Model turned Journalist Yomi Abiola on Being a Living Stereotype of the African Woman at TEDxGöteborg | Watch

Nigerian/British Model turned Journalist Yomi Abiola first had her shot of stardom when she became the first African face of MaybellineNY. She has since graced the covers of Vogue Italy, Elle. But at a recent talk at TEDxGöteborg she gives us insight to the other side of the coin – how she faced a lot of rejection for the colour of her skin.

She narrates an experience where she was asked to be more African at a shoot; which to her meant she was being asked to be “wild, exotic, animalistic, human but not quite”. She also talks about how she couldn’t get jobs because agencies would say they already had someone who looked exactly like her – a black person.

In the 13-minute video, Yomi expresses how she realized the lack of diversity in fashion and how that led to her studying journalism and starting an initiative for social change – Stand Up For Fashion.

Check it out here!

Photo Credit: Getty Images/Mark Von Holden