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Fact check: False claim that Sudanese model holds record for world's darkest skin

BrieAnna J. Frank   | Paste BN

The claim: A Sudanese model holds a record for having the darkest skin color

A model's dark complexion has led social media users to proclaim that she holds a  record.

“Sudanese model Nyakim Gatwech entered the Book of Records as the person with the darkest skin color,” said an April 27 Facebook post that got more than 160 shares in less than two days. 

But no records under Gatwech’s name appear in Guinness World Records’ online search. The world’s leading record-keeping authority – which was previously called the Guinness Book of Records – has said it keeps no such record, and Gatwech has also denied the claim.

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Paste BN reached out to the user who shared the claim for comment.

Variations of the rumor have spread on social media for years 

The claim about Gatwech has circulated on social media numerous times over the years. 

Guinness World Records debunked it in April 2020, writing in a tweet that it “does not monitor records for skin tone.” It replied to a Twitter user with a similar statement in May 2020. 

But the claims continued to spread. 

Another version appeared on Facebook in late May 2020, according to Factly . AFP Fact Check debunked the claim again in December 2021. Check Your Fact ruled that another iteration of the claim was false in February.

The claim ignited controversy in February when the chair of Columbia University’s psychiatry department responded to a tweet making the record claim. The tweet from Jeffrey Lieberman said, “Whether a work of art of freak of nature she’s a beautiful sight to behold,” according to The New York Times. 

Lieberman was suspended, removed from his position as psychiatrist-in-chief at Columbia University Irving Medical Center/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and resigned from serving as New York State Psychiatric Institute’s executive director. He later apologized, calling his comments "racist and sexist."

Gatwech addressed Lieberman's tweet and the world record claim in a Feb. 22 Instagram post, writing that she had “no idea” where it originated but that she felt it was “negatively” impacting her account.

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Gatwech, in an interview published by The Guardian in March, described bullying from classmates that led her to consider bleