Model Nyakim Gatwech is extremely proud of her beautiful black skin, despite other people telling her to be otherwise.
The South Sudanese model has skin described as dark as night—as most Sudanese do—and is unafraid to flaunt it, even if a driver once asked her if she would bleach it for $10,000.
“Why on earth would I ever bleach this beautiful melanin God [blessed me] with,” she said, to which the driver said, “So you look at it as a blessing?”
The model has had her share of insecurity: growing up and even until she moved to the United States, people would criticize her for her natural skin color.
For instance, a man once bet his friend $20 to see if his leggings were darker than her skin.
“There was a time in my life where I considered bleaching myself to avoid the dirty looks, the laughter, and for boys to find me attractive,” she said in an interview with Yahoo.
She’s had to learn to deal with the ridiculous and often insensitive questions she receives, but believes that education would address the way people perceive skin color and beauty. She has taken to Instagram to flaunt her dark skin—and every other complexion.
“I love every part it. I love the fact my skin is unique and that my whole skin is one tone, and finally how soft my skin is,” she said, and has even embraced the title “Queen of Dark.”
The 24-year-old Gatwech is based in Minneapolis, and continues to fight discrimination in the fashion industry and empower women of color. She has found support on the Internet, which includes her nearly 74,000 Instagram followers. She says, “All women are equal, and we should stand together rather than be against each other.” JB
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