“Ebony skin, long limbs, angelic face: these are the dehumanised models.”

BY CHRISTINE AMEFIAM

South Sudanese people are the most sought-after models at the moment; what makes them stand out is their dark skin, features and long limbs. Some of the most famous models include Nyakim Gatwech, Anok Yai, and Adut Akech.

Let’s hear about the history of their country. South Sudan is an East African country hosting more than 64 distinct ethnicities. They are among the world’s tallest populations, reaching an average of 6 feet; they are known to have one of the darkest complexions in the world. The most common ethnicities are the Dinka, Nuer, Shilluk and Azande; these are the features we are most familiar with.

As published last year by the BBC: The African country producing fashion’s favourite models explains the choice made by the designers and modelling industry: “cheekbones, strong bone structures, long limbs, and elegant proportions“

As (adorebior) Bior, a South Sudanese model and youtuber have stated, the term elegant proportions comes from the early 20th-century colonial administration and travel literature book written by Captain R. C. R. Owen’s 1908 observations on the Bari people; they were considered “well-built, well-proportioned, or fine-raced.

Not all that glisters is gold. Some models had to flee from forced marriages, wars, and refugee camps in search of a better future.

As much as they are praised for their almond eyes, long, slim necks, upright foreheads, pronounced chins, and balanced profiles, making them pleasant to look at, some models felt dehumanised by the industry. As stated by Misslado, photographers want ebony skin only paired with bright colours; little of their features are shown, and the only main theme is their skin complexion. “I feel ugly in some of the makeup they put on my face, but they end up telling me that I look good”, says the model Misslado. Everything is overplayed because the face isn’t important; the skin is.

Grace Jones spent a career building that severe, androgynous, otherworldly image; it was hers, deliberate, a statement she made about herself. Now the industry has lifted that same look wholesale and is stamping it onto every dark-skinned model who walks through the door, regardless of who she actually is. It stops being Jones’ art and becomes a costume the industry hands out.

Having such a “fallen angel” look is one of the most complex realities you have to live with.

Some models such as Alek Wek and Anok Yai have shared their struggles of either being bullied for their complexions or being called ugly by one person and immediately gorgeous by another. This is a great paradox they still have to face on a daily basis.

Still not being accepted as one of the beauty standards is immensely unbearable.

These models had to go through so much to reach where they are, and on top of that, they end up being dehumanised.

The question is: why are they focusing only now on South Sudanese models? Is it because it’s a trend? The answer is yes. This isn’t just a feeling; the numbers back it up. As of March 2026, nine of the fifty models on Models.com’s influential Top 50 ranking were of South Sudanese origin, roughly 18% of the list, out of a country of about 12.2 million people in a world of more than eight billion. Vogue’s 2025 “faces to watch” feature included four South Sudanese models out of eleven picks. Doris Sukeji, who runs a modelling agency in Juba, has been blunt about the mechanics: “Mostly it’s the skin colour. That is how most of the South Sudanese get signed. They are looking for very dark models.” Fashion outlets covering the boom have themselves raised the possibility of “oversaturation”.

But the pipeline feeding that runway success has a harder edge. Reporting from 2023 found European modelling agencies actively scouting South Sudanese teenagers who had fled the country, flying them to Europe for castings. Those who don’t get signed are sent home without follow-up, sometimes carrying debt from the trip itself. That’s not a system built around individual discovery; it’s a supply chain built around a look, with real financial and personal risk carried by the people being scouted.

Trends move on. When the industry’s attention shifts to whatever look comes next, what happens to the models who were only ever wanted for one thing? Skin colour is not a trend. A human is not a canvas to play with.