The Topic Of Skin Bleaching Leads This Sudanese Girl To Have A Life-Changing Intervention

Trying Times

Nyakim did not feel beautiful at all. As a matter of fact, she thought she was ugly and would never amount to anything. She felt like garbage actually. During her school days, there were times when she would enter the cafeteria and the other students would quickly get up to get away from her. The rejection that she dealt with in school was something that would kill anyone’s spirit…

A Bet

She also recalled one moment in her life when she felt like a complete joke. She once passed by two random guys who were betting to see if Nyakim was wearing leggings or if her complexion really was that dark. The Sudanese girl was incredibly hurt and it was doing nothing but damage to her self-worth and her will to live her life. It was going to take a little while for Nyakim to find her true beauty…

Make-Up

Nyakim Gatwech reached a point where she could not even look in the mirror. She had always loved makeup but had never been given the chance to use it. “I’d look on TV and think, ‘Oh, her eyeshadow is beautiful,’ or, ‘I love her highlight.’ But I couldn’t find things that matched my skin tone. I didn’t care — I loved makeup so much, I’d put it on regardless. I’d buy a base three or four shades lighter than my skin and look ridiculous,” Nyakim expressed to interviewers. Kids made fun of her skin so much that she ultimately wanted to do something about it…

Skin Bleaching?

Since she was not well-versed with makeup, Nyakim started looking at skin bleaching. Nyakim was seriously contemplating on getting her skin bleached to rid herself of the ugly snares and bitter comments. She wanted people to treat her like a normal human being. If skin brightening was going to help her achieve this, she was fine with it. As she was looking up further into skin bleaching, Nyakim was about to get a huge wake up call…

Bleaching Her Mind

Nyakim begged her dear sister to help her do something common with Sudanese women, to bleach her skin. Nyakim’s sister had already done this and was thoroughly against it. Her sister explains “You would not just be bleaching your skin, you would be bleaching your mind. I did it and I regret it. I’m not going to let my daughter do it or you — nobody.” She also advised Nyakim, “The most satisfying feeling is when you are comfortable in your own skin and when you accept your beautiful dark, dark melanin.”

In Minnesota

The Gatwech family then made a move to Saint Paul, Minnesota to join the bigger Sudanese community in the Midwest. Nyakim’s mother wished to be a preacher which was possible there. The bullying that Nyakim encountered followed her in Minnesota too. In public, people would exclaim, “Oh my God, she’s so black. Is that even normal?!” At school sporting events, the teasing continued as kids would say, “Are we going to be able to even see her when it’s her turn to pass the relay stick.”But Minnesota was good for her…