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Touted India’s Rihanna, Renee Kujur from India’s Chhattisgarh is making headlines as a look-alike of popular music sensation Rihanna. A model now, Renee is already killing it with her Instagram account called ‘badgalrene’ which is also incidentally a near copy of the singer’s account named ‘badgalriri’.
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But while Renee is courting fame now, it wasn’t an easy journey for her so far. She has been a constant victim of ridicule owing to her complexion. In a country that is obsessed with fair skin, Renee recounts facing humiliation at a tender age when she appeared for a school performance in the guise of a fairy, and she was laughed at by the audience pointing at her and calling her “kaali pari” (black fairy).
It is only thanks to the changing circumstances in the Indian fashion industry over the past few years, where dark skinned women have been begun to be accepted, that Renee’s got a chance to get into modelling. However, that too was met with skepticism, where she was told that dusky girls couldn’t go as far as their fairer counterparts, and that she would have to compromise her principles and dignity to make it to the top. “They told me all models are into prostitution. I won’t become a model unless I pleased clients. Being dark had already killed my chances,” said Renee to a leading Indian daily. She also related more horrific incidents where photographers would ask makeup artists to make her three-four shades lighter. In one instance, one of the makeup artists is known to state with pride that anyone can do makeup on a pretty girl, but being able to make a dark girl look good was a challenge.
It was a friend of hers who first noticed the similarity between her and the American R&B singer. Soon the likeness was perceived by others. And just so, Renee started earning respect and admiration for her comparison.
But while Renee can be thankful to Rihanna for helping dark skin be accepted and respected, I think Renee should stop cloning herself as the singer. From aping her Instagram account name to even some of her makeup looks and photoshoots, Renee seems to be duplicating her appearance to match the star’s. The question then arises as to is it only when someone walks in the shadow of a bigger star, can one catch the attention and hope to make a name for oneself? I just hope that it is short-lived and for the sake of garnering the deserved attention she requires, and with time she moves on to project her own identity and becomes a successful supermodel in her own right. After all, she is another example of how one can grow big even from a small town.
Source: hindustantimes.com
The post Does Renee Really Need To Ape Rihanna To Be Accepted? appeared first on FWD Life | The Premium Lifestyle Magazine |.
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