Kenya Moore (1971- ) is an American beauty who was Miss USA in 1993, the second black woman to win the title. She is also an actress, but even now, nearly 15 years later, she is still better known for her beauty than her acting.
She has beautiful eyes, a pretty face, deep, dark brown skin and a wonderful figure. She has long black hair from the Native Americans on her mother’s side of the family. So far as I know she is all natural.
She grew up in Detroit, brought up by her grandmother. She went to Cass Technical High School, the magnet school that Diana Ross went to – and Carole Gist too, the first black Miss USA!
After Cass, Moore studied psychology at Wayne State University and started modelling. She appeared in over 30 magazines and on the cover of at least Glamour, Seventeen, Ebony and Essence.
She entered beauty pageants too. In 1993 she won Miss Michigan and then Miss USA. She went to Mexico for the Miss Universe pageant. The Mexicans booed her as an American but she came in fifth place all the same.
After Miss Universe she gave up modelling: “I grew breasts. I had an ass. They didn’t want that on the runway!”
So she headed to Hollywood to become an actress.
She has had small parts on many television shows, like “Fresh Prince”, “The Steve Harvey Show” and “The Parenthood”.
She has also appeared in several films.
In “Waiting to Exhale” (1995) she was the other woman to Whitney Houston. She was in “Deliver Us from Eva” (2003), starring LL Cool J and Gabrielle Union, a friend of hers. She has been in several other films, most of them forgettable, some going straight to video. In 2007 she appeared in “I Know Who Killed Me” starring Lindsay Lohan.
Her best film so far is “Trois” (2000). She played the lead female character who agrees to have a threesome with her husband and another woman. Reviewers called her performance “memorable”, “impressive” and “riveting”. They also noticed her “striking looks”. She helped to produce the film. It did well for an independent, black film.
Moore says Hollywood is not what it seems. For example, she says that John Singleton would not give her a part in “Baby Boy” (2001) because she would not sleep with him. On top of that he made sure Fox never hired her. She says Union has had the same sort of trouble, but wonders about Sanaa Lathan.
She has appeared in only one music video: “Sweet Dreams” (1998 ) by Nas. She was his girlfriend both in the video and off the set. They went together for four months. But she says that after a while, “the parties and the hang-on girls and the spoils of new success took him away from me.”
In 2007 she came out with a new book, “Game, Get Some!” in which she tells men about women in sports terms. She also got married.
Last update: December 22nd 2007
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[…] an interesting post today on Kenya MooreHere’s a quick […]
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Kenya Moore is truly a beauty and I hope she go far with her talent for acting. She would have been a great actress have Hollywood haven’t set up such rigid ideas of what a Black woman should act and look.
I, for one was very elated when she won the Miss USA pagent back in 1993.
Kenya Moore, I salute you.
Stephanie B.
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She’s one of the most beautiful women in the world. She wasn’t a supermodel because those gay modeling agencies and designers couldn’t handle her big breast and her big booty. They was afraid that they might turn straight.
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[…] Kenya MooreBy abagondKenya Moore (1971- ) is an American beauty who was Miss USA in 1993, the second black woman to win the title. She is also an actress, but even now, nearly 15 years later, she is still better known for her beauty than her acting. …Abagond – https://abagond.wordpress.com […]
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A true black goddesss..
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She is a knockout from head to toe!
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One of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen in the industry! Damn!
I didn’t know that she and Nas were a short-lived couple. I also never knew of the Singleton incident. You learn something new everyday. (Out of curiosity, where did you find out this info, I can’t find too many interviews or articles about her on the internet)
You know me, I have to “correct” some things (LOL):
She isn’t married and never has been.
Also, “Street Dreams” was not the only video she’s starred in. She also appeared in the clips for Shai’s “I Don’t Wanna Lose You” and Jermaine Dupri & Jay-Z’s “Money Ain’t A Thang”.
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Kenya Moore is gorgeous and she has also appeared in Keith Washington’s video “Stay In My Corner”
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Pretty. She looks like Natalie Cole.
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I see what you mean.
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she wears weave
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^^^
Thank you, Lynette. I’m so sick of people making that implication. Especially when they are black themselves.
