"Where I come from [Somalia], aging is something that's earned. I can't see injecting a substance that's labeled a 'toxin' into my body.” So says 51 year-old age-defying supermodel supreme, Iman.

“Since I wasn't raised in the West, I don't have that deep-rooted fear of getting old. But age is more accepted here today. Women over 35, 40, 50, 60 are considered beautiful, It wasn't that way when I arrived [in 1975]. People were so worried about wrinkles, and I couldn't understand what this obsession with age was.”

That’s not to say that Mrs. David Bowie is against plastic surgery altogether. Of the boob job she had in 1988, Iman told Playboy magazine; “I had breast enlargement to quiet that noise in my head and fill the gaping hole in my self-esteem."

See? Even beautiful people have problems!

These days, the mother of two (ages 5 and 24) is comfortable in her own skin, “I have learned to accept what I have and work with it. And, today I feel more beautiful than ever.”

What does she do to look and feel her best?

Besides being at the helm of an über-success cosmetics empire (IMAN Cosmetics and Skincare, for women of color, and I-IMAN Makeup, for all skin tones are runaway hits), which has got to make you feel pretty good, she told Marie Claire magazine that she credits her immaculate complexion to a meticulous skincare routine (she, natch, uses IMAN Liquid Assets Gentle Cleansing Lotion, Refresher Lotion, and All Day Moisturize Complex SPF 15 daily), her genes ("black skin is oilier, so it's more supple," she says), and to the fact that she's gained a few pounds this decade. "I call it 'essential fat.' If you're too skinny, you look old."

The 5’ 8” stunner also credits her glow to once-a-month hydrating facials and liberal use of bronzer. "Bronzers are a godsend for all skin tones." . I also make sure to moisturize my skin and not wear makeup every day. I get facials from Tracie Martyn (212-206-9333). My favorite products are Evian Le Brumisateur face spray, Kiehl's Lip Balm #1, and the Pressed Powder and palm-size I-Makeup kits from my I-Iman line. For my hair, I love John Frieda's new Relax products.

And, you won’t find Iman sitting on the couch scarfing Pringles while watching Oprah. “I work out four to five times a week. I do 45 minutes on either the StairMaster or the treadmill. I do some boxing and some interval training. You know, I have to do something. I don't look this good by not doing anything.”

Anything else?

“In general, I have a happy life. That helps”