The woman was shocked when her Uber driver uninvitedly offered advise on how to take care of her beautiful skin.
The “Queen of the Dark,” as the fashion diva was affectionately called, laughed off his comments and embraced her breathtaking beauty.
Continue reading to find out what this Uber driver said her and how she utilized it as a teaching moment!
Nyakim Gatwech, who spent her early years in refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya, thought that living in America would “be like heaven.”
But when Gatwech moved to Buffalo at the age of 14, she stayed by herself a lot, crying over comments made about her very dark skin tone.
“You don’t wash your hair. Because of this, your skin is filthy.Or, “Nyakim, smile so we can see you. You are invisible to us. You have dirty skin as a result. Or grin for us to see you, Nyakim. We cannot see you.
In class, for example, the instructor might ask a question and say, “Oh, Nyakim, can you answer that?””How about a toddler asking, “Who are you talking to?”? We cannot see her. She’s not here. The now 31-year-old woman says, “I would just cry, and the whole class would start laughing,” as reported by Cosmopolitan.
The innocent young girl just wanted to fit in, but it was difficult when random people were speculating about whether or not she was indeed that dark-skinned and whether or not she was wearing leggings.
I did think about [bleaching my skin] at one time. I was 14 years old when I fled an African refugee camp and moved to Buffalo, New York. The beauty admits, “After being teased [about my skin], I would cry myself to sleep.””So many stunning Sudanese women with dark skin tones bleach their skin.”
The model continued by saying that her own sister was one of the Sudanese ladies who had bleached her skin.”It was my own sister.” However, after a few months of living in America, I told her that I wanted to, and she said no. I will not allow my kid, you, or anyone else to do it.
Dark Queen
The woman, who has encountered prejudice from makeup artists, designers, and other models, is now referred to as the Queen of the Dark and feels strong since she has triumphed over the criticism.
Additionally, Gatwech’s 962,000 dedicated Instagram fans encourage her self-assurance and amazing fondness for her deep chocolate skin tone.
“My chocolate is sophisticated. Thus, I stand for this. A country of fighters,” she writes in one of her posts.
And the incredibly beautiful woman’s admirers can’t get enough of her.
One fan writes, “Omgggggg I love your skin and melanin,” while another exclaims, “I love your beautiful skin tone so much!” God creates exquisite things like you to serve as a constant reminder of His majesty.
In response to the tremendous outpouring of love, Gatwech adds, “I learned to love myself.I’m not troubled by the negative anymore. I love and embrace my skin, and I no longer feel insecure about it. I no longer believe I’m ugly. I am confident in who I am.
“The silliest queries”
Speaking about her odd skin, Gatwech recounts about meeting an Uber driver a few years ago who asked if she would ever consider whitening it.
“Oh, you’re dark,” he remarked.Gatwech describes her chat with the driver to Cosmopolitan.”I merely chuckled. I was curious as to why he felt that I ought to. He said that because it would make my life simpler. If I were lighter, I could get into a relationship more easily and guys would be more drawn to me. I’m lighter, so if I went to a job interview, I would receive the opportunity. I just responded, “I’d rather take the [hard] road, even if] being lighter would make my life easier.”
The woman goes on, “I’m used to people asking the stupidest questions ever [about my skin].”
Gatwech then shared the story on Instagram along with a stunning picture of herself with three other stunning dark-skinned Sudanese women.
“A country with people so dark you won’t believe your eyes,” the author writes. Teeth so brilliant, skin so rich. Oh, how I cherish my nation, my people, and all that it entails.
“[SIC] I was asking my Uber driver the other day, and he said, don’t take this personally, but would you bleach your skin for ten thousand dollars?” she says, going on to describe her interaction with the driver. I couldn’t even respond because I was laughing so much.He then responded, “So that’s a no,” to which I replied, “Hell to the f*king yeah, that’s a no, why would I ever bleach this gorgeous melanin that God bless with me?””So you see it as a blessing,” he continued.
Her backers applauded Gatwech right away and raced to her defense.
“I suppose he missed the memo.”Black is gorgeous,” an admirer writes.
Another person says, “I cherish you for cherishing me.”A third wonders, “Why would we ever want to mess up something so beautiful?”
Asking Yahoo Beauty for guidance, she said, “You are beautiful, you are unique, and there are people who love you just the way you are” to young black girls suffering comparable struggles. It’s said that the juice of a cherry is sweeter the darker it is. Accept your gloom!
