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 sad reason why Meghan Markle & Queen Camilla became ‘enemies,’ revealed
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left the Royal Family frustrated and angered when they decided their time as active members of the monarchy was up. Of course, things hardly got better when they launched a series of allegations against King Charles and co., sparking an ongoing feud that has no end in sight.
Charles was accused of not being a good father by Harry, while her termed Queen Camilla the “wicked” stepmother. Meghan Markle also made a bombshell claim of racism within the Royal Family. The royals have not responded to any of the allegations, and the rift today between the Sussexes and the monarchy is more profound than ever. No one knows if or when it will come to a close, but one rumored to want to protect the royals at any cost is Queen Camilla.
By all accounts Camilla has been very protective her husband where Harry is concerned. Of course, once upon a time, she and the Sussexes got along well, with it said that the Queen Consort tried to help Meghan settle into royal life. Then one event changed everything. Or, more specifically, one picture changed everything – and it prompted the beginning of the end for Meghan’s royal tenure.
When Prince Harry introduced Meghan Markle to the Royal Family, his stepmother, Queen Camilla, had already been a part of the Firm for years. She and King Charles married in 2005 and Camilla – like Meghan – underwent plenty of scrutiny.
Meghan Markle
Harry and Meghan began dating in 2016, but it only took months before the press was all over the then-Suits actress. Ultimately, things reached a point where Harry himself felt he had to take a stand against it.
In a statement issued by the prince’s communications secretary, Harry publicly claimed that Meghan had been the subject of a wave of harassment. The statement outlined how the Duke rarely took formal action over “fictional stories” published in the press but that “the past week has seen a line crossed.”
“Some of this has been very public – the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments,” Harry’s statement read.
“Some of it has been hidden from the public – the nightly legal battles to keep defamatory stories out of papers; her mother having to struggle past photographers in order to get to her front door; the attempts of reporters and photographers to gain illegal entry to her home and the calls to police that followed; the substantial bribes offered by papers to her ex-boyfriend; the bombardment of nearly every friend, co-worker, and loved one in her life.”
At the time, BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt said that there were “those in Buckingham Palace who’ll appreciate his pain.” One of those who certainly understood what Meghan was going through was Camilla, who decided to act.
How Queen Camilla tried helping Meghan Markle settling in to royal life
Camilla did her best to help Meghan adjust to royal life. Shortly before her wedding to Harry, Camilla invited Meghan to a private lunch and shared how the press treated her after Princess Diana’s death, as well as how she coped with the pressure.
According to the Daily Mail, Camilla advised Meghan to focus on the positive sides of her role within the Royal Family and “ride out the storm if negative press would occur.”
Charles was said to have offered similar advice to Harry.
However, Meghan appeared to feel differently. In an ITV documentary, she claimed people didn’t care about her well-being, saying: “Not many people have asked if I’m OK.”
“Meg was really grateful to Camilla, who was very supportive and invited her out for private lunches, particularly around the time of her marriage,” a friend of Meghan told the Daily Mail. “She listened to her and understood that it’s really difficult joining the Royal Family from an otherwise ‘normal’ life.”
The friend added: “Much like Meghan, Camilla had experienced a lot of negative press and hostility from courtiers due to her relationship with Charles when he was still married to Diana.”
“She was very sensitive to Meghan and provided her with support, advising her to ride out the storm and that it would all pass – but ultimately Meghan didn’t listen.”
“She tries very hard to make people welcome”
Meanwhile, a palace aid told the Mail that Camilla understood what it was like for one to come from a “normal life” before suddenly finding themselves in the world’s loftiest, most famous royal family.
“As a consequence, she tries very hard to make people welcome and help them find their feet, and has done so for many years,” the palace source said.
“Her consciously offering to mentor and guide is something that she really does try and do. That applies to many people, not just the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Sussex.”
That Harry and Meghan’s future didn’t lie with the Royal Family became apparent in the year after their 2018 wedding. Some experts claim that the couple thought about possibly leaving just days after the wedding, but in any case, in January 2020, the statement that they wouldn’t stay on as senior working members of the Royal Family was released.
Meghan Markle then made several bombshell accusations against the royals in the now-infamous Oprah Winfrey interview of 2021, citing why she and Harry felt they couldn’t stay. Although the royals haven’t commented on any of the accusations made by the Sussexes, it sadly appears there were other reasons as to why their position within the monarchy became untenable.
One negative aspect of their royal tenure was that Meghan and Kate Middleton didn’t get along, but the former’s relationship with Camilla also reportedly went down the drain.
Meghan Markle ‘sparked a war‘ with Queen Camilla over pictures
But whose fault was that? One story concerns a picture that was said to have made Camilla furious, marking the beginning of the end.
In 2020, just weeks before the Sussexes left royal life behind, Camilla was scheduled to attend the 10th Anniversary of the Women of the World festival. There, she was to deliver a speech, and it was reported that Meghan promised not to stand in her way.
The Mirror wrote that Camilla and her team had planned the event for over a year. But once there, Meghan stole the spotlight, which upset Camilla.
“Camilla’s work is very important to her and her decision to highlight the scourge of domestic violence at the 10th anniversary of Women of the World was a carefully thought-out plan,” a royal insider said.
“Of course it was known Harry and Meghan would be doing engagements this week, some privately, but everyone was in agreement that Camilla’s speech should take precedence. Unfortunately some people had other ideas.”
Meghan was accused of stealing Camilla’s spotlight by releasing pictures of herself at the event on the same day. As per the Daily Mail, Buckingham Palace had urged royal correspondents to focus on Camilla and not Meghan, but that didn’t happen.
“These kinds of ‘clashes’ are inevitable”
The Duchess reportedly insisted on publishing the photos and was to blame as they were ‘hastily’ published.
Speaking with The Sun last year, royal expert Duncan Larcome said Camilla’s irritation about the pictures is understandable.
“The ‘men in grey suits’ are at pains to avoid diary clashes and the prospect of one member of the family outshining the other on the same day. Camilla would be justified at being miffed to say the least. But as Harry and Meghan continue their work without any regard for the rest of the work of the Royal Family, these kinds of ‘clashes’ are inevitable,” he said.
Camilla has become a symbol for the Royal Family, not least because she has taken on a massive amount of responsibility amid King Charles’ cancer diagnosis and recovery. Harry and Meghan, meanwhile, are still working on rebuilding their image, so it could be argued that Camilla has gotten her revenge.
Harry and Meghan signed a massive deal with Spotify years ago. However, the deal ended in a fiasco, as Meghan’s Archetypes podcast was shut down, and their entire Spotify deal canceled.
In the case of Queen Camilla, podcasts appear to be her thing.
Queen Camilla’s ‘revenge’ on Meghan Markle
In 2021, Camilla launched a new initiative called The Duchess of Cornwall’s Reading Room, a book club about reading recommendations and more. It was founded during the pandemic, became a huge success, and eventually a podcast.
“Camilla’s podcast has been a great success. She has proven many times over she can bring in any of the big names from the world of the arts she wants,” Editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine Ingrid Seward told The Sun.
“Given Meghan’s apparent disinterest in Queen Camilla, I doubt if she has a nice word to say about her or her podcast.”
According to Denise Palmer Davies, brand expert and director of Borne Media, Camilla’s success is the “perfect revenge” on Meghan.
“After all the hurtful things Harry has said about Camilla, she has finally got her own back on them, she told The Sun. “I bet Meghan, in particular, will be livid over the whole thing and probably a bit embarrassed that hers fell at the first hurdle.”
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