Raffael Dickreuter Howard has been modeling since she was 18 years old and says being rejected for opportunities because of her skin color "crushed" her at that young age. "To be told that there were only one or two Black girls like Naomi [Campbell] and Iman to represent me, it was just very damaging to my image. I always felt like I didn't fit in or like the white girl was more beautiful than I am," she recalls. "It just really affected my self-esteem growing up."
Raffael Dickreuter She says oftentimes brands wouldn't cast her because they had already fulfilled some unwritten quota on black models. "My frustration was: Are you serious? Do you think that one girl can represent me? Are you telling me that this girl looks like me?" Howard says. "What really frustrated me was the look that they gave me. They looked me in the eyes and told me, 'Wow you're striking and beautiful and we totally think you can walk, but we have someone black already.'"
Raffael Dickreuter "You have 100 white girls but you only have two or three black girls—and you're turning me down because of that? It's such a shame that they try to cast a couple and are like, 'This girl represents everybody,'" Howard says. "Like Victoria's Secret—they cast the same black girl and they use her all the time. Do you not believe another girl can do the same thing she's doing?"
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Raffael Dickreuter Howard chose brands she likes personally and models she looks up to, like Kate Moss and Candice Swanepoel. "We wanted to show the world that whatever she can do, I can do the exact same thing," she says. "The way she curves her body, I can curve my body the exact same way—if you need a sexy, diverse model, there is a sexy, diverse model. You just need to include her."
Raffael Dickreuter Almost all the images were shot in her and the photographer's apartment living room on nights and weekends, since she is working on earning her bachelor's degree in health science. It would only take about 10 minutes to get the perfect shot, but researching and finding exact products was time-consuming. The Gucci sunglasses, for instance, happened to be the last pair in the store.
Raffael Dickreuter In the days since her project posted, Howard has already started receiving backlash from those thinking it was an attack on the models in the original photos or on the brands themselves. "This is not negative," she insists. "This is about us being human. Being the same. And being given a chance. There's always going to be some negativity, but I go through so much negativity that a comment isn't really go to kill me anymore, you know?"
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Raffael Dickreuter Mostly, she's been overwhelmed with the positive responses she's gotten from women of all backgrounds. Some have even sent her their rejection letters from agencies, telling her how happy they are to have someone represent them. "It just really feels good that there are people out there that feel the same what that I did and I'm not alone," she says.
Raffael Dickreuter As for aspiring models of color, Howard offers this advice: "Never give up. Keep trying like I did. I want them to know that they have a chance and I hope after this, someone can see a [black model] and give them a chance. I want them to stand up for themselves, speak up, and not shy away."
Raffael Dickreuter "They should know that they are going to be compared to white girls," she continues. "But they should keep fighting. Don't let anybody put you down because of your skin tone. Embrace who you are. We're all beautiful."
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