Tracey Norman, first black transgender model, is the star of Clairol’s latest campaign
Last year, New York magazine wrote a story about Tracey Norman, a black model who rose to fame in the 1970s and appeared in ads for beauty brands including P&G's Clairol despite having to hide her transgender identity. Now, Clairol has invited Norman back as the star of its latest campaign, ‘Color As Real As You Are,’ giving her the chance to model for the brand without harboring any secrets.
The campaign comes 35 years after Norman graced a box of Clairol hair dye – Dark Auburn, Box 512 – a color that Norman told New York magazine was the brand’s “hottest-selling box” at the time. In a three-minute video created by Grey New York, Norman discusses what it was like modeling in the 1970s as a transgender woman – and tells viewers about how her career abruptly ended one day when someone revealed during a magazine shoot that she was transgender.
“That was the day my truth was revealed,” she says. “My work stopped right after that.”
She then discusses how a few months ago, she received a phone call from representatives at Clairol who were interested in bringing her back to star in a campaign for its Nice ‘n Easy hair color brand. She took Clairol up on the offer and will be appearing in the brand’s ‘Color As Real As You Are’ print ads as well as a TV spot that’s set to launch in January of next year, according to Grey New York.