When American Elle chose Alek Wek for the cover of their November 1997 issues, they were taking a considerable risk. Conventional wisdom stated that featuring a dark-skinned African girl on the cover of a major American fashion publication would not sell issues. The result, however, was quite the contrary. Who could have predicted the monumental reader response from women and men of all ages? Each and every one was ecstatic about seeing the standards of American beauty being expanded and redefined. As Oprah Winfrey commented when Alek appeared on her show, "If you'd been on the cover of a magazine when I was growing up, I would have had a different concept of who I was." Born in Southern Sudan, Alek was raised as part of the Dinka tribe. At fourteen, the civil war forced her to flee to London with her younger sister, where they waited two years to be joined by their mother and three more of their eight siblings. It was in London, while attending school for art and design, that Alek was discovered.

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