A South Sudanese model has been drawing more attention not just because of her good looks but also because of her courage to voice out important issues like racism in the fashion industry.
Nykhor Paul, who has been modelling since 2008, recently called out the fashion industry for ignoring and devaluing the complexion of women with darker skin tones.
In a post she made on her Instagram account on Sunday, Paul captioned a black and white photo that showed her gorgeous complexion as she complained of the discrimination she experienced behind every photoshoot and ramp events she went to.
She urged "the white people in the fashion world" to avoid making girls with darker complexions feel bad by bringing make-up that are only suited for models with fair complexion.
"Why do I have to bring my own makeup to a professional show when all the other white girls don't have to do anything but show up. Don't try to make me feel bad because I am blue black," she said on her Instagram post.
Paul said make-up artists no longer have the reason to keep asking dark models to bring their own make-up during shoot since several cosmetic companies have been offering products for dark skin tones.
The South Sudanese stunner urged make-up artists for fashion campaigns in New York City, London, Milan, Paris, and Cape Town to stop apologising and instead make an effort to do their own research and come prepared for every type of model doing a show.
"Just because you only book a few of us doesn't mean you have the right to make us look ratchet. I'm tired of complaining about not getting book as a black model and I'm definitely super tired of apologising for my blackness!" she said.
"Fashion is art, art is never racist. It should be inclusive of all, not only white people... We started fashion in Africa and you modernise and copy it! Why can't we be part of fashion fully and equally?" she added.
A decade after migrating to the US with the assistance of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Paul has also become an activist, particularly creating a foundation called We Are Nilotic.
She has been advocating global awareness about the violence raging in South Sudan. Her activities landed her on Models.com's Humanitarian Award list, according to Styleite.
