Who is the activist model Adwoa Aboah?

A non-conformist look

 

You might have trouble remembering her name, but you’re not likely to forget her face. Shaved head, caramel complexion, freckles, a tomboy allure, Adwoa Aboah has fascinated everyone since her explosion on the scene in 2016. Her face has seduced not only fashion magazines but also big brands who can’t get enough of her including Dior, Chanel, Calvin Klein, Burberry, Marc Jacobs, Fenty, Coach, Versace, Fendi and H&M. Bang on trend, Adwoa has a quasi-punk androgyny that means everything she wears looks instantly cool. With her onboard, adverts this winter are rendered beautifully diverse. Plus her unisex and street style wardrobe off the catwalk have make her Instagram account one of the most inspiring around. That’s also probably why Dazed and Confused put on her on their cover accompanied by the title “The Real Thing”. Adwoa’s cool doesn’t lie.

 

A chaotic life

 

With the recession, lots of millennials are struggling to find a job, but even more are struggling to find their place. Born on May 18th1992 in London, the little girl with Ghanaian origins, symbolises the path of so many boys and girls from her generation. The daughter of a very successful photo agent and the founder of a company that location scouts for luxury brands, Adwoa had everything in place to start young. But instead age 13 she decided to go to boarding school far from the capital. Different from the others with her gingerbread skin and untamed hair, the teenager had a hard time. In the series of videos, The What’s Underneath Project she explains how she just wanted to look like all the other girls in her school and appeal to the boys by being: “blond, white with blue eyes…” Aged 14 she isolated herself with only alcohol and ketamine as companions. Bi-polar problems didn’t help the situation.

 

A model of resilience

 

But Adwoa is a fighter. Just like when she decided to quit London as a teenager, she checked herself into rehab in the silence of the Arizona desert. But even being signed by Storm modelling agency at the age of 18 wasn’t enough to stop a suicide attempt which led to a coma when she was 23. A Christmas miracle happened a year later, when after her release from a mental hospital, the young woman, exalted by a new-found lust for life decided to move forward without needing the approval of others. Her therapy? Helping other girls and establishing Gurls Talk in 2016, a movement that invites them to freely evoke their demons. Then came a series of documentaries dealing with feminism, periods, equality, gender, mental illness, different sexualities…  Her ultimate message? Don’t try to get accepted by society, start by accepting yourself.