If youre not around, people forget you and they move on to the next thing. I would be nowhere if it werent for Black women, said Sims in the African American Business Leaders. The few black women who had previously managed to market their beauty had emphasised exoticism; Dorothea Towles Church was the Josephine Baker of Paris couture for a while in the 1950s, all mink stoles and massy jewellery; Donyale Luna, who posed for Vogue in the mid-1960s, seemed native to Mars. She was 61. WebExecutive summary: Pioneering black supermodel. Naomi was the first, the designer Halston told The New York Times in 1974. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. Her bouts of furious creativity and then depression were diagnosed as bipolar disorder in her mid-30s. WebNaomi is driven completely by what she does for others she knows Why. RedBalloon now sits within Big Red Group which I co-founded in 2017. I really liked Naomi a great deal, Hardison told WWD. I said, For all the models that are coming up behind me, Im going to be as gracious to them as she was to me.'. Model Naomi Sims poses in short white mink coat designed by Roy Halston. [2][7] Within a year Sims was earning $1,000 a week. She was the great ambassador for all black people. And even further back, this idea that fair-skinned Black women typically had this conventional pass. She would hire me to photograph her wigs, Johnson said. Even today, were still trying to figure out this colorism lane that we continue to fall under. Death. Andr Leon Talley, who spoke at Sims funeral, called her the pioneer, superstar Black model., She was, most importantly, an elegant woman, he said in a recent phone call with WWD. Your email will be shared with hellobeautiful.com and subject to its, The Law Effect: Hollywoods Image Architect On Building A Fashion Empire, The Beauty Sccop: Cota Skin Is Luxury Skincare In A Bottle, Ashanti Is Everything In An All Black Look, Quinta Brunson Slays In A Sergio Hudson Gown, H&M Announces Mugler 2023 Spring/Summer Collaboration, Get Ready For Carnival Season With Anika Kais Must-Have Essentials. 2008) Husband: Michael Findlay (m. 1973, div. After it was aired, people wanted to find out about me and use me., Gabrielle Union And Dwyane Wade Give Us Style Goals During NBA All Star Weekend, Red Carpet Rundown: The Hottest Looks From The 2023 NAACP Image Awards, Black Love: 12 Sexy Black Celebrity Couples, Nicki Minaj Turns Heads In Versace At Trinidad's Carnival, Social Media Reacts To 'Bernie Mac Show' Stars Dee Dee Davis And Camille Winbush Joining OnlyFans, Sherri Shepherd Reflects On Winning An NAACP Image Award With Niecy Nash, Sign Up For The Hello Beautiful Newsletter. Sims died of breast cancer on August 1, 2009, aged 61, in Newark, New Jersey. [5], Sims became one of the first successful black models while still in her teens, and achieved worldwide recognition from the late 1960s into the early 1970s, appearing on the covers of prestigious fashion and popular magazines. She was the great ambassador for all black people. ESSENCE.com is part of ESSENCE Communications, Inc. But there were these pictures of her in the apartment, from her modeling days, and she was impossibly glamorous. I am devastated. She died of cancer, said her son, Bob Findlay. She was 61. She was 61. Naomi Sims, the late model and beauty businesswoman, is remembered by Andr Leon Talley, Beverly Johnson, Bethann Hardison and more. Sims credited her race with helping her pave the way for others, and we salute her for legendary style, beauty and grace. Showing Editorial results for naomi sims. In 1968 Sims told Ladies' Home Journal, It helped me more than anything else because it showed my face. High School: Westinghouse High School, Pittsburgh, PA. University: Fashion Institute of Technology, New York City. She was 61 and lived in Newark. This purpose flows to all the people I meet and the communities I come in contact with. With more than 2.8 million LinkedIn followers, I believe my gift is my ability to share insights, experience and observations about business, innovation and success. Her foster parents influenceIn addition to pursuing studies at F.I.T., Ms. Sims took night courses in psychology at New York University but gave them up when her modeling career took off and she became a celebrity, running in a glamorous crowd that included Salvador Dal and Andy Warhol. I am saddened by the passing of the legendary supermodel Naomi Sims, but I take comfort in knowing that she has left us a proud legacy that all of us Black supermodels have benefited from, shared industry pioneer Iman. The late model and beauty entrepreneur is remembered for her business acumen and inventive approach to beauty products. WebSims died of breast cancer on August 1, 2009, aged 61, in Newark, New Jersey. She was my hero. Despite this breakthrough, Sims still found it difficult to get work, so she approached Wilhelmina