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My Husband Bragged about Buying Me Expensive Earrings When I Bought Them Myself, So I Gave Him a Reality Check
When Samantha reaches a huge milestone at work, she decides to celebrate the moment by treating herself to something expensive—a pair of diamond earrings. But when she and her husband are with their friends, and Ross takes full credit for it, she wants nothing more than to embarrass him. Will she do it? And more importantly, will she regret it?
I’ve always thought of myself as being an independent woman. Even when I got married to Ross—I knew that I needed to have my own sense of independence in some way. Which is how I threw myself into my career.
A woman wearing a blazer | Source: Pexels
I work for a fashion house, writing content and making our catalogs look great. Recently, work has been going really well, and I received a promotion.
“Well done, Samantha!” my boss gushed. “You’re the person who takes our vision and translates it to the public. It’s a gift.”
Of course, I loved my job so it felt like the biggest reward to be acknowledged for my work.
A woman writing in a notebook | Source: Unsplash
I celebrated my promotion by spoiling myself.
“What do you want to get for yourself?” my work colleague, Carol, asked me during our lunch.
“I don’t know,” I said, drizzling dressing all over my salad. “I don’t own anything incredibly fancy. So, I’m thinking jewelry.”
A plate of salad on a table | Source: Unsplash
Carol and I went to the jewelry store across from the café we had lunch.
“Let’s just look around,” Carol said.
A display at a jewelry store | Source: Unsplash
We walked around the store and I looked through the glass displays, waiting for something to catch my eyes. Which was when I saw them—a pair of exquisite diamond earrings.
“That’s the one,” I said.
The woman behind the display beamed at me.
“This is going to complement your eyes,” she said, putting the earrings into a beautiful velvet box.
A pair of diamond earrings | Source: Pexels
That evening when I got home from work, I took the box out, ready to show Ross the symbol of my hard-earned achievement at work.
“That looks expensive,” Ross said, piling pasta onto plates for us. “Was it?”
“It was,” I agreed. “But I wanted to treat myself. I’ve been working really hard at work, so this is the reward I decided on.”
“You have been,” Ross agreed. “It’s good to spoil yourself sometimes.”
A man in the kitchen | Source: Unsplash
I knew that my husband was trying to be proud of me—but he didn’t like when I was able to spoil myself. He had never actually said it, but it always showed in his reactions.
Later as we got ready for bed, the dim glow of the bedside lamp cast long shadows across the room as I fiddled with the edge of the duvet, avoiding Ross’s gaze.
I felt a sense of tension between us, the air thick with unspoken words.
A woman sitting on the bed | Source: Pexels
Ross had been quiet for the rest of the dinner, his responses clipped, smiles forced. I noticed it, of course, but I didn’t want to draw any attention to his mood. I just felt horrible that Ross felt a certain way about me treating myself.
“Ross,” I said as he got into bed with his laptop in hand. “I know you think these earrings are too much, but it’s just that—”
“No, Sam,” he said. “It’s fine. It’s just that sometimes I feel bad that you have to buy these things for yourself. I feel like I should spoil you, too.”
A man sitting on the bed with his laptop | Source: Pexels
We spoke for a few hours after that, and I tried to reassure my husband that everything was fine—I didn’t want us to get into a fight over something that didn’t need to become one.
We were good. Other than this, Ross and I were absolutely fine.
We spent the rest of the week meeting each other during the work day for coffee. Just to check in with each other during the day.
A couple sitting together and drinking coffee | Source: Pexels
But then, the weekend rolled around and Ross’s behavior shocked me.
We had a group of really good friends that we saw regularly. The whole group tried to meet for drinks or a meal at least every two weeks.
So, this weekend we planned on doing lunch at a new restaurant.
An interior of a restaurant | Source: Unsplash
We all sat around the table, with everyone breaking away to talk about their own things.
“Your earrings are stunning,” our friend, Macy, said. “Where did you get them?”
Before I could reply, Ross began to tell his own story of the earrings.
Women sitting together and laughing | Source: Pexels
“I got them from the store here,” he said, gesturing in the direction of the jewelry store.
“Oh! I’ve seen it,” Macy retorted. “But I haven’t been inside.”
“Yeah, I just felt that Samantha needed to be spoiled a bit. She’s been working so hard lately. So, I surprised her with the earrings and her favorite chocolate,” Ross said.
A box of chocolate | Source: Pexels
There were a few pats on his back from some of the guys. And the ladies gushed over how sweet my husband apparently was.
“Don,” Macy said to her husband. “You could learn a thing or two from Ross.”
I sat there, looking at my cocktail, feeling utterly betrayed. Earlier that week Ross had looked like a sad puppy because I had done something for myself.
And now?
A cocktail with a black straw | Source: Pexels
Here he was, sitting with our friend group and taking advantage of the fact that I had not spoken up and told everyone the truth.
