These days, you can hardly watch a Nigerian music video without being warped by the enchanting presence of the young women on your screen. Models, vixens - however you choose to refer to them - the fact remains that they make up quite a prominent part of the music industry today. Perhaps it comes as a result of the prevalent tropes of love and attraction in Nigerian music. Or it could be because these women elevate videos with a certain allure which sometimes makes them the centre of the conversation. Maybe it is both. Regardless, the power these women have is undeniable. But there is a discussion to be had about the industry’s role in the perpetuation and preservation of colourism.
A few years back, a model alleged that she, alongside a few other dark-skinned models, were turned away during a shoot by Wizkid and Akon, stating that the artists prefered women of mixed race in the video instead. The controversy sparked various conversations on colourism and the lingering stain of colonialism in present African societies. However, the wheels of change only began to turn in recent years, most likely due to the rise of global narratives in the same regard.
Today, there is an influx of songs celebrating diversity in skin tones, especially darker shades, from Patoranking’s “Black Girl Magic”, to Teni the Entertainer’s “Black”, to Wizkid’s assist in “Brown Skin Girl”. In a country where a significant amount of women are reported to have used skin lightening products and where people of darker skin tones are casually referred to as “Blackie'' or “Shadow”, how much has changed regarding the representation of beauty and desire via the music sector?
To get answers, we hear from three Nigerian models as they speak on what it truly means to be dark-skinned in the Nigerian music industry today.
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At the age of 18, Miracle had her big break in the industry when she was cast by Director K for the video of Teni the Entertainer's 2018 hit, “Case”. She, however, did not think she would be getting any more jobs after that. She said, “It’s no joke how society favours light-skinned girls”.
She goes on to specify these issues within the music industry, adding: “Light-skinned models are usually the centre of attention. They’re usually the lead. They even get styled better”. Recalling a particular incident with a renowned director she prefers not to name, she says: “When I walked in the room, he made an embarrassing comment about my skin tone.”
Though she does not recall what was said to her exactly, the feeling of hurt from his words still lingers: “It did not stop me from doing what I had to do though.” She admits that there have been moments where she did consider lightening her skin: “I’m also a skin therapist so believe me when I say I can work the magic with my skin. But no. I put myself [and] my clients into consideration. I teach them to love themselves [and] their skin tone. It’ll look weird if I alter mine.”
In her career so far, Miracle hasn’t looked back. She has since made appearances in videos for Olamide, Patoranking, Buju, and more. She also acknowledges that the industry has become more open to working with dark-skinned models.
Being on-screen for Adun Osilowo is a confidence boost and an ode to her shy younger self. The young model says: “It makes me see myself as this beautiful person that is worth looking at. I’d look at myself and I’d see the person that I always imagined myself to be in my head.”
Adun/ Osilowo began her career in 2014 following a modelling camp organised by scouting agency, Few Models. As much as the industry has become more invested in dark-skinned girls lately, Osilowo believes there’s a specific type of dark-skinned girl considered to be acceptable from Africa: “For you to make it out internationally, you’d have to be super dark like the Awengs and Aduts. And if you are not like light-skinned, caramel, or mixed, then it's not going to work out, so you need something going for you in terms of standing out.”
She notes the industry hardly ever leaves room for the in-betweeners, be it in height, body type, or complexion: “I knew that for whatever I got, I would always have to fight all the way through. You see situations where people are looking for models so you send your pictures but then all of a sudden they tell you, ‘We need lighter-skinned people’. It’s not because it fits a storyline or whatever. It’s just a personal choice.”
While on set, makeup is another uphill battle she often has to face. “It’s either they try to make me lighter than I am or they try to make me super dark. When other people try to hire me based on referrals or my previous work, it confuses them. They see a disparity. When you try to correct people about their jobs, they get defensive like, ‘I’m a professional, you can’t tell me how to do my job’. But I never tell them how to do their job. I just try to show them how to make my skin look like my skin.”
For Jasmine Modupe, the experiences are quite similar, especially in the makeup department. She says: “It’s something I deal with regularly when it comes to modelling [...] I don’t wear makeup super often, but I know makeup enough to know what my complexion is supposed to look like in front of the camera. There have been so many instances where I would finish getting my makeup done and I’d have to complain like ‘why does my face look yellow and the rest of my body doesn’t’. They’ll tell me that it’s the lighting and say ‘you know when you go in front of the camera, you have to look lighter and brighter. Your skin has to pop.”
Taking lessons from her experiences, Modupe hopes for a time when dark-skinned models receive the respect they deserve: “We’re in Africa, Nigeria specifically. I don’t see why in 2021, light-skinned models should be getting preference as opposed to dark-skinned models. We’re all African, we’re all black. Everyone just needs to be treated with equal respect and shown equal amount [sic] of love because we all work hard.”