Cooper, a former model who was starting her own agency, saying that she would send out copies of the Times supplement to advertising agencies, attaching Cooper's telephone number, and that Cooper's agency would get a commission if Naomi received any work. She broke down all the social barriers., Black wasnt beautiful then, said Sims in an interview with Black Enterprise magazine. Naomi Sims married, in 1973, Michael Findlay, a Manhattan art dealer, with whom she had a son. Naomi Ruth Sims (March 30, 1948 August 1, 2009)[2] was an American model, businesswoman, and author,[3] She was the first African-American model to appear on the cover of Ladies' Home Journal, which occurred in November 1968, and is widely credited as being the first African-American supermodel. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. WebI have many labels: speaker, podcaster, author, blogger, entrepreneur, innovator and influencer. Ms. Sims is sometimes referred to as the first black supermodel. They had one son, Bob. Sims married New York art dealer Michael Findlay in August 1973. Their son, Bob, survives her. ESSENCE Magazine Beauty & Cover Director Mikki Taylor remembers Naomi Sims, Fashion Revolutionary Bethann Hardison reflects on Naomi Simss impact on the industry. She was 61 and is survived by her son, Bob Findlay, a granddaughter, and her elder sister, Betty Sims. Her father was a porter. That affected me also in a way that it made me very sad that this woman operated on the top level and in the end, people forget. Anyone can read what you share. The images from the 1967 New York Times fashion magazine cover and the 1969 Life magazine cover were exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in an exhibition entitled The Model as Muse. But her mother fell ill and Naomi was fostered in one place after another. Ms. Sims often said childhood insecurities and a painful upbringing living in foster homes, towering over her classmates and living in a largely poor white neighborhood in Pittsburgh had inspired her to strive to become somebody really important at a time when cultural perceptions of black Americans were being challenged by the civil rights movement and a renewed stress on racial pride. Gosta Peterson, a photographer for The Times, agreed to photograph her for the cover of its August 1967 fashion supplement, then called Fashions of The Times. She always exuded contemporary, modern, minimalist elegance in her entire career.. Not only was Sims, who has died of cancer aged 61, among the first black women to succeed as a photographic model when fashion was a white-out, but the look she projected was that of an elegant professional with a job to do. She will be surely missed, said fashion model legend Beverly Johnson. Naomi Sims is situated in a lineage of Black excellence [and entrepreneurs who used] the platforms they had in order to create a very profitable space.. Sims made the switch from model to mogul with ease. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. She died of cancer, said her son, Bob Findlay. Findlay told me about first meeting her at a party where Timothy Leary was wooing her. Naomi Sims died of breast cancer on August 1, 2009, at sixty-one in Newark, New Jersey. Web717 Naomi Sims Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images EDITORIAL All Sports Entertainment News Archival Browse 717 naomi sims stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. She is remembered as an elegant and gracious woman who championed fellow Black models of her time. WebAmerican model Naomi Sims (1948 - 2009) and her husband, art dealer Michael Findlay, attend the 'American Women of Art' exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York, December 10, 1975. American model, businesswoman, and author. It helped me more than anything else because it showed my face, Ms. Sims told Ladies Home Journal the following year, when she appeared on its cover, the first time a black model was featured so prominently in a mainstream womens publication. And she was an entrepreneur., Fashion historian Darnell Jamal said Sims modeling career opened the door for models of color in general [and] Black women of the entire color scale.. She appealed directly to photographers, some of whom, in Bert Stern's words, were noticing that "negroes photograph better against white", blank backgrounds being the norm for fashion. It was a rare public appearance. Great place to sit and wait for the. In 1973, Ms. Sims decided to start her own business. She also began writing books, including All About Health and Beauty for the Black Woman, How to Be a Top Model and All About Success for the Black Woman, as well as an advice column for teenage girls in Right On! An industry trailblazer, Sims appeared as the first Black cover model of Ladies Home Journal in November 1968. I believe a Black woman must have three qualities in her life in order