Being the daughter of Iman and Spencer Haywood meant growing up with two famous parents. Her mother became a global supermodel and beauty business owner. Her father became an Olympic gold medalist, NBA star, and Basketball Hall of Famer. Zulekha Haywood chose a much quieter path.

Her story drew more notice in 2010 when she wrote about weight and body image. She had spent years dealing with diets, pain, and pressure. In the end, she learned a simple lesson: “a woman’s worth can never be found on a scale.”

Her adult career also stayed away from modeling and sports. She worked in accounting, business analysis, demand planning, buying, stock control, and business operations. She also spent several years with IMAN Cosmetics.

Quick Bio

Why Did Zulekha Haywood Build a Different Life?

Growing up, Zulekha Haywood knew people saw her parents in clear ways. Iman was known for beauty. Spencer Haywood was known for strength and basketball.

She later said she often felt different from those images. She did not look like her mother. Basketball also did not become her path.

Instead, she found her place in business. Her work dealt with accounts, buying, stock, sales plans, and demand.

That work kept her close to the beauty field without putting her in front of a camera. At IMAN Cosmetics, she worked behind the scenes in the business.

Growing Up With Iman and Spencer Haywood

Iman and Spencer Haywood were already famous during their daughter’s childhood.

Iman built a major modeling career before moving into business. She later started IMAN Cosmetics, a beauty brand made with women of color in mind.

Spencer built his name in basketball. He won an Olympic gold medal in 1968 and became a four time NBA All Star. His court case also helped change NBA rules for young players.

The family appeared together in public at times. In 1982, Iman, Spencer, and their daughter appeared on the cover of ESSENCE magazine.

Iman and Spencer later split. Their divorce became final in 1987.

A custody case followed. In November 1992, reports said the parents reached an agreement about their 14 year old daughter. Zulekha stayed in Detroit with her father, while Iman had set visits.

Zulekha Haywood and Her Childhood Weight Struggle

Zulekha Haywood has spoken in detail about her weight as a child.

In her 2010 Glamour essay, she said diets began when she was about eight. Food soon became tied to rules, weight loss, exercise, and family worry.

Iman sometimes used the word “basta,” which means enough, when she felt her daughter had eaten enough. Spencer took a sports based approach.

Her father pushed exercise and tried to get her into basketball. Tennis became another choice.

One summer, she played tennis for about four hours a day. She lost close to 30 pounds. By Christmas, she had gained the weight back and added about 20 more pounds.

The same pattern went on as she got older.

What Did Zulekha Haywood Say About Iman?

Her weight also affected her bond with Iman.

As a child, she sometimes saw her mother’s concern as harsh. Being the daughter of a famous model made body image even harder for her.

Years later, Iman told her that a doctor had raised concerns when she was about four. The doctor warned that her weight could cause health problems later.

That helped her see her mother in a new way. She began to understand that fear about her health had shaped some of Iman’s choices.

Iman has also spoken about problems in their early family life. She said work took much of her time when her older daughter was young. She also said divorce had hurt family life.

Their bond became better as Zulekha grew older.

Gastric Bypass Surgery and Her Health

By her late twenties, Zulekha Haywood said she weighed about 330 pounds.

Her weight had started to cause real health problems. She had heel spurs, swollen knees, osteoarthritis, and high blood pressure.

Even getting out of bed hurt.

Her body mass index was 46. Doctors also warned her about the risk of diabetes and heart disease.

At age 28, she chose Roux en Y gastric bypass surgery.

The surgery caused problems. She went into intensive care and needed a second operation. She stayed in the hospital for about one week.

She left the hospital at about 324 pounds.

One month later, she had lost about 20 pounds and went back to work. After six months, she had lost about 80 more pounds.

About one year after surgery, she said she weighed close to 160 pounds and wore a size 6.

Life After Weight Loss

Weight loss changed many parts of her daily life.

Pain that once made simple movement hard became much less severe. She also saw a big change in the way strangers treated her.

That new attention did not always feel good.

She became annoyed when people said she should become a model after losing weight. Those comments put her back next to the beauty rules she had dealt with for years.

She also had loose skin after losing so much weight.

Her story focused more on health than looks. One clear sign came when she noticed she could get out of bed without the pain that once ruled her mornings.

Zulekha Haywood Career at IMAN Cosmetics

Zulekha Haywood chose business instead of modeling.

Her early work included a role at IMAN Cosmetics, the beauty company started by her mother.

She first worked with money and accounts. Later, her work grew into account care, demand planning, buying, and business tasks.

Beauty companies need careful stock plans. They must have enough products for stores without ordering too much.

