Khoudia Diop

“Negative energy is wasteful.”

“To this day, the first thing that I do every morning is look in the mirror. I'll tell myself, 'Look at your skin. Look at your teeth and your smile. You are beautiful.'”

“You are OK however you are, and you are very beautiful.”

“I grew up in Senegal, where more than 50 percent of the women bleach their skin, and skin bleaching is a huge deal. I grew up seeing my cousins and my aunts using it.”

“My sister was the one person who told me not to change, that my skin was beautiful. She really helped me feel good about myself.”

“There are so many types of beauty that all deserve to be celebrated.”

“Diversity is what makes life interesting.”

“I want to be an actress and learn astronomy!”

“Being teased and losing my self value eventually ended up inspiring me to be a better version of myself.”

“I wanted to express myself using visuals and also celebrate the beauty of black women, travel, and have amazing opportunities. I also wanted to be a living example of inspiration for other women and girls.”

“My mom was the only one who didn't bleach her skin. She was the one who kept her natural complexion. So yes, I consider her a role model. All of her other family members would say to us, 'Oh, your mom is so beautiful. She's lucky she kept her skin.' Those comments stayed with me.”

“I've always had trouble finding makeup in darker shades.”

“In my family, only my brother has a similar skin color. But in Senegal, the color is common.”

“Celebrate yourself... and stay positive!”

“I want to inspire young girls and let them know that we are all goddesses inside and out.”

“When I was in high school in Paris, some photographers wanted my photos and asked if I was interested in modeling. I wasn't interested because I wanted to get my education first. I was scared because I didn't know what I was getting into.”

“The message I have for my sisters is that how you look doesn't matter as long as you feel beautiful inside.”

“We need more women of colour in fashion, period.”

“I would get so angry whenever I'd notice people looking at me weirdly. They'd even stop me on the street and ask questions about my skin color.”

“My skin is dark and glows. It almost seems blue, and it's supersoft.”