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Word. Another pet peeve that’s related is when they act like black women who are not light-colored (A.K.A. the vast majority) aren’t supposed to have long hair. That’s what I think may drive the speculation that beautiful women like you and Kenya get.
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Yeah, I guess seeing black women in the normal black shade range (medium brown to dark brown) is going against stereotype for many. Funny, the majority of black women who did a long length of hair usually were in the normal shade range.
Ananada Lewis, Keisha Knight Pulliam, Lark Voohries, Maia Campbell, Zoe Saldana, Jayne Kennedy and the late Aaliyah are other examples of black female celebs who have naturally long hair. And no, none of them have a white parent or could be described as “light skinned blacks”.
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i would describe aaliyah as a light skinned black
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i disagree what vanessa said. just because some black women that’s brown skinned or darker that wear weaves doesn’t mean all of them do. i’ve seen plenty of black women with brown or darker skin with long thick hair. i used to have long hair when i was younger and people would come to me at times saying, “is that your real hair?” i guess people are used to seeing light skin women with long hair and assume that because you’re not light, you’re hair must be fake. i hate it sometimes because black women do have hair on their heads and don’t always have to go out and buy them. even though my hair is not that long, sometimes i still get comments wondering if it’s mine. but i choose to ignore it because i know it’s real.
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^^^
Exactly, Lynette. Co-sign on the previous two comments.
As I think back, the three black women who I’ve encountered who had the longest textures of hair were Nigerian, Haitian and Jamaican. Long hair is merely a human trait. Why would anyone with sense be surprised to see anyone with it?
As we all know, Color is completely subjective. What’s “light skinned” to one person may be “dark” to another. Who’s wrong?
Maia Campbell IS gorgeous. I think every guy had a crush on her back in the day when she was on “In The House”. It was a three way tie betwen her, Tatyana Ali and Regean Gomez-Preston as the “baddest” sitcom chicks of the ’90s! LOL.
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Kenya Moore is a beautiful black woman who deserves much respect. She is in the category of Lisa Raye and Tyra Banks, who of course are lighter skinned beautiful black women. It’s 2009 now. We have a black president. So what we need to do is embrace darker skinned black women in the media, movies and magazines.
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Tyra Banks is “lighter skinned”? Since when? Compared to who? A Dinka from Sudan?
I didn’t know LisaRaye was a household name either.
Damn, I learn something new everyday!
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I ADMIRE YOU FOR YOUR MORALS
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Any female of color or what American society considers “black” can have long hair without being “mixed”, having indigenous parents, or etc. Most women that naturally has none straight hair buy perms to try to make their hair more straight because “society” have them thinking that their natural hair in is not pretty. “She got that good hair”, sounds familiar? Then after they buy the perms that break their hair off and make it short, they turn around and buy hair weave. Women should be proud of their natural hair and not care what anybody else thinks or say. But if a woman with coarse hair wants her hair straight and long, stay away from the perms. The black women I have personally seen with the longest natural hair did not have perms. Their hair was straightened with a hot comb. I know because I asked them. The sad thing is that millions of American women do not know that. The information definitely is not on TV. and American “society” wants women with coarse hair to have low self esteem and/or waste their money trying to have straight hair.
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hello
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I went to middle school with Kenya. She was the prettiest girl in our school, and she always had beautiful long hair of her own. She was also a nice person, not stuck up or conceited.
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^ That’s a nice compliment regarding Kenya being beautiful on the inside and outside. That makes her even more beautiful in my eyes.
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“She has long black hair from the Native Americans on her mother’s side of the family. So far as I know she is all natural.”
Abagond, may I ask? Why do you seem to equate long hair w/ a non-black trait? I wish you could edit this post, I came across this post again on a google search. It makes it seem like bw can’t grow long hair. My hair is on my back and I’m pretty much 100% negro. Can’t you reword that. I hope i’m not being obnoxious, but that really bothers me.
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well, when flat-ironed my hair is on my back and I don’t consider myself anymore “mixed,” then the average black american.