But could I? If I said anything, Ross would be nothing but embarrassed.
“I mean,” he continued. “I was spoiled for choice! There were so many options, but I settled on these because Sam just feels like a diamond girl. They cost a fortune!”
A man sitting and smiling at the camera | Source: Pexels
Our food arrived and I dug into my prawns in silence. I didn’t mind that Ross wanted to be included in the story. But it bugged me that he had taken over it.
The whole reason for these earrings was for me to prove to myself that I was good at my job and worthy of good things—material things that I could provide for myself.
But Ross’s lie gnawed away at me for the entire meal.
Prawns and noodles in a plate | Source: Pexels
As we paid and left the restaurant, I made sure to walk past the jewelry store. I wasn’t going to point it out, but I knew Macy would.
Macy was the type of person that if someone had something fancy, then she would shortly have her own—after persuading her husband to buy it for her.
“Hey!” she exclaimed. “This is the store, right?”
I nodded and allowed myself to be dragged inside the door.
A jewelry store display | Source: Unsplash
“Mrs. Carter,” the woman behind the counter called out. “Back so soon?”
It was as if something came undone in that moment. And I found myself wanting to get back at Ross.
“Yes!” I said. “I wanted to see what else you have. Rings, maybe?”
She beamed and called for Macy and I to meet her at a counter—our husbands were behind us, eyeing the jewelry and the prices attached to it.
“Would I be able to exchange something?” I asked the woman.
A diamond ring display | Source: Pexels
She nodded slowly, eyeing the earrings that I was wearing.
“We do accept returns and exchanges,” she said. “Provided that there’s proof of payment and the quality of the item has not been tarnished in any way.”
“You want to return your earrings?” Macy asked, wrinkling her nose.
“Well, I’m looking at this ring,” I said, pointing to a gorgeous ring in the display. “It’s stunning, but the earrings just won’t go with them.”
A woman holding a diamond ring | Source: Pexels
My husband stepped forward and put his arm around me, while holding onto his wallet.
“But you love the earrings, Sam,” he said. “Why don’t you just keep them and think about it.”
“No,” I said stubbornly. “I think I’d like the ring better.”
“You’ll have to give me your details,” the woman said from behind the counter.
Ross gave his full name—knowing full well that nothing would show up. Because he did not buy my earrings, and I wanted to embarrass him.
A man holding a wallet | Source: Pexels
“I’m sorry, Sir,” she said. “But there are no purchases under your name here.”
“Really?” Ross asked sheepishly. “That’s a problem.”
“I’m so sure it’s under Mrs. Carter’s details,” she continued. “The earrings were purchased on her card.”
My husband’s face turned red in embarrassment. He didn’t meet my eye—knowing that I was upset with how he had downplayed my involvement in the earrings.
A man turned away from the camera | Source: Pexels
“It’s right here,” she said, looking at her computer. “Do you really want to return them, Mrs. Carter? Like I said the day you purchased them, they really suit your eyes.”
In the end, I declined wanting to switch my earrings for the ring. I had no intention of doing so—I just wanted to teach Ross a lesson.
Macy and Don looked at each other, and I knew that they were judging us. But I didn’t care, Macy was a material girl and would forget about the whole thing once Don bought her a pair of earrings, too.
A woman wearing red | Source: Pexels
The car ride home was enveloped in a profound silence.
Ross seemed to shrink beside me, his earlier bravado having dissolved into quiet reflection.
That evening, he shared his insecurities, confessing that his lie was an ill-conceived attempt to share in my accomplishments.
My emotions were mixed—relief at his honesty and acknowledgment of what he had done.
A man sitting on a couch | Source: Pexels
But my relief was also tinged with sorrow—I hated that my husband felt the need to compete.
The next day, Ross left home claiming that he had an errand to run. When he returned, I was reading a book, waiting for him to get back.
“Where have you been?” I asked him.
Ross just smiled at me and handed me a gift box.
A woman reading a book | Source: Pexels
“I’m sorry for dismissing your feelings,” he said. “This is to match your earrings.”
Inside the gift bag was a beautiful diamond necklace.
“I didn’t mean to outshine you,” he confessed. “You earned them by yourself. I just felt guilty that I haven’t been able to spoil you in the way you should be spoiled, Sam.”
The gift was a heartfelt gesture, and while a part of me wanted to return it—I knew that if I did so, I would hurt his feelings even more.
The previous day, when I had wanted to embarrass him—it wasn’t to hurt him. It was just to feel seen.
And after we spoke about it—I think we’re finally on the same page.
A gift box with a bow | Source: Pexels
What would you have done?
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