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

The Turnabout

So when Nyakim Gatwech joined junior year in high school, she was about to get a life-changing opportunity. Even though her sister advised Nyakim to do modeling, she always thought she was not light-skinned enough or for that matter, a blonde to get on the runway. But when her friend asked her to model her clothes for a fashion show at St. Cloud State University, things would change. Nyakim realized just how natural she was on the runway…

A Fresh Start

And ever so quickly, Nyakim’s beauty was slowly appreciated by more people. Some people would stop her in the streets, encouraging her to pursue modeling. She slowly started to believe that the world was her oyster, that she was capable of things. She often felt, “What’s modeling. Is that a job I can really apply for?” She quickly started to venture into modeling. She joined a college in New York and balanced her time trying to perfect her portfolio.

Beauty Industry Struggles

When Nyakim made a move to New York, she was still faced discrimination. Fellow models, designers and make-up artists would often give rude comments and ill-treat the Sundanese model. They could not see her beauty, transfixed by the idea of conventional beauty only. Back in Minnesota, Nyakim also faced a lot of rejection as her looks clearly did not fit the western standard of beauty. But her sheer determination lead her to something meaningful…

Loving Herself

Nyakim took a very long time to embrace herself and learn to love herself. She wanted to concentrate on being a serious model and her family was on board. She was about to have a very huge change coming her way in life. Nyakim knew that she had to love herself first if she wanted other to love and accept her. She slowly saw her beauty and uniqueness and booked more shoots and shows. She then met someone who catapulted her career even further up…

Uber Taxi

So on March 2017, Nyakim Gatwech booked an Uber to travel to Minnesota. This ride was to catch an interview but ended up opening up her old wounds. The taxi arrived and the driver exclaimed, “Wow, you’re dark. If you were given $10,000, would you bleach your skin?” Then, the upcoming model answered gently, “I’m like, ‘Yeah I know.’ I can tell when somebody has never seen a Sudanese person before, somebody as dark as me.” Her next words were truly motivating…

Honesty

Nyakim was now able to laugh off the insensible comments but she wanted to get to the bottom of why he thought she would need skin bleaching. He told her that it would help her get a man. He further stated that she would get a job easier if she was fairer. She then responded, “Even if being lighter would make my life easier, I’d rather take the hard road. Why would I ever bleach this beautiful melanin God blessed me with?” He again asked her to do it, to which she hilariously replied, “Hell to the f***ing no!”