I agree with you 100%. Alek Wek never struck me as ugly because of her gorgeous smile, adorable button nose and flawless uniform skin. Additionally, she just comes across as an incredibly sweet and lovely person. Her inner beauty and joy radiates through consitently. It was especially visible in the Busta Rhymes “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See” video. Moreover, she is incredibly statuesque.

Personally, I tend to prefer the bigger eyed beauty of Alek Wek’s cousin Ajak Deng. But it disturbs people when people, especially black people, seem to reviled by Alek Wek and call her ugly. I often worry whether they are automatically turned off by her very dark onyx skin and her flatter features. Iman’s more medium brown complexion and thinner nose may make her more appealing from a European perspective of beauty. But beauty comes in all forms and we have to cultivate our own African-centered perspectives.

I personally have always found her body to be the most interesting of her modeling. She carries herself wonderfully and finds photo-shoots that convey her best features. She is a lean girl but completely lacks the unhealthy look of many models and she also lacks the overt skinniness. Instead she appears simply lean and long legged. She appears to have a body of almost a dancer, but at the same time there is a natural boldness to it that blends grace with ferocity.

That is why people find her attractive.

P.S. I love her handbag collection!!