MEET NYAKIM GATWEC – A MODEL NICKNAMED ‘QUEEN OF THE DARK’

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 “Queen of the Dark,” responded with laughter, dismissing his remarks with ease.

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 “heaven on earth.”

However, 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, “You don’t take showers. That’s why your skin is dirty,” or, “Smile so we can see you, Nyakim. We can’t see you.”

“In class, for example, the teacher would ask a question and say, ‘Oh, Nyakim, can you answer that?’ A kid would say, ‘Who are you talking to? We can’t see her. She’s not here.’ The whole class would start laughing, and I would just cry,” 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.

“At 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],” she says. “There are so many beautiful dark-skinned Sudanese women who bleach their skin.”

Gatwech revealed that her own sister was among those who bleached their skin. “My own sister did it. But when I told her I wanted to [after living in America for a few months], she told me no. ‘I’m not going to let my daughter do it, or you, nobody.’”

Queen of the Dark
Now hailed as the Queen of the Dark, this woman – who has faced discrimination from designers, makeup artists, and even fellow models – feels empowered by overcoming negativity.

Gatwech’s confidence and profound love for her deep chocolatey skin are supported by her 962,000 loyal Instagram followers.

“My chocolate is elegant. So is what I represent… A nation of warriors,” she writes in one post.

Fans are captivated by her striking beauty.

“Omgggggg I love your skin and melanin,” one fan comments, while another says, “love your beautiful skin tone so much! God makes beautiful creations such as you to remind us of His magnificence!”

Responding to the overwhelming support, Gatwech states, “I grew to learn to love myself… Now, I am not bothered by it [the negativity]. I accept my skin, I love myself, and I’m not insecure about my skin anymore. I don’t think I’m ugly anymore. I have confidence in myself.”

‘Stupidest questions’
A few years ago, Gatwech recounts an encounter with an Uber driver who asked if she’d ever consider bleaching her unique skin.

“He said, ‘Wow, you’re dark,’” Gatwech tells Cosmopolitan about her conversation with the driver. “I 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’m lighter. I just said, ‘[Even if] being lighter would make my life easier, I’d rather take the [hard] road.’”

She adds, “I’m accustomed to people asking the most absurd questions about my skin.”

Gatwech then shared her story on Instagram, accompanied by a stunning photo of herself with three other dark-skinned Sudanese women.

She wrote, “A nation with people so dark you won’t believe your eyes… skin so rich and teeth so bright. Gosh, how I love my country, my people, and everything that comes with it.”

She detailed her encounter with the Uber driver: “[SIC] I was asked by my Uber driver the other day, he said, ‘Don’t take this offensively, but if you were given 10 thousand dollars, would you bleach your skin for that amount?’ I couldn’t even respond; I started laughing so hard. Then he said, ‘So that’s a no?’ and I was like, ‘Hell to the f*cking yeah, that’s a no. Why on earth would I ever bleach this beautiful melanin God blessed me with?’ Then he asked, ‘So you see it as a blessing?’”

Her followers quickly responded with praise and support.

“I guess he didn’t get the memo… black is beautiful,” one fan commented.

“I love you for loving you,” shared another. A third added, “Why would we ever want to mess up something so beautiful?”

When asked by Yahoo Beauty what advice she would give to young black girls facing similar challenges, she said, “You 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!”

THE END OF A LEGEND. PRAYERS NEEDED FOR CELINE DION

Since the singer seemed to have lost a considerable amount of weight, magazines have been covering Céline Dion’s health.

Her admirers expressed worry, claiming she no longer looks like the person she used to be. However, she insisted that she ought to be left alone.

The singer, who was born in Canada, said to those who were critiquing her appearance in an interview recently “If I like it, I don’t want to talk about it. Don’t bother. Don’t take a picture. If you like it, I’ll be there. If you don’t, leave me alone.”

However, it was recently revealed by one of her representatives that Dion experiences muscle spasms, which interfere with her performance on stage. Dion was consequently forced to postpone her concerts in Las Vegas from November of last year to January 19 to February 5, 2022, in addition to the pandemic that altered the path of many people’s lives.

“Celine has been experiencing severe and persistent muscle spasms which are preventing her from performing,” the statement read.

“Her medical team continues to evaluate and treat her. However, the symptoms she is experiencing are prohibiting her from participating in the ongoing rehearsals for the new show.”

The singer herself shared her sadness on Instagram about the postponed concert dates as well as her ongoing health problems.

“Hello, everyone. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to reach out to you. I miss you all so much and I can’t wait to be on stage talking to you in person,” Dion said in the video.

“As you know, I’ve always been an open book and I wasn’t ready to say anything before, but I’m ready now. I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time and it’s been really difficult for me to face these challenges and to talk about everything that I’ve been going through.

“Recently, I’ve been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called the stiff-person syndrome, which affects something like one in a million people. While we’re still learning about this rare condition, we now know this is what’s been causing all of the spasms that I’ve been having. Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal chords to sing the way I’m used to.”

“I’m working hard with my sports medicine therapist every day to build back my strength and my ability to perform again, but I have to admit it’s been a struggle,” she said. “All I know is singing. It’s what I’ve done all my life and it’s what I love to do the most.

“I miss you so much. I miss seeing all of you, being on the stage performing for you. I always give a hundred percent when I do my shows, but my condition is now allowing me to give you that right now,” she continued.

Dion concluded the video saying: “I want to thank you so much for your encouraging wishes and love and support on my social media. This means a lot to me.

“Take care of yourselves. Be well. I love you guys so much and I really hope I can see you again real soon.”

Dion has a long history with Las Vegas, which she considers to be her home. Her history with “Sin City” began in 2003 when she embarked on a four-year residency in Las Vegas, which proved to be a great success, bringing in over $385 million.

Billboard reports that after a few years, Dion made a comeback to the Las Vegas stage for a residency at Ceasar’s Palace, where she performed 1,141 times, breaking the previous record.

She also owns the records for the two all-time best-selling residencies.

Dion had previously stated that her tour would start in May 2022 due to health concerns, but the dates have since been further postponed. She postponed her residency in Las Vegas at the same time.

She made $680 million from her two previous Las Vegas residencies alone. According to reports, she has a net worth of approximately $800 million, with revenue of $37 million in 2019.

Based on her earnings for the Celine residency show, it has been reported that the singer lost approximately $70 million in revenue due to her absence from the stage.

Aside from that, she is content that her vacation allowed her to spend more time with her kids

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