Kim Baker on Survival and Reinvention In The Beauty Industry
Naked Beauty
The Naked Beauty Podcast
4.5 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 24 November 2025
⏱️ 51 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Kim Baker has lived an iconic life. From her first photoshoot at 13 years old to being managed by Bethann Hardisson, she divided her time between breaking down barriers and partying with fashion legends. In this episode, Kim walks us through the beginning of her fashion career and how her mother instilled unshakeable confidence in her by detailing the beauty of Black history. Kim offers us a peek into the highs and lows of the modeling industry in the 1980s, namely, early sexual harassment and stringent expectations about her body and weight. Kim doesn’t hold back when it comes to sharing her experiences with other iconic cultural figures, including meeting Jean Michel Basquiat and going into labor at Grace Jones’ birthday party at Studio 54.
Kim doesn’t hold back when it comes to other difficult experiences, like how a whirlwind romance led to her facing a 65-year prison sentence. But Kim is no stranger to reinvention. She pioneered plus-size modeling in the 1990s, stepped behind the camera and became a makeup artist, and worked with Bobbi Brown for 14 years as one of her earliest employees. Kim’s career leveled up again when she accepted an opportunity to do glam for Tom Cruise and Laurence Fishburne. She realized a prediction she made at the age of nine and launched her own makeup line, Glamazon Beauty, in 2016. Kim’s transparency about her career, motherhood, and her faith illuminates why she has remained a staple in the beauty and fashion scene.
Tune in as we discuss:
(1:44) Kim’s Beauty and Fashion Background
(2:55) Learning About Beauty From Her Mother
(5:55) Being Managed By Bethann Hardisson
(7:45) Working With Legendary Photographers Bill King Arthur Elgort
(9:05) Meeting Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Andy Warhol at Studio 54
(10:25) Going Into Labor at Grace Jones’ Party
(21:20) Pioneering The Plus-Size Modeling Industry
(26:26) Joining Bobbi Brown And Staying For 14 Years
(30:45) Working with Tom Cruise and Laurence Fishburne
(40:25) Her Simple and Effective Skincare Routine
(48:23) Kim’s Daughter Natasha Talks About Growing Up With Kim
(52:13) When She Feels The Most Beautiful
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I've seen it all. And now it's time for me to pass on this knowledge to you. |
| 0:09.9 | Hello, hello, this is Brooke DeVard, and you're listening to The Naked Beauty Podcast, |
| 0:13.6 | and you're with us here on YouTube. You are watching the Naked Beauty podcast. You all are in |
| 0:17.7 | for such a treat for today's guest, Kim Baker. Let me give you a little bit about Kim's incredible background. |
| 0:23.5 | Kim Baker is a New York-based commercial makeup artist and former Willamina model who specializes |
| 0:28.5 | in working with celebrities and models. |
| 0:30.1 | For 20 years, Kim was in front of the camera, beginning as a size four model and then in the early |
| 0:34.9 | 90s as a pioneer in the plus size industry. |
| 0:38.9 | Kim learned early the power of great makeup as a model, which led her to pursue her career as a makeup artist. In 2006, |
| 0:44.2 | Kim received her big break, working for Hollywood A-lister Tom Cruise for the Mission Impossible |
| 0:49.4 | Movie Press Junket. Since then, she's done the makeup of some of the biggest names out there. Tony Braxton, |
| 0:55.4 | John Legend, friend of the podcast. We've had John on Naked Beauty and Dakota Fanning to name a few. |
| 1:00.8 | In 2016, Kim launched her own brand, Glamazon, to help everyday women highlight the features that |
| 1:05.9 | make them uniquely beautiful. I also had the pleasure of being on a panel with Kim in New York around Fashion Week |
| 1:12.7 | where we talked about beauty and what we learned from our mothers. And Kim had the entire room |
| 1:17.5 | electrified. We were her supporting actors on this panel. She was the main star. So I said, |
| 1:22.6 | I have to have Kim on naked beauty. So Kim, welcome. I'm so excited. Thank you so much for having me. I'm a fan |
| 1:29.2 | of the show. Oh my gosh. Well, you have such a dynamic life and there is so much to get to. |
| 1:34.7 | We have to start at the beginning. You grew up in New Jersey. I did. What was life like growing up? |
| 1:39.3 | And did you feel beautiful growing up? I'm assuming because you were a model, you were always beautiful. |
| 1:44.6 | Thank you so much. You know, I have always felt beautiful because my mother always empowered me |
| 1:50.8 | to feel beautiful. You know, I'm not that dark skin girl with the sad, you know, oh, you know, |
... |
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