Meet The South Sudanese Model Popularly Known As The Queen Of The Dark

Meet Nyakim Gatwech, a 24-year-old model from South Sudan who has earned the nickname Queen of the Dark.

In a world extremely obsessed with the fair complexion, Nyakim who was once asked by an Uber driver if she’d bleach her body for £10,000 is fast becoming an icon for celebrating the beauty of black skin as she encourages black girls to love their skin tone.

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To the uber driver, Nyakim laughed and dismissed his question replying: “Why on earth would I ever bleach this beautiful melanin?” With her deeply pigmented skin and unrelenting determination, she is breaking down the barriers of conventional beauty.

Nyakim, who now lives in Mieapolis, Miesota, uses her Instagram account to show off her sultry modeling poses as she advocates for diversity and stands up for those who don’t have a voice.

“My chocolate is elegant. So is what I represent… A nation of warriors,” reads a caption of one of her many Instagram photos.

Another reads: “You represent me and I represent you and let show the world how beautiful and intelligent we are apart from just being dark skin. Because we are more than what this society think of our dark skin let stand up for those who can’t. Let’s speak up [for] those who can’t. And stay beautiful while doing it.”

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In another one she says: “Black is bold, black is beautiful, black is gold. Don’t let American standards damage your African soul. Love the skin you live in, no matter what color or shade it may be.”

Nyakim has also been responsible for the change of the tag #MotivationMonday to #MelaninMonday for her fiercely gorgeous pictures which routinely exceed 10 thousand likes each.

In an interview with Yahoo! Beauty, the Queen of the Dark touched on moments in her life when she felt bad about her skin. She revealed that she considered bleaching herself to avoid dirty looks and laughter and for boys to find her attractive.

But thanks to the support of her sister and her over 50,000+ social media followers, Nyakim found confidence.