Barbara Cheeseborough (née Bowman) (March 14, 1946 – October 24, 2013) was an American fashion model of the 1960s and 1970s, known for promoting an Afrocentric style.

Biography

Cheeseborough was born March 14, 1946, in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. After her marriage to William Edward Cheeseborough, a fashion photographer, she moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to begin a career in fashion modelling. Her career spanned 20+ years and she appeared in ''Essence'', ''Bazaar'', ''Redbook'', ''Vogue'' and ''Cosmopolitan'' magazines. She famously appeared on the cover of the first issue of ''

Essence Magazine ''Essence'' (stylized in all caps) is an American monthly lifestyle magazine covering fashion, beauty, entertainment, and culture. First published in 1970, the magazine is written for African-American women. History Edward Lewis, Clarence O ...

'' in 1970. Her appearance on the cover of ''Essence'' was described by

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

(National Public Radio) of as "the first to show an Afrocentric beauty standard when millions of young women were casting about for a kind of beauty they could identify with and replicate." Cheeseborough also appeared on the 1970 debut album of the band

Funkadelic Funkadelic was an American funk rock band formed in Plainfield, New Jersey in 1968 and active until 1982. As one of the two flagship groups of George Clinton's P-Funk collective, they helped pioneer the funk music culture of the 1970s.John, ...

, as well as the iconic cover of their third release ''

Maggot Brain ''Maggot Brain'' is the third studio album by the American funk rock band Funkadelic, released by Westbound Records in July 1971. It was produced by bandleader George Clinton and recorded at United Sound Systems in Detroit during late 1970 an ...

'' in 1971. Cheeseborough died on October 24, 2013, of

colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...

at the age of 67.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheeseborough, Barbara 1946 births 2013 deaths 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women 21st-century African-American women African-American female models Female models from Philadelphia