America's Next Top Model
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Naima Mora Catlett (born March 1, 1984) was a contestant on cycle 4 of ANTM in 2005, where she was declared the winner.

Early life[]

Named after the John Coltrane song “Naima," Mora is the youngest of four sisters. Her father is Mexican, Native American and African-American, while her mother is Irish and African-American. A serious student of ballet, Mora attended Detroit's Ballet Renaissance and was enrolled in American Ballet Theatre's Detroit summer programme.[1] Naima graduated from Cass Technical High School in Detroit in 2002.

She also worked as a coffee shop waitress before moving from Detroit to New York to attend the school of Dance Theatre of Harlem. Mora decided to audition for ANTM at the behest of her friends.

ANTM[]

With her mohawk and introverted persona, Naima was originally thought to be a long-shot to walk away with the title of "America's Next Top Model". However, she proved her modelling ability week after week. She won four challenges, every single one of the CoverGirl of the Week titles and had two first-call-outs.

She was in the bottom two with Brittany in episode eleven, but survived and later won over Keenyah and Kahlen in the Covergirl commercial and final runway.

Call-out order[]

Naima Episodes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
5th 2nd 6th 8th 8th 3rd 3rd 3rd 3rd 1st 3rd 1st Winner

Post-show[]

Naima and cycle 3's Ann Markley were Trophy Girls at the 2005 Primetime Emmy Awards. She also served as a judge at the Miss Teen USA Pageant in 2005.

Naima's agencies included Ford Models, Basic Models, 301 Model Management and Paragon Models. In 2019, Naima is signed to MMG Models in New York. As of 2021, she is with EMG Models. She was in the page of ELLE, Fuego, US Weekly, InTouch, Star, Teen People, Jute, LaPalme, Vogue Italia, Obvious, Bello, Gia's, Malvie and Weekly Style.[2] She modeled for CoverGirl, Split Clothing, and Jazz Album Samsung. She also modeled with her sister Ife for iTunes. Her runway shows include Christopher Deane Spring 2006 Collection, Gharani Strok Fall 2005, Carlos Miele Fashion Show, Walmart and ELLEgirl Presents Dare To Be You Spring 2006, and Fashion Comedy Style 2005.

On November 27, 2013, Naima released her book, "Model Behavior".[3]

Acting & television[]

Naima has made multiple appearances on The Tyra Banks Show. She has appeared on the season two premiere of Veronica Mars. In 2006, she wrapped up filming on an independent film called Sarbanes-Oxley, and has made an appearance in a music video for TV on the Radio"s "Wolf Like Me."

Personal life[]

Her older sister Ife Mora is a vocalist, trip-hop, and rock experimental artist of the group livemas, while her twin sister Nia Mora is a photographer, with whom she modeled for Camille McDonald's swimwear line. Her father is jazz percussionist Francisco Mora Catlett. Her grandparents are painter Fransico Mora and sculptress, painter and printmaker Elizabeth Catlett. She is the inspiration for her grandmother's 2001 black marble bust entitled Naima.

Legacy[]

She was ranked number six on MsMojo's YouTube video "Top 10 Best America's Next Top Model Makeovers".[4]

Trivia[]

  • Naima holds the record for most "CoverGirl Of The Week" titles, with ten.
  • She is also the only girl to win every "CoverGirl Of The Week" from start to finish.

Gallery[]

References[]

Navigation[]

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