A few phone shots from Juba, the capital of South Sudan, where we attended the South Sudan Fashion Week event. On the catwalk, models hope to be discovered by international scouts. South Sudanese models are very popular in the West; quite a few South Sudanese women became top models in the past years.
But while Western countries are looking for South Sudanese women and men for their dark skin, many South Sudanese believe lighter skin is more beautiful. They even bleach their skin, which leads to many health risks.
It’s an idea that stuck from when South Sudan and Sudan were still one country, and black people were discriminated against by Sudanese from the North (who also controlled what is now South Sudan).
But, as many people in Juba told us, because of the upcoming of black models in Europe and the US, young girls learn to love their black skin — they’re seeing that skin bleaching is done less by Gen Z’ers and millennials.
Read more by tapping on this Volkskrant link! With great pictures and videos by Guy Peterson.