Senegalese model Khoudia Diop shakes the world of beauty with her incredibly dark skin tone. She now goes by the name of “Melanin Goddess” and impressed many people with her confidence as a black woman. 19-year-old Khoudia is redefining beauty standards, especially on Instagram where she posts pictures of her with a statement of beautiful blackness.

1. She is from Senegal

Though she now lives in New York, Khoudia is orginally from Senegal. She moved to Paris at age 15 to live with her mother and continue high school. Diop even called herself “melanin goddess” after the pigment that gives skin it’s dark color. People from Senegal, South Sudan and the islands of Micronesia have some of the darkest skin tones in the world.

 

@thewraplife ?

A post shared by Khoudia Diop (@melaniin.goddess) on Feb 23, 2017 at 10:10am PST

2. She started modeling at 17

Yes, 17!

Khoudia started her modeling career as a teenager in Paris at only 17 years old. She moved to New York in 2015. Diop takes incredible pictures, but it’s her unique, dark glowing skin that’s attracted attention from millions of viewers worldwide.

 

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A post shared by Khoudia Diop (@melaniin.goddess) on Jul 2, 2016 at 2:53pm PDT

3. She refused to bleach her skin

“Everyone there wants to be light. Everyone wants to be whiter.” said Khoudia about the use skin-lightening creams. Family members encouraged Diop to try these creams, but Diop knew that her skin tone was unique. In a time when skin bleaching is popular among women with dark skin complexion around the world, she did not bleach her skin. Koudia’s confidence and positive attitude towards her blackness is a bold statement and sends a strong signal to other females of her age.

4. She suffered racist bullying

“Every time I would talk about being a model with my friends, they would start laughing out loud”

From her home country, and in school Khoudia had always suffered bullying. As a girl, she was bullied so much, she stopped going to school. She was given nicknames like “darkie” or “god of the night”. Today, Khoudia has inspired thousands of people around the world with her striking looks and inner strength.

5. 0.5 Millions Instagram followers

Khoudia was featured in The Colored Girl Project, a black beauty campaign that went viral in the summer of 2016. Few weeks later, she went from 300 followers on Instagram to more than 300,000 fans.

Diop has taken Instagram by storm of her unique skin color. As of today she sits at over 400,000 followers. Her Instagram presence features conversations about embracing dark skin, self-esteem and African culture.

 

? @thecgirlinc @kailaboulware #blackgirlmagic #melanin #darkskin #melaninonfleek #beauty #melaninpoppin #black #glow #smile #blackgirlsrock #darkskinbeauty #hair #flawless #darkskinned

A post shared by Khoudia Diop (@melaniin.goddess) on Sep 17, 2016 at 12:12pm PDT

PHOTO: INSTAGRAM: @MELANIIN.GODDESS