to be at her best: good health, worthwhile employment and emotional satisfaction.. Her eldest sister, Doris, died in 2008. Noah Cyrus Confidently Freed the Nipple in a Showstopping Mesh Look for Milan Fashion Week, Evanna Lynch Addresses J.K. Rowling Trans Controversy, Says the Author Advocates for Most Vulnerable Members of Society. There, due to her height, she was ostracized by many of her classmates. Sister: Betty. Naomi Ruth Sims was born on March 30, 1948, in Oxford, Miss., the third of three daughters of John and Elizabeth Sims. It was so chic and they were passing potatoes and caviar round. Soon afterward, Sims became one of the first major celebrities to announce that she had bipolar disorder. It helped me more than anything else because it showed my face, Ms. Sims told Ladies Home Journal the following year, when she appeared on its cover, the first time a black model was featured so prominently in a mainstream womens publication. As a body silhouette, Sims was Halston's perfect inspiration and did shows for other major US designers, notably Teal Traina. Sims was known within her industry as someone who showed up on time and prepared, usually having already done her own hair and makeup because few stylists knew how to work with a black woman. Carolyn Creswell Featured in She was 61 and is survived by her son, Bob Findlay, a granddaughter, and her elder sister, Betty Sims. However, her legacy as an astute businesswoman was solidified when she put her name on wigs and cosmetic products that catered to a long-overlooked section of the population. We were reaching for the stars, said Sims to ESSENCE in a 1987 issue photographed here in a mustard Stephen Burrows creation. Ms. Sims often said childhood insecurities and a painful upbringing living in foster homes, towering over her classmates and living in a largely poor white neighborhood in Pittsburgh had inspired her to strive to become somebody really important at a time when cultural perceptions of black Americans were being challenged by the civil rights movement and a renewed stress on racial pride. High School: Westinghouse High School, Pittsburgh, PA. University: Fashion Institute of Technology, New York City. She modeled for just five years before creating and selling a line of wigs for black women, later adding cosmetics and hair products branded as the Naomi Sims Collection. She had wanted to be "somebody really important" throughout a rough childhood. The couple had one son, Bob Findlay. She dissuaded him in a charming but definitive way, he said. Sims had a difficult time getting modeling work through established agencies because of racial prejudice. magazine. She was someone who brought a lot of style to Halston, to other people. Simss also manufactured and sold wigsher line became a competitor amongst top industry brands. Carolyn Creswell Featured in magazine. Findlay and Sims were both profiled separately in the February 1, 1970, issue of Vogue before they met and married. Basically, we duplicated the styles that were popularwhat Black women in the street were wearingand combined that with my fashion sense, said Sims to Black Enterprise on how she designed her wig collection to be on trend. Father: John Sims (porter) Mother: Elizabeth. Sims sold Avon products door to door during her teenage years and took lifelong pride in having been a top seller. In need of money, Ms. Sims, with her heart-shaped face and long limbs, was encouraged by classmates and counselors to give it a try. 2008) Husband: Michael Findlay (m. 1973, div. The Metropa Company produced her wig designs, and, before she was 30, they sold $5m-worth every year. Within five years, the collection had reached $5 million in annual sales, according to The New York Times. Model Naomi Sims attends a party hosted by actor Tony Perkins at Charley Os in New York City on April 4, 1977. Entrepreneur: Podcast #Handpicked, Author: #LiveWhatYouLove & #ReadyToSoar, Speaker, LinkedIn Influencer, 'Shark' @SharkTankAU. Web717 Naomi Sims Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images EDITORIAL All Sports Entertainment News Archival Browse 717 naomi sims stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. She was survived by her son, Bob Findlay, a granddaughter, and her elder sister, Betty Sims. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1991. Sister: Betty. Her eldest sister, Doris, died in 2008.