Model calls out fashion industry for ignoring black women's natural hair

Despite countless calls for more diversity, the fashion industry can be set in its ways. With black models still in the minority, it takes courage to speak up and criticise your employers.

That’s exactly what Australian model Nyadak Thot did. Earlier this week, Nyadak – who goes by the name of Duckie – posted a heartfelt message on Instagram, describing the humiliation she felt as a contestant on Australia’s Next Top Model three years ago.

“I was extremely upset and embarrassed that they ‘didn’t know how’ to cornrow my natural hair when at the end of the day, that’s their job. I sat in front of the mirror silently crying before my shoot doing my own hair, shit scared I was going to get eliminated because a few ‘hairstylists’ didn’t know how to do their job,” Duckie wrote.

The 21-year-old model spoke out again in a recent interview with Teen Vogue, explaining how black women in the industry suffer: “Being a black woman, we haven’t really been taught how to take care of our natural hair – we’ve only been taught how to hide it. I think hair companies, the media, hairstylists and the industry itself are to blame. They haven’t made the same efforts to ensure black women are looked after in their most natural form.”

She’s not the first woman of colour to vent her frustrations. Both Jourdan Dunn and Leomie Anderson have previously taken to social media to call out hair and make-up artists’ lack of knowledge with Leomie saying how she still has to bring her own foundation to shows and shoots.

Naomi Campbell also brought up the issue in another Teen Vogue interview earlier this year. Speaking of similar experiences that she encountered when she was younger, the supermodel said: “It’s disappointing to hear that models of colour are still encountering these same issues all these years later.”

Some progress is being made. In 2015, Maria Borges was the first model to walk the Victoria’s Secret runway with natural hair with this year’s show seeing three black models (including Borges) doing the same.

Perhaps the rest of the fashion industry should take note.

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