Nyakim Gatwech | |
---|---|
Born | |
Modeling information | |
Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
Website |
Nyakim Gatwech (born January 27, 1993) is an Ethiopian-born American model of South Sudanese descent. She has attracted attention for her dark skin color and has achieved significant popularity on Instagram. [1]
Nyakim Gatwech's parents lived in Maiwut, South Sudan, before they fled due to the Second Sudanese Civil War to Gambela, Ethiopia, where Gatwech was born. From there, they migrated to Kenya where they lived in refugee camps until they migrated to the US when Gatwech was 14 years old. Originally settling in Buffalo, New York, Gatwech later moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Although she has never been to South Sudan, Gatwech considers herself to be South Sudanese. [2] She considered a modeling career after taking part in a fashion show at St. Cloud State University. [3] [4] She has appeared in promotional posters for the 2017 film Jigsaw . [5]
Gatwech is known for her naturally dark skin color and has been nicknamed the Queen of the Dark. [6] [7] Gatwech has faced self-esteem issues and comments from people who promote bleaching to lighten skin color. [8] She has over 985,000 followers on Instagram. [9]
Black is a racialized classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid- to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin; in certain countries, often in socially based systems of racial classification in the Western world, the term "black" is used to describe persons who are perceived as dark-skinned compared to other populations. It is most commonly used for people of sub-Saharan African ancestry, Indigenous Australians and Melanesians, though it has been applied in many contexts to other groups, and is no indicator of any close ancestral relationship whatsoever. Indigenous African societies do not use the term black as a racial identity outside of influences brought by Western cultures.
Alek Wek is a South Sudanese-British model and designer who began her fashion career at the age of 18 in 1995. She has been hailed for her influence on the perception of beauty in the fashion industry. She is from the Dinka ethnic group in South Sudan, but fled to Britain in 1991 to escape the civil war in Sudan. In 2015, she was listed as one of BBC's 100 Women.
The Nuer people are a Nilotic ethnic group concentrated in the Greater Upper Nile region of South Sudan. They also live in the Ethiopian region of Gambella. The Nuer speak the Nuer language, which belongs to the Nilotic language family. They are the second-largest ethnic group in South Sudan and the largest ethnic group in Gambella, Ethiopia. The Nuer people are pastoralists who herd cattle for a living. Their cattle serve as companions and define their lifestyle. The Nuer call themselves "Naath".
Sudanese Americans are Americans of Sudanese ancestry or Sudanese who have American citizenship. Sudanese Americans may also include children born in the United States to an American parent and a Sudanese parent. Many Sudanese immigrated to the United States in the 1990s as war refugees, escaping from the second civil war. In the 2012 American Community Survey, 48,763 people identified as Sudanese or Sudanese Americans who—or whose ancestors—have emigrated from their native land to the U.S. in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.
Aheu Deng Kudum is a South Sudanese-Ethiopian fashion model and beauty pageant titleholder. She won the title of Miss Earth South Sudan 2009 at the annual beauty pageant, organized by South Sudan's Ministry of Tourism and Beauties of Africa Inc, the exclusive franchise holder.
South Sudanese Americans are an ethnic group of Americans of South Sudanese ancestry, or South Sudanese people who have American citizenship. South Sudanese Americans can include American descendants to South Sudanese ancestors or South Sudanese immigrants who obtained an American citizenship.
The Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition, also known as the anti-governmental forces (AGF), is a mainly South Sudanese political party and rebel group that split from the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in 2013, due to political tensions between President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar over leadership of the SPLM. Tensions grew between forces loyal to Kiir and Machar and South Sudan plunged into the South Sudanese Civil War.
Nykhor Paul is a Sudanese fashion model.
Simon Gatwech Dual is a Sudanese rebel Major General who was born in around the late 1930s in what is today Uror County, Jonglei state, South Sudan.
Khoudia Diop, also known as the Melanin Goddess, is a Senegalese fashion model and actress.
Adut Akech Bior is a South Sudanese-Australian model. Akech made her fashion week runway debut as an exclusive in the Saint Laurent S/S 17 show and went on to close both their F/W 17 and S/S 18 shows as an exclusive. In 2018, she was chosen as "Model of the Year" by models.com, an honour which was repeated the next year. Models.com includes Akech in its list of the "New Supers."
Anok Yai is an American fashion model. She is the first model of South Sudanese descent and the second black supermodel after Naomi Campbell to open a Prada show. She has made several appearances on i-D and international Vogue covers, including American Vogue three times. Models.com ranks her as one of the "New Supers" of this generation, and since 2023, she was chosen by both the industry and fans as "Model of the Year" and USA Top Model 2024.
Nyadak "Duckie" Thot is a South Sudanese–Australian model. Thot became the last eliminated on the eighth cycle of Australia's Next Top Model and made her runway debut at the Yeezy S/S 17 show. She is best known for being a face of Fenty Beauty as well as playing the lead role in the Alice in Wonderland–inspired 2018 Pirelli Calendar.
Ajak Deng is a South Sudanese-Australian model.
Kuoth Wiel is a South-Sudanese-American model and actress, best known for her role in The Good Lie (2014), a drama film portraying four child refugees from war-torn Sudan.
Shanelle Nyasiase is an Ethiopian-born South Sudanese fashion model.
Nyma Tang is an American beauty vlogger and activist against discrimination based on skin color and best known for her YouTube channel of the same name. She gained online popularity in 2017 for her YouTube series The Darkest Shade, in which she reviews the darkest shades of products from different makeup brands and highlights the under-representation of deeper skin tones in the beauty industry.
Neveen Dominic is a South Sudanese actress, film producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist based in Canada.
Nova Stevens is a Canadian model, activist, and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Universe Canada 2020. As Miss Universe Canada, she represented Canada at Miss Universe 2020, making her the first woman of South Sudanese origin to compete at the pageant. Stevens is also a professional model and an activist for Black Lives Matter.