[1][3]. The next year, she appeared on the cover of Ladies Home Journal the first black model to be featured on the front of a mainstream womens magazine. (The role went to the model Tamara Dobson.). Ms. Sims is sometimes referred to as the first black supermodel. Concertmaster of the @qsorchestra Warwick Adeney joins the panel he plans to farewell the orchestra in 2023. Naomi Sims, Circa 1970 [2] Her early attempts to get modeling work through established agencies were frustrated by racial prejudice, with some agencies telling her that her skin was too dark. Sims married in 1973 and soon gave birth to a son, Robert. She would later define what Black women embodied in beauty. Simon Sinek I have never met anyone who loves what they do more than Naomi. Do you find this information helpful? Two photographs of Sims are featured in the The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion exhibit at New Yorks Metropolitan Museum of Art that focuses on iconic models of the 20th century. If they use you, its because youre Black, Sims explained in an ESSENCE cover story. Her eldest sister, Doris, died in 2008. With more than 2.8 million LinkedIn followers, I believe my gift is my ability to share insights, experience and observations about business, innovation and success. Naomi was the first, the designer Halston told The New York Times in 1974. We decided I was the best person to advertise my products., Reflects on Naomi Simss Impact on the Industry, Add author to Simss many groundbreaking titles. The union caused some controversy because it was interracial. Brand Incubator Gloss Ventures Secures $9.5 Million in Funding, How Clearcos Revenue-Based Financing Fuels Beauty Business, KNC Beauty, Champion Co-design Capsule Line, They Are Wearing: Paris Fashion Week Fall2023. Ms. Sims is sometimes referred to as the first black supermodel. Her bold idea was direct contact with advertising agencies at just that moment when blackness suddenly became hot in the US (attributable to politics and the music business), and black models were a proportional requirement for television commercials. NEW YORK (AP) - Naomi Sims, the barrier-breaking African-American fashion model who in 1968 became the first black model to appear on the cover of Ladies' Home Journal, has died. Celebrating Naomi Sims One of the worlds first Black supermodels, Mississippi-born beauty Naomi Sims, passed away August 3, 2009, after a bout with cancer. [Sims] used her platform to jumpstart a career. She had lost control of her business, experienced financial setbacks and lived for the last decade, before succumbing to breast cancer, in Newark. Ms. Sims often attributed her success to using her race as an advantage. By 1972 Hollywood had taken an interest in twenty-four-year-old Sims as a potential actress and offered her the title role in the movie Cleopatra Jones. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Talley admired Sims modeling so much, he would pin her magazine pictures to his walls throughout high school and college. Sims also wrote how-to manuals on black beauty and modelling and an advice column in Right On! It eventually expanded "into a multimillion-dollar beauty empire and at least five books on modeling and beauty".[3]. The family moved to Pittsburgh, where her mother became ill and Ms. Sims was placed in foster care. She launched a successful wig collection targeted at African-American women in 1976, followed by a cosmetics line in 1986. The marriage was dissolved in 1991. That really changed my whole outlook on everything modeling, Black models, who I was, what I was doing. Her parents divorced after her birth in Oxford, Mississippi, and all she knew about her father was her mother's dismissal of him as "an absolute bum"; Naomi, her mother and two older sisters moved on to Pittsburgh. Sims herself refused to take the title role in the 1973 film Cleopatra Jones, since she had read the script and thought it racist. That was her breakthrough, a commercial for the phone company AT&T with a white model and an Asian model, all three dressed by Bill Blass, a couturier who appreciated class whatever its epidermal tint. The President of @CEWAus (Chief Executive Women) for the past two years has been just that, an incredible leader and inspiration to so many. Within a year, Ms. Sims was earning $1,000 a week and had been hired for a national television campaign for AT&T, which showed her and two other models one white and one Asian wearing fashions by Bill Blass. With more than 2.8 million LinkedIn followers, I believe my gift is my ability to share insights, experience and observations about business, innovation and success. Her positivity and passion is infectious, she lives with such purpose and she always leaves you with an extra spring in your step and a smile on your face. WebAmerican model Naomi Sims (1948 - 2009) and her husband, art dealer Michael Findlay, attend the 'American Women of Art' exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York, December 10, 1975. Known as an entrepreneur and business leader, and media commentator for business owners. Her funeral was held at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola in Manhattan. Model Naomi Sims discusses her first fragrance line called "Naomi" in New York on May 15, 1979. When Ms. Sims arrived in New York on a scholarship to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology in 