Maria Borges is the First African Woman in the Last Twenty Years to Grace the Cover of ELLE

Meet one of the six May 2017 cover stars for Elle's swimsuit issue, 24-year-old model Maria Borges!

Oh yeah, she's also the first African woman to be a cover star for Elle this century! The last one was Sudanese model Alek Wek in 1997. Crazy, right?

Photo Credit: ELLE

I remember seeing Maria Borges in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show two years ago and on fashion week runways and thinking yoooo, she's so gorgeous! It was so refreshing seeing a black model rock her natural fro, as quite a few black models have followed the trend. I was getting tired of the bundles of wavy and "effortless" curls anyway. It's nice to see a model embracing her fro, and it helps for young black girls watching to embrace theirs.

In her cover interview, she discussed the importance of representation and how it is necessary in the fashion industry. "The fashion industry is here for everyone, [regardless] of color or race. When I was growing up, I never saw someone like me, and now the other girls can see someone like them. It's all about inspiration."

​I can't even begin to express how important representation is, in any industry. Just to see someone who looks like you killing it gives you an extra boost of confidence, like you can do it too!

Congratulations to Maria Borges on this latest accomplishment. Wishing her the best in her future endeavors!