Mahogany (1975)

Tracy Chambers is a young, black woman living in run down south Chicago. She works as a secretary to Miss Evans at a downtown department store, while she takes design art classes at night school in a want to become a high fashion designer. Miss Evans allows her to do so on the stipulation that her designer goal not interfere with her work, which is sometimes difficult not to do as she is willing to forgo other things in life to reach that goal. Tracy's boyfriend, Brian Walker, is a neighborhood activist and aspiring politician. Unlike Tracy who wants to leave the neighborhood at any cost, Brian wants to stay to make life better for anyone who has no other option but to live there. Beyond their mutual physical attraction, Brian doesn't much like the vacuous life to which Tracy seems to aspire. While at work, Tracy catches the eye of renowned Rome-based American fashion photographer Sean McAvoy who sees Tracy as model material. Much like her fashion design has gone nowhere in Chicago not being even remotely close to being a major design center, Sean tries to convince her to try modeling in Rome, both seeing her as the next big thing in the industry and in his want to be with her. He also makes no guarantees as she first has to impress the agency boss. Due to circumstances, Tracy does decide to move to Rome, where she does impress and Sean transforms her into a supermodel with the stage name Mahogany. In this new world, Tracy still aspires to design and hopes to use her platform to advertise her own creations, which places her at odds with Sean. Within this new life, she has to decide if Brian still is a part of it, he who wants his woman to stand by him, and who still has issues with her world as a whole.