A Sudanese Model Was Asked to Bleach Her Skin and Her Response Inspired Women Everywhere

Nyakim Gatwech is a Sudanese model with a very dark complexion. At the age of 14, she moved to the USA from a refugee camp in Africa, but her problems didn't disappear. Because of the bullying that she endured due to her skin color, Nyakim wanted to give up on her dream of becoming a model. But she stayed strong and learned to love herself as she entered the modeling world. Everyone who has ever doubted themselves will find her story nothing short of inspiring.

Bright Side invites you to get acquainted with the brave and gorgeous Nyakim.

Nyakim's glowing appearance helped her to stand out from the crowd when it came to modeling. At the age of 24, she has already gained 350K followers on Instagram and has worked with famous brands like Calvin Klein, Fashion Nova, Aldo, and Cosmopolitan. But her road to fame wasn't easy.

Nyakim spent her childhood in a refugee camp in Africa. Her mother fled the country before she was even born because of the war going on in Sudan. Her older sister passed away and her brother wore a scar he got when he was attacked with a knife. When the family moved to the USA, the future model lived a more comfortable and peaceful lifestyle, but her emotional state worsened.

Children in American schools always trolled her for being "too dark". They said, "You don’t take showers. That’s why your skin is dirty,” or “Smile so we can see you!"

She cried herself to sleep every night and even wanted to bleach her skin because there were many Sudanese women who had done it. Even Nyakim's sister bleached her skin. But when Nyakim said she wanted to also, her sister didn't allow her to do and said, "You would not just be bleaching your skin, you would be bleaching your mind. I did it and I regret it."

At the time the future model thought, "These kids think I’m ugly. I don’t see myself in the modeling world." But she pushed that thought out of her mind and managed to love her own unique beauty.

Once she became a popular model, Nyakim found herself in an unpleasant situation. An Uber driver asked, "If you were given $10,000 would you bleach your skin?" She just laughed and wanted to know why he thought she should. He said she should do it because life would be easier for her. It would be easier for her to be in a relationship and she would get more job opportunities if she was lighter in color. Nyakim answered, "Even if being lighter would make my life easier, I’d rather take the hard road."

Nyakim was even nicknamed The Queen of the Dark, and she accepted it with immense pride.

Bright and beautiful model Nyakim has inspired lots of women around the world to accept their uniqueness and to love and respect themselves because every woman is marvelous in their own way.

Did Nyakim's courage inspire you? Share your opinions with us in the comments.