Sudanese model reveals how she was bullied for being ‘too black’

Classmates would compare her skin to dirt

Instagram (queennyakimofficial)

A 24-year-old model from Sudan has revealed that she was cruelly bullied as a teen and was told by classmates that her complexion was “too black”.

Nyakim Gatwech, who now resides in Minnesota, explained in an interview that she lived in refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya before moving to the US at the age of 14.

She had hoped that coming to America would allow her to start a new life; however, she was frequently subjected to ruthless bullying and faced racist comments on a daily basis.

Speaking to Cosmopolitan, Gatwech recalled that classmates would accuse her of not taking showers, comparing her skin to dirt.

Some would even claim that they couldn’t see her when she was asked questions in the classroom.

At the time, Gatwech was still learning to speak English and often stayed quiet while her classmates cruelly teased her.

She was also subject to racist comments outside of the classroom, explaining how she once went into a supermarket and could overhear nearby strangers saying: “Oh my God, she’s so black. Is that even normal?”

At one point, Gatwech considered bleaching her skin in a bid to detract the bullies, however, her sister eventually convinced her not to take such extreme measures.

In March, she revealed in an Instagram post that an Uber driver asked if she would consider bleaching her skin for $10,000 (£7,489).

Her story resonated with her hundreds of thousands of followers and generated a flurry of supportive comments.

Gatwech suspected it was the first time the driver had ever seen a Sudanese person.

Today, Gatwech is a successful model and has worked with a range of leading brands including Calvin Klein and Jigsaw.

Her primary goal with her career is to keep promoting self-love and helping others who might suffer from discrimination due to their skin colour.

“I want to keep doing that. That’s important,” she concluded.