KHOUDIA DIOP

I didn't have to listen to nobody or look how anybody wanted me to look. I just wanted to be myself and look however I want.

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

There were times I wouldn't leave my room for weeks and sometimes missed school because I hated how people would look at me. But my older sister helped me find the positive: She used to show me pictures of Alek Wek to say, 'See! You can be a model if you want!'

My very first account was @BlackBarbie, which is what my friends called me growing up. Then I thought, 'You can either call yourself that, or you can find something that will matter to dark-skinned girls.' So I came up with @melaniin.goddess.

People have made comments, calling me names like 'midnight' or 'mother of stars.' At first I confronted the bullies, but eventually I learned to tune out the negativity and just love myself more.

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.

While in Paris, I got into modeling - photographers would literally stop me on the street.

Make Up For Ever has foundation options that work for me - and everyone.

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

Even though I was very young, it was traumatizing seeing someone try weird things on their skin all for the sake of being lighter. It's as common as relaxing your hair or maybe even brushing your teeth. I had friends not wanting to do it, but their moms gave them creams to help lighten their skin. That's how accessible it is.

Negative energy is wasteful.

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.

As I grew, I learned to love myself more every day and not pay attention to the negative people, which helped a lot.

In my country - even though we have a lot of dark-skinned people - people think the lighter you are, the better you are. They think beauty has to do with being light-skinned. I think that's really wrong.

Diversity is what makes life interesting.

I was born in Senegal in 1996. My mom moved to New York when I was two years old, so I was raised by my aunt back home.

I wanted to show girls it's not bad to be dark, that different is beautiful.

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.

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

Personally, it was always very difficult to find complexion products that match my shade.

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.

For those who feel the need to be bullies, I ignore them.

I was mostly bullied by my classmates. People would come up to me and say, 'You're so dark.' I'd always fight back by calling out one of their insecurities, like, 'Well, you have a big nose.' Today, I'd tell them that I really love them. I'd thank them because they made me realize how unique I am.

I wanted to bleach my skin so bad, but my sister always discouraged me. She'd say, 'This is a bad thing. Don't try it.'

When I was younger, I didn't have any inspiration to like the skin I was in.