Jody Watley: Beauty, Individuality & Timeless Style in Harper’s BAZAAR

In September 1989, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and style icon Jody Watley was featured in Harper’s BAZAAR’s “America’s 10 Most Beautiful Women” issue, which brought together a remarkable group of women ages 21 to 48 to discuss their looks, lives, beauty and aging.

Harper’s BAZAAR celebrated Watley as “The Hot Beauty,” placing her among an extraordinary lineup that included Whitney Houston, Jodie Foster, Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon, Faye Dunaway, Melanie Griffith, Kelly LeBrock, Anjelica Huston and Geena Davis.

The feature arrived during a defining period in Watley’s solo career. Already a Grammy winner with a growing collection of major pop, R&B and dance hits, she was also establishing a distinctive visual identity that merged music, high fashion and fearless individuality.

More than three decades later, the subject of women, beauty standards and aging remains a major cultural conversation. Revisiting this 1989 Harper’s BAZAAR issue offers an intriguing snapshot of how beauty was being discussed at the time — and why confidence, individuality and evolving personal style remain timeless.

For Jody Watley, being fashionable has never simply been about following trends. Her enduring image has always reflected something more personal: being yourself, evolving on your own terms and defining beauty for yourself. True to yourself and living with joy at every age. What’s most beautiful is what exudes from the inside out.

Jody Watley — “The Hot Beauty.” Then, now, timelessly individual.