Her work also dealt with large stores. Career profiles have linked her with accounts such as Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreens, and HSN.

Iman has said in public that her daughter worked with the company. She also joked that she was not her daughter’s direct boss.

Her Work After IMAN Cosmetics

Her career later moved beyond her mother’s company.

Work records have linked her with Jay Manuel Beauty, a cosmetics brand tied to makeup artist and TV figure Jay Manuel.

Her work there included business and brand tasks.

She has also been linked with Portu Sunberg, where she worked with stock and product data.

The jobs followed the same basic path. Her work focused on numbers, stock, sales, planning, and business needs.

She has kept that part of her life mostly away from celebrity news.

Zulekha Haywood and Spencer Haywood

Living with Spencer Haywood in Detroit shaped much of her teen life.

Her father saw exercise as one way to deal with weight. As a former top athlete, sports were a normal part of his world.

Basketball did not become his daughter’s sport, even though he tried to push her toward it.

Tennis worked better for a time. She later joked that her father blamed poor discipline for her weight, while she blamed Dairy Queen. She also admitted both had some truth.

Spencer later remarried and had three more daughters: Courtney Nikkiah Haywood, Shaakira Haywood, and Isis Chanel Haywood.

That made Zulekha the older half sister in a larger Haywood family.

David Bowie, Lexi Jones, and Her Blended Family

Iman married musician David Bowie in 1992.

The marriage added new people to Zulekha Haywood’s family. Bowie already had a son, Duncan Jones, from his marriage to Angie Bowie.

Iman and Bowie later welcomed a daughter, Alexandria “Lexi” Zahra Jones, in 2000.

Iman said she called her older daughter, who was at college, when she learned she was pregnant.

Lexi became Zulekha’s maternal half sister.

The sisters have an age gap of more than 20 years. Lexi grew up with Iman and Bowie, while Zulekha was already an adult and building her career.

Marriage and Motherhood

Zulekha Haywood has kept her family life private.

Public records name Jason Young as her husband. Reports say they married in 2016.

The couple has a daughter named Lavinia Rose Young, born in 2017.

Unlike Iman and Spencer, Zulekha has not made fame a main part of her adult life.

She rarely speaks about her husband or daughter in major interviews. She also does not use her family life to gain press attention.

That private style fits the way she has lived much of her adult life.

Her Place in the Haywood and Iman Family

Her family links bring public interest, but the people around her come from very different fields.

Through her mother, she is linked to Iman, David Bowie, Alexandria Zahra Jones, and Duncan Jones.

Through her father, she is part of the family of Spencer Haywood, a major basketball player of the 1960s and 1970s.

Her younger half sisters through her father are Courtney, Shaakira, and Isis Haywood.

Still, her own public story is tied more to business, health, and body image than fame.

She did not become a pro athlete. She did not become a fashion star. Her most personal public story was about a health issue that had followed her since childhood.

Quick Facts

• July 5, 1978 is her date of birth.
• Iman and Spencer Haywood are her parents.
• Detroit, Michigan became an important home during her teen years.
• Mercy High School was part of her education.
• Michigan State University followed high school.
• IMAN Cosmetics became an important early employer.
• Accounting and demand planning were part of her business work.
• Jay Manuel Beauty appears in her later work history.
• Portu Sunberg is also tied to her stock control work.
• Roux en Y gastric bypass was the surgery she had at age 28.
• 330 pounds was her reported weight before surgery.
• Jason Young is her husband.
• Lavinia Rose Young is her daughter.
• Alexandria “Lexi” Zahra Jones is her maternal half sister.

FAQs

Who is Zulekha Haywood?

Zulekha Haywood is the daughter of model and businesswoman Iman and former NBA star Spencer Haywood. She has worked in accounting, business analysis, demand planning, buying, and stock control.

What does Iman’s daughter do for a living?

She has worked in accounting, business analysis, demand planning, buying, stock control, and beauty business operations. Her work history includes IMAN Cosmetics, Jay Manuel Beauty, and Portu Sunberg.

Who are Zulekha Haywood’s parents?

Her mother is Iman, the Somali American model and businesswoman. Her father is Spencer Haywood, an Olympic gold medalist, former NBA star, and Basketball Hall of Fame member.

Did Zulekha Haywood have weight loss surgery?

Yes. At age 28, she had Roux en Y gastric bypass surgery after facing serious health problems linked to her weight, such as joint pain and high blood pressure.

Is Zulekha Haywood married and does she have children?

Yes. She is married to Jason Young. The couple has a daughter named Lavinia Rose Young, who was born in 2017.