Namita Nayyar:
You were born in Gambela (Ethiopia) and now an American model of South Sudanese descent. You later migrated to Kenya where you lived in refugee camps, until you finally migrated to the US, when you were 14 years old. You originally settled in Buffalo, New York, and later moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was in Junior year of high school when you felt to really pursue modeling. The career clicked with you when you strutted down the runway in your friend’s designs at a school event. You finally considered a modeling career after taking part in a fashion show at St. Cloud State University. You did overcome all the hardships and adversity and went on to become one of the most widely recognized social media stars in the digital world and as a supermodel. This later propelled your career to the height where you have been at the top of the world of modeling and social media when you became a member of the 2019 L’Oréal League—L’Oréal Paris’ influencer ambassador program. Tell us more about your professional journey of exceptional hard work, tenacity, and endurance?
Nyakim Gatwetch:
My professional journey into the modeling industry was not easy. Being from a refugee camp and facing many hardships, I came to America with a dream to be a model. I struggled with being bullied through high school and into college which made me feel like I couldn’t do it…like I wasn’t cut out for it. I had given up and eventually felt I didn’t deserve it. I didn’t possess the beauty standards that the Western World celebrated, so as time passed I just decided to work on self-love, self-esteem and self-confidence and at some point I no longer cared what anybody had to say. I just loved on myself and worked on being the best me. My real journey started when I stopped caring about other people’s negative opinions of me, my background or my skin color.
When my authentic love-of-self began, that’s when I started modeling. I took so many pictures which I submitted to the different agencies in New York and L.A. Years passed, and I wasn’t getting any responses because once again, I wasn’t the typical look seen on the cover of VOGUE at that time. People would say you’ve been trying this for years, you should give up, but I didn’t. In the back of my mind, I knew I was going to succeed. This is something that I was meant to do! Especially after the struggle my family went through coming to America for my siblings and I to get an education and for me to follow my dream.
I blew up in 2017 when one of my pictures went viral. God opened that door for my professional modeling journey to begin. If agencies are not going to sign you and brands don’t want to work with you, I’ll open a different door to show you that you can still pursue what you love. And that was through social media.
From there, He opened another door that I wasn’t expecting, but I was prepared. So when the L’Oreal Paris team reached out after seeing me on social media, I jumped at the opportunity to become a Brand Ambassador for this iconic brand.
I told myself I’d been through the hardest times in life, sitting here in America and listening to what other people said about me. My family has been through too much for you to give up on yourself. Not now, not tomorrow not the next year and that’s when my career took off. That’s when I felt like this is what I needed to do and would always do.
Namita Nayyar:
You once said, “A little girl wrote me a paragraph thanking me for loving myself. She told me that because I love myself she started to love herself too.” You further said, “I empower dark-skinned little girls who are bullied for having skin they can’t change,” Tell us about this spectacular achievement of yours where you have started a movement of self-love and female empowerment?
Nyakim Gatwetch:
Seeing a post on Instagram or a girl in an ad won’t automatically make you okay with who you are. My personal movement started when I decided to love myself, became comfortable in my own skin and starting believing in myself. Now nobody can tell me otherwise. I’m happy with who I am, but it wasn’t always this way. I can talk about the struggle I went through, how I cried myself to sleep every night and didn’t want to wake up the next morning and face all the negativity I received daily. But I prefer to use my platform to spread happiness, female empowerment and self-love because I know there are a lot of people like me suffering in silence. Nobody talks to them about it, so I wouldn’t say that I started the movement for girls with dark skin, but I am a big part of it. There’s so many other amazing models on social media and in magazines helping young girls fall in love with themselves and become comfortable with who they are.
Namita Nayyar:
You are the world-leading supermodel, social media personality, and brand ambassador. How do you manage such a remarkable multi-dimensional lifestyle?
Nyakim Gatwetch:
It wasn’t easy for me in the beginning. I didn’t think it was going to be a big career because mind you I’d been trying for so long. But as my career took off, I had my brother helping me and now I have my manager who makes sure that everything is in line from every message I receive and respond to, to keeping my schedule and getting me to and from jobs. So I feel like I have a team around me that helps me be my better self and maintain who I am. That’s how I’m able to do all this stuff in my life without losing sight of where I came from and where I’m going. I have people around me who support and generally care for me.
Namita Nayyar
What exercises comprise your fitness regime or workout routine you may wish to share?
Nyakim Gatwetch:
When I was younger, I had this body that didn’t change at all no matter what I ate. I used to eat junk food and my body would just stay the same. I guess you would say it was God-given, but when I reached the age of 27, I started seeing changes in my body. I was like, okay, now I have to go to the gym. So I hired a trainer and I started doing workouts: sit ups, running and all types of exercises to keep healthy. I had to change my diet as well, but this is all very recent so I’m still working on developing a routine where I wake up every day and exercise.
Full Interview is Continued on Next Page
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2021 Women Fitness
Namita Nayyar:
How do you train your abs? One secret to your toned body.
Nyakim Gatwetch:
I make sure that I drink a lot of water and do a lot of yoga in the morning to relax my mind and do sit ups at home because that is what we can do right now. And I meditate a lot.
Namita Nayyar:
Do you take some special diet or have a strict menu that you follow to remain healthy and physically fit?
