AOL Entertainment Canada
- ^ TV.com Normal is the Watchword episode description
- ^ Naima Mora, CoverGirl Spokesperson and "America's Next Top Mode" to Judge
- ^ MySpace.com - Chewing Pics - BROOKLYN, New York - Rock / Drum & Bass / Expérimentale - www.myspace.com/chewingpics
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Eva Pigford |
America's Next Top Model winner Cycle 4 (2005) |
Succeeded by Nicole Linkletter |
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