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Thats right Peanut. I’m tired of the stereotype that black women’s hair don’t grow. I’m 100% black and my hair has always been long. I get tired of men asking me “is that your real hair” On several occasions I’ve heard hater women whisper as I past by “thats not her hair is it” Um I can hear you I’m not deaf. It’s rude and annoying. Kenya Moore is a beautiful woman with natural long hair. Quite the stereotypes. Black women dont have to be mixed to have long hair. I’ve seen beautiful African born women with natural long hair. People lets stop the madness.
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*doesn’t
* passed
* quit
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Huh, somehow I missed this post.
I agree with the commenter who said that Kenya looks like Natalie Cole. Eerily so, I think.
_______
Interesting (slightly off-topic) discussion about black women’s hair.
mynameismyname, I’m with you on the observation that most of the black women who I’ve seen with long hair were either West African or Caribbean (myself included). I’ve never thought that Afro-textured hair couldn’t grow long; I’m surprised that people think there is something wrong with the hair itself, instead of the hair practices that many black women in the U.S. follow.
monkeyman (interesting name, lol), there is not enough co-sign in the world for that comment. You broke it down nicely. Relaxers are a big problem — the problem. My full, waist-length hair began to thin out as soon as I got my first relaxer a few years ago. I’m ashamed I even got one in the first place; I’ve worked in labs long enough to know that sodium hydroxide literally eats through protein. I’m transitioning back to natural now, and you couldn’t pay me all the money in the world to ever get another relaxer.
peanut, I thought abagond was making that statement in reference to the color of her hair, not the length. Although I still think it odd since West and Central Africans tend to have very dark brown or black hair.
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Why do you equate long hair as non black trait? black women can grow long hair too. I guess you haven’t seen all those natural videos on youtube by kimmaytube,moptopmaven, rusticbeauty and longhairdontcare. I am caribbean american and have long hair. You should edit this post.
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Love you Kenya, stand your ground your awesome!!!!
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Kenya is a treu beauty and no one can take that away from her. ised to have a big crush on her. I used to think she was a class act but that was until I saw her on the Housewives of Atlanta reality show. She has a horrible attitude and doesn’t seem classy at all. And she seems like she’s always looking for a fight with the other women on the show. A major turnoff! I’ll never look at her the same again!
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Kenya is a serious mental case. I guess this is for the Bravo Housewives franshcise. She is in need of some serious medications. But for reality television I guess this is the role she has to play.
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She is just like school on Saturday No class.
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I used to think she was so beautiful, I mean the ultimate Black beauty. That is until she made her debut on TRHWA. She is an ugly gold-digging mental case.
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@strangevisitor72 Exactly how I felt after seeing that show as well.
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I don’t like her now cuz she trash on that show RHOA!!
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So, why did you all watch such a show, if you knew what to expect? I’m just wondering. Also, you do realize that those “reality-shows” are staged just for ratings, right?
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I think that’s true to a certain point. But I don’t think that they do personality transplants. I mean, I can’t see them going to someone who is in the business and saying. “Hey we need ratings, so can you please ruin your reputation and sour your fan base for us on our show?”
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What a shame.
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King,
I doubt they would be that obvious in their plans. If they said what you’ve said, they would turn it down. Then again, people will do just another anything for the right price. If you pay a man enough, he will walk naked in Hell covered in gasoline.
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You have rastas over there too?
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Kenya is not the first miss USA. Please do your research.
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@ G-Ladi
Please learn to read.
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[…] Kenya Moore is truly a beauty and I hope she go far with her talent for acting. She would have been a great actress have Hollywood haven’t set up such … …read more […]
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she was also on money aint a thang throwb stacks w jay z 👀
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Kenya Moore without a doubt, is a beauty queen. Your beauty shouldn’t cause you a problem, but human nature, in RHOA it does. And I like the way she handles the attack after attack from the other women in the same Show. Your beauty is contested, it’s official that you won Miss USA not self-claimed. So ladies, get over it! Don’t feel threatened! Beauty should be celebrated not be attacked. We’re all beautiful in different ways! She is the only reason my family and I watch the RHOA. Kenya God has blessed you and put a smile on your face, praise Him!!
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