Nyakim Gatwetch:
I don’t have a specific diet, but I do try to watch what I eat now. I eat more greens and consume less sugary drinks. I used to drink a lot of soda, which I know is not good for you. I eat a lot of African and home-cooked food because it is healthier than going out and buying it. So that’s what I do when I have time; I sit at home and cook.
Namita Nayyar:
Five foods you absolutely love and five you keep it to a minimum.
Nyakim Gatwetch:
I love African food prepared by my mom. My favorite dish that she makes for me is from corn flour. I also love chicken alfredo with pasta, chicken fried rice, and Caesar salad.
I keep the sweets I love to a minimum; ice cream, cake, donuts!
Namita Nayyar:
You have glowing skin and gorgeous hair. Share with us your hair care and skincare routine.
Nyakim Gatwetch:
I make sure that I wash my face or before I go to sleep, and drink a lot of water! I also make sure to tone and moisturize. And at night I follow it up with a mask! I recently partnered with Urban Skin Rx and fell in love with their facial cleansing bar. I also love Tatcha’s Violet C mask, rice polish and L’Oreal Paris moisturizers with hyaluronic acid.
For haircare I swear by L’Oreal’s hair colour sprays which help me temporarily color my hair without damaging it.
Namita Nayyar:
Five skincare myths.
Nyakim Gatwetch:
Biggest skincare myth is that if you have dull and dark skin tone, you can sleep in your makeup and it won’t affect your skin. Well it’s not true, if I ever sleep with makeup on, I break out and have dry itchy skin. Always wash your makeup off before going to bed.
Namita Nayyar:
Athletic leisure brands you love to wear.
Nyakim Gatwetch:
Fabletics and Nike are my favourite athletic wear brands!
Namita Nayyar:
Five travel destinations on your wish list.
Nyakim Gatwetch:
Dubai, Tokyo, Ghana, Singapore and Zimbabwe
Namita Nayyar:
You are known for your naturally dark skin color and have been nicknamed the Queen of the Dark. The nickname, which is based on your stunningly deep skin tone, has become a point of pride—earning a spot in your Instagram bio and a hashtag on many of your posts. You once said, “For most people, the name might be seen in a negative light, but I’m proud of the name and claim it with pride.” Elaborate how you have taken and turned it to your advantage in the profession as a supermodel?
Nyakim Gatwetch:
So the whole story is one of my followers came up with the nickname “Queen of Dark” and at first, I laughed and was confused by it. And then I got a lot of DM’s and emails from people saying it could be negative because it might stand for queen of evil, as if I had some evil magic or came from an evil background. And of course I thought all of this was funny but when you google queen of dark the first thing you see is darkness. And when people see darkness, they think negatively. I’m changing that narrative by embracing the name and making them pay attention to the Queen part so when they look at the dark part, it no longer seems negative. I use the nickname to remind these little girls, my friends and followers that there’s nothing wrong with being dark or any shade of black at all. I happen to be the darkest shade and there’s nothing wrong with that. If I was the ‘Queen of Light’, I don’t think anybody would say anything like that. We need to change the mind-set that light, white or fair skin is the only skin considered beautiful in the Western World.
Namita Nayyar:
Advice and motivational words to the inspiring and budding model girls, who all are your fans and shall like to know from you for their climb to the ladder of success in the field of modeling?
Nyakim Gatwetch:
Basically the main keys to my success were to never give up, work on loving myself and knowing that hard work and patience leads to results.
Other than that, the best advice I can give is to listen to people’s story, get inspired and never give up on yourself. Think about it this way. If I can do it, having been through what I went through, growing up in a refugee camp, sleeping under a tent, immigrating to America, and eventually pursuing my dream, what’s stopping you? There’s a reason you’re here doing what you do. Don’t listen to what anybody is saying about you. That’s what I always say.
I was 14 years old when I came to America. I wanted to model right away but I was being bullied daily. My sister was bullied to a point where she ended up bleaching her skin. I wanted to do the same but she talked me out of it. I chose to learn from her mistakes instead, and I’m so glad I listened to her because the thing I was bullied for is the reason for my success as a model. So my advice is to always believe in you. And please never let anybody tell you otherwise.
Namita Nayyar:
You have done bold photoshoots for a number of fashion brands and on your Instagram handle @queennyakimofficial. How you are so body confident and advice to your compatriots?
Nyakim Gatwetch:
Basically I am just being myself, being comfortable in my own skin. When you’re comfortable in your own skin and you love yourself for who you are, then other people have no choice but to accept you. And even if they don’t, it won’t affect you. So just love yourself, have self-confidence, shine, and other people will either love it or hate it but the majority of the people will love it because you’re not pretending to be somebody else.
Namita Nayyar:
Your idea of a perfect date?
Nyakim Gatwetch:
I love romance, so just going to an amazing restaurant on a rooftop with a beautiful city view and having intimate, one on one conversation (I’m a talker) would be ideal. The restaurant is reserved just for us. There are twinkling city lights, candles and champagne or wine and we look into each other’s eyes and get to know each other deeply.
Namita Nayyar:
What do you wish to say about the website Womenfitness.net and message for its visitors?
Nyakim Gatwetch:
You have a very powerful message of female empowerment and show women as very strong. Thank you for allowing me to be part of YOUR amazing movement, inspiring women all over the world to be their best selves. I believe I represent that as well, and I’m so thankful to be part of it.
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2021 Women Fitness