Khoudia Diop
Fashion model Khoudia Diop is also known by her nickname Melanin Goddess. Diop has come up with this name for herself, after she entered the modeling world, as a way to express pride in her unique condition ans dark skin tone (melanin is the missing pigment that’s responsible for her dark complexion).
The 23-year old was bullied throughout her childhood for being different – for her extraordinarily dark complexion, caused by an excess of melanin – but as she moved to Paris at the age of 15, she was quickly discovered by numerous modeling agents. She was approached and encouraged by many people on the street, and after a year in Paris, Diop has finally moved to New York to embark on her modeling career.