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<\/p>\nA woman was utterly surprised when her Uber driver offered her an unsolicited tip on how to care for her remarkable skin.Celebrating her striking beauty, the fashion icon, famously known as the \u201cQueen of the Dark,\u201d responded with laughter, dismissing his remarks with ease.<\/p>\n
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Read on to discover what the Uber driver said and how she transformed the situation into a learning opportunity!Having spent her early years in refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya, Nyakim Gatwech envisioned America as a \u201cheaven on earth.\u201dHowever, upon arriving in Buffalo at the age of 14, Gatwech found herself often alone, crying over the harsh judgments she faced due to her deeply pigmented skin.Based in Minnesota and originally from South Sudan, the model endured years of bullying for her radiant dark complexion, with comments like, \u201cYou don\u2019t take showers. That\u2019s why your skin is dirty,\u201d or, \u201cSmile so we can see you, Nyakim. We can\u2019t see you.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cIn class, for example, the teacher would ask a question and say, \u2018Oh, Nyakim, can you answer that?\u2019 A kid would say, \u2018Who are you talking to? We can\u2019t see her. She\u2019s not here.\u2019 The whole class would start laughing, and I would just cry,\u201d the now 31-year-old woman shares with Cosmopolitan.As a young girl desperate to fit in, it was tough when random men would bet on whether she was wearing leggings or if her skin was genuinely that dark.\u201cAt one point, I did consider [bleaching my skin]. When I came to America from a refugee camp in Africa [at age 14], I lived in Buffalo, New York. I would cry myself to sleep after being bullied [about my skin],\u201d she says. \u201cThere are so many beautiful dark-skinned Sudanese women who bleach their skin.\u201dGatwech revealed that her own sister was among those who bleached their skin. \u201cMy own sister did it. But when I told her I wanted to [after living in America for a few months], she told me no. \u2018I\u2019m not going to let my daughter do it, or you, nobody.\u2019\u201dQueen of the Dark
\nNow hailed as the Queen of the Dark, this woman \u2013 who has faced discrimination from designers, makeup artists, and even fellow models \u2013 feels empowered by overcoming negativity.Gatwech\u2019s confidence and profound love for her deep chocolatey skin are supported by her 962,000 loyal Instagram followers.<\/p>\n
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\u201cMy chocolate is elegant. So is what I represent\u2026 A nation of warriors,\u201d she writes in one post.Fans are captivated by her striking beauty.\u201cOmgggggg I love your skin and melanin,\u201d one fan comments, while another says, \u201clove your beautiful skin tone so much! God makes beautiful creations such as you to remind us of His magnificence!\u201dResponding to the overwhelming support, Gatwech states, \u201cI grew to learn to love myself\u2026 Now, I am not bothered by it [the negativity]. I accept my skin, I love myself, and I\u2019m not insecure about my skin anymore. I don\u2019t think I\u2019m ugly anymore. I have confidence in myself.\u201d\u2018Stupidest questions\u2019
\nA few years ago, Gatwech recounts an encounter with an Uber driver who asked if she\u2019d ever consider bleaching her unique skin.\u201cHe said, \u2018Wow, you\u2019re dark,\u2019\u201d Gatwech tells Cosmopolitan about her conversation with the driver. \u201cI just laughed. I wanted to know why he thought I should. He said because life would be easier for me. It would be easier for me to be in a relationship, or guys would be more attracted to me if I was lighter. If I was going to a job interview, I would get the job opportunities because I\u2019m lighter. I just said, \u2018[Even if] being lighter would make my life easier, I\u2019d rather take the [hard] road.\u2019\u201dShe adds, \u201cI\u2019m accustomed to people asking the most absurd questions about my skin.\u201dGatwech then shared her story on Instagram, accompanied by a stunning photo of herself with three other dark-skinned Sudanese women.<\/p>\n
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She wrote, \u201cA nation with people so dark you won\u2019t believe your eyes\u2026 skin so rich and teeth so bright. Gosh, how I love my country, my people, and everything that comes with it.\u201dShe detailed her encounter with the Uber driver: \u201c[SIC] I was asked by my Uber driver the other day, he said, \u2018Don\u2019t take this offensively, but if you were given 10 thousand dollars, would you bleach your skin for that amount?\u2019 I couldn\u2019t even respond; I started laughing so hard. Then he said, \u2018So that\u2019s a no?\u2019 and I was like, \u2018Hell to the f*cking yeah, that\u2019s a no. Why on earth would I ever bleach this beautiful melanin God blessed me with?\u2019 Then he asked, \u2018So you see it as a blessing?\u2019\u201dHer followers quickly responded with praise and support.\u201cI guess he didn\u2019t get the memo\u2026 black is beautiful,\u201d one fan commented.\u201cI love you for loving you,\u201d shared another. A third added, \u201cWhy would we ever want to mess up something so beautiful?\u201dWhen asked by Yahoo Beauty what advice she would give to young black girls facing similar challenges, she said, \u201cYou are beautiful, you are unique, and there are people who love you just the way you are. They say the darker the berry, the sweeter the juice. Embrace your darkness!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A woman was utterly surprised when her Uber driver offered her an unsolicited tip on how to care for her remarkable skin.Celebrating her striking beauty, the fashion icon, famously known as the \u201cQueen of...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1999,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1998","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n