MAC model Aamito Lagum responds after receiving racist comments on Instagram

The Ugandan model won a series of Africa's Next Top Model

Aamito Lagum (Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Mackage)

A model has responded to racist trolls who wrote offensive comments on a picture of her lips.

A photograph of the lips of Ugandan-born model Aamito Lagum, who won the first series of Africa’s Next Top Model, was posted by Mac Cosmetics four days ago showcasing the model’s lipstick for a New York Fashion Week show.

Unfortunately, the picture became subject to many hateful and bigoted comments from internet trolls, Mail Online reports. Many of the offensive comments appear to have been deleted and the majority of comments are now from users slamming the racist words and supporting the 23-year-old.

Lagum herself responded to the furore by posting a headline detailing the incident with the comment “My lips giving you sleepless nights” before thanking Mac for the lipstick colour which she said she would be buying three of.

She then encouraged her 17,600 followers to take a picture of their lips with the hashtag: “#PrettyLipsPeriod”.

MAC also appeared to defend their model, by following up the picture of her with a reminder to their followers of the company’s ethos: “All ages. All races. All sexes.”

Since winning the African modelling reality television programme in 2013, Lagum has modelled for Marc Jacobs, Paul Smith, Bottega Veneta and H&M, she has also appeared in magazines including British Vogue and Vanity Fair.