How Anok Yai Fought Hard to Become the Beauty Standard of the Fashion Industry

The fashion industry has long dictated narrow standards of beauty, often favoring Eurocentric features, slim physiques, and lighter skin tones.

For decades, only a select few Black models; Naomi Campbell, Iman, and Alek Wek among them, have broken through the barriers of an industry built on exclusivity. However, the landscape has changed dramatically in recent years, and few models symbolize this transformation more than Anok Yai.

With her striking features, rich ebony skin, and commanding presence, Anok Yai has become a force in the fashion world. But her success wasn’t just luck—it came from resilience, self-confidence, and a mission to redefine beauty standards.

From an unexpected viral moment to becoming one of the most sought-after models, Yai’s journey is one of challenges, victories, and a fight to create space for women who look like her.

“I remember telling myself, ‘I’m going to make myself the standard,’” she shared in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, as she graced the April 2025 cover alongside supermodels Alex Consani and Paloma Elsesser. And she did just that.

Born in Egypt to Sudanese parents, Anok Yai and her family immigrated to the United States when she was just two years old. Growing up in Manchester, New Hampshire, she was drawn to art and self-expression but never saw herself in the mainstream beauty ideals she was surrounded by. Modeling wasn’t on her radar; she was more focused on her studies, majoring in biochemistry at Plymouth State University.

But fate had other plans. In 2017, a photographer at Howard University’s homecoming event snapped a candid photo of Anok. The image, featuring her in a simple blue look with glowing skin and a confident gaze, quickly went viral on Instagram and Twitter. The internet was captivated. Within days, messages from modeling agencies flooded her inbox.

Yai signed with Next Management, and what started as an unexpected moment of online fame became a full-fledged modeling career. But transitioning from a college student to an international supermodel wasn’t easy, especially for a dark-skinned Black woman in an industry that, despite progress, still held onto its biases.

As Anok’s career began to take off, she quickly noticed how deeply ingrained the industry’s Eurocentric beauty standards were.

“When I first started, the beauty standard was the opposite of who I am,” she told Bazaar. “I remember being on sets at the beginning of my career and seeing girls who didn’t look like me at all, and I knew that they were the standard.”

She soon realized that she would have to fight to be seen; not just as an exception, but as a new ideal.

One of the biggest struggles the supermodel faced was with hairstyling. The beauty industry had long ignored the unique needs of Black hair, often forcing Black models to straighten their hair or endure damaging treatments.

“I had naturally very long hair, and everyone was convinced that I was wearing a weave, so they would tug on it and do whatever,” she recalled. “I lost 10 inches of my hair six months into my career.”

Hairstylists unfamiliar with Black hair often left her to fend for herself. “I remember being on set and the hairstylist would ask me, ‘Do you know how to straighten your hair?’ And I would say no, because I’d never straightened my hair before. And then the hairstylist would say, ‘I don’t know either.’ So we would have to sit on YouTube and watch tutorials.”

Instead of accepting this as the norm, Anok made a powerful decision; one that would help shift the industry. She chose to wear her hair only in Afro or cornrows.

“I did it to preserve my hair and to enforce an acceptance of Black hair in the shows,” she said. “I would go backstage and there would be signs saying, ‘Don’t touch Anok’s hair.’ And then other Black models would be like, ‘Oh, my God, how did you do that? I want to walk my show with cornrows too.’”

Soon, other Black models followed suit, and a runway that once insisted on Eurocentric beauty standards began to reflect the diversity of the world.

Anok Yai’s presence in high fashion became impossible to ignore. In 2018, she made history as the second Black model ever—after Naomi Campbell—to open a Prada show. The moment was groundbreaking, but it also highlighted how little progress had been made before her arrival.

Over the years, the runway model became the face of major campaigns for brands like Estée Lauder, Saint Laurent, and Chanel. She graced the covers of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Elle, proving that dark-skinned Black women belonged in spaces that had historically excluded them.

But beyond her visual impact, Anok also used her voice to advocate for change.

“In addition to expanding and shifting the standards of beauty, perhaps the other greatest change for models now versus then is that they have a voice,” she said.

Unlike previous generations of models who were often silent figures, Anok Yai has used social media and public platforms to speak out about diversity, representation, and the need for systemic change in the fashion industry.

As the professional fashion model continues to dominate runways and campaigns, she remains focused on more than just modeling. An artist at heart, she has taken up painting as a way to express herself beyond fashion.

“Turbulence creates the best art,” she said. “This is when all the best art comes out. I keep my head focused on the art.”

Her journey has already left an indelible mark on the industry, inspiring a new generation of models, designers, and creatives who refuse to conform to outdated ideals.

By fighting to become the standard, Anok Yai has proven that beauty is not one-size-fits-all in the fashion industry. It is diverse, dynamic, and ever-evolving—and thanks to pioneers like her, the fashion industry is finally beginning to reflect that reality.

Photo: Instagram/Anokyai