1966, there was very little interest in fashion for black models and only a handful who had been successful, like Dorothea Towles Church, who starred in the couture shows in 1950s Paris, and Donyale Luna, who was named Vogues model of the year in 1966. Doris Sims, her oldest sister, died in 2008. I spent hours looking at those pictures., He remembers his mother once waking him up in the middle of the night when he was a child and the two of them walking for hours on the city streets. Naomi Sims was a dark-skinned woman, Jamal said. Ms. Sims is sometimes referred to as the first black supermodel. Death. Sims took the fashion and beauty industries by storm in the late 1960s. 2008) Husband: Michael Findlay (m. 1973, div. In addition to pursuing studies at F.I.T., Ms. Sims took night courses in psychology at New York University but gave them up when her modeling career took off and she became a celebrity, running in a glamorous crowd that included Salvador Dal and Andy Warhol. On the same day she graduated from Westinghouse High School in Pittsburgh, Naomi Sims set out for Manhattan, leaving behind a city where she never felt as if she belonged. Her parents divorced shortly after she was born. The funeral had not begun, [Sims] coffin was in the back and her [ex-]husband, Mr. Findlay, saw me come in and he said, Would you be willing to read a book of the Scriptures? I said, Yes, Id be very honored to do that. That was not on the program, no one knew I was coming. Ms. Cooper could have a commission if anyone called back. He thinks he was not quite 5: We walked all around Manhattan, and she just talked and talked. #TheDrum, It is so important for us all to have #rolemodels. 1991, one son) Son: Bob Findlay. At 510" and with dark skin, Sims had not been considered attractive as a teenager. At age 13, she was already 5 feet 10 inches in height! One of the things people notice about me is the quality of my skin, Sims told Anne-Marie Shiro of the New York Times. With such aplomb., Such outward self-assurance gave no hint of Simss painful upbringing. Ms. Sims is sometimes referred to as the first black supermodel. A trailblazer in both fashion and beauty, Sims realized a multimillion-dollar beauty business that spanned wigs, cosmetics and fragrance. The darker your skin, the less good-looking you were considered; and I was too tall, and too skinny.. Johnson modeled for Sims wig line in the 70s. Search instead in Creative? She launched a successful wig collection targeted at African-American women in 1976, followed by a cosmetics line in 1986. Ms. Sims often attributed her success to using her race as an advantage. Deeply private, Sims remained largely out of the public eye once she retired from modeling. They divorced in 1991. She died of cancer, said her son, Bob Findlay. When Ms. Sims arrived in New York on a scholarship to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology in 1966, there was very little interest in fashion for black models and only a handful who had been successful, like Dorothea Towles Church, who starred in the couture shows in 1950s Paris, and Donyale Luna, who was named Vogues model of the year in 1966. She wanted no part of blaxploitation. All Rights Reserved. After five years, she gave up modeling and started a wig-making business with styles designed for black women. There is nothing sadder than an old, broke model, and there are many models who have nothing at the end of their career, Ms. Sims told The Times in 1969. She broke down all the social barriers.. Despite this success, Sims still found it hard to get work until she approached Wilhelmina Cooper, a former Dutch model, who was starting her own agency called Wilhelmina Models. Here, Betty covers the August 1972 Back to School issue of ESSENCE magazine. Sims entrepreneurial instincts incited a similar spirit in Johnson, who eventually inked a licensing deal for a wig and hair extensions line. (Photo by Yale Joel/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images), "Naomi Sims, 61, Pioneering Cover Girl, Is Dead,". magazine. Her first career breakthrough came after she decided to sidestep the agencies and go directly to fashion photographers and Gsta Peterson, a photographer for The New York Times, agreed to photograph her for the cover of the paper's August 1967 fashion supplement.[5]. Showing Editorial results for naomi sims. Retrieved March 18,2013. ", She was a mysterious and inspiring beauty. WebFindlay and Sims were both profiled separately in the February 1, 1970, issue of Vogue before they met and married. Retrieved March 18,2013. (Why her mother gave her up remains unclear.). This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google. Father: John Sims (porter) Mother: Elizabeth. Three months ago, as she knew she was dying, she told me, Im ready to share it., https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/magazine/27Sims-t.html, Yale Joel/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images. (Photo by Fred W. McDarrah/MUUS Collection via Getty Images) PURCHASE A LICENSE. My mother encouraged me to have a business career, and I am forever grateful that she did. Carolyn Creswell Featured in Retrieved March 18,2013. She is survived by her son Robert, her daughter, Betty, and her granddaughter. She is survived by her son Robert, her daughter, Betty, and her granddaughter. Her Times Fashion Magazine cover and images of her in Life Magazine are still on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. In 1973, Ms. Sims decided to start her own business. Naomi was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. WebSims died of breast cancer on August 1, 2009, aged 61, in Newark, New Jersey. Simss breakthrough finally came after she decided to leave agencies and go directly to fashion photographers. Talley said though he was not formally invited to the funeral, he showed up anyway and was asked by Sims ex-husband, Michael Findlay, to read from the Bible. Her Times Fashion Magazine cover and images of her in Life Magazine are still on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Sims landed in New York at a cultural moment when the citys aesthetic arbiters were ready to embrace her alongside the doe-eyed frailness of blondes like Twiggy, who came to New York at about the same time. Here is a list of tools to help leaders navigate the complexities of what business we are currently facing. A profile on Naomi Sims that appeared in the January 1987 issue of ESSENCE magazine. After five years, she gave up modeling and started a wig-making business with styles designed for black women. In August 1973, she married art dealer Michael Findlay at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament. When Ms. Sims arrived in New York on a scholarship to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology in 1966, there was very little interest in fashion for black models and only a handful who had been successful, like Dorothea Towles Church, who starred in the couture shows in 1950s Paris, and Donyale Luna, who was named Vogues model of the year in 1966. Naomi Sims died of breast cancer on August 1, 2009, at sixty-one in Newark, New Jersey. But even if they are prejudiced, they have to be tactful if they want a good picture.. Naomi Sims died of breast cancer on August 1, 2009, at sixty-one in Newark, New Jersey. Not to say that one struggle is greater than the other, but the darker woman was always in the neglect pile and that stems from slavery.. IE 11 is not supported. She is survived by her son, Bob Findlay, a grandson, and her elder sister, Betty Sims. The most prominent were All About Health and Beauty for the Black Woman, How to be a Top Model, and All About Success for the Black Woman, as well as an advice column for teenage girls in Right On! She was 61 and is survived by her son, Bob Findlay, a granddaughter, and her elder sister, Betty Sims. 2023 Fairchild Publishing, LLC. She created a successful wig collection that expanded into a multimillion dollar beauty empire, including five books on modeling and beauty. She died of cancer, said her son, Bob Findlay. So she sent copies of the magazine to advertising firms, with the phone number of Wilhelmina Cooper, an ex-model about to launch a modelling agency: Cooper would get a commission if anyone booked Sims. I can imagine what it must have been like for her, a Black woman, to start her own business. Sims also wrote how-to manuals on black beauty and modelling and an advice column in Right On! Naomi Sims used the things that worked against her as a young girl, like her height, her chocolate skin, her smile, the short hair, and big laughter they became her calling card and what made her what you would call a supermodel, shared Mikki Taylor, ESSENCE magazine Beauty & Cover Director. Naomi Simss sister, Betty Sims was also a model. It was much more interesting times back then. What she had in mind was deserved respect. She was my pin-up girl as opposed to Playboy centerfolds, he said. Even some agencies told her that her skin was too dark for modeling. Black is BeautifulTwo images of Ms. Sims one from the 1967 Times fashion magazine cover and the other from a 1969 issue of Life are in the current Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition The Model as Muse. In a catalog, the curators Harold Koda and Kohle Yohannan wrote, The beautifully contoured symmetry of Simss face and the lithe suppleness of her body presented on the once-exclusionary pages of high-fashion journals were evidence of the wider societal movement of Black Pride and the full expression of Black is Beautiful. , But Ms. Sims, in interviews, often said she held the industry in low regard because of the way male executives treated her and, more generally, she said, because people have the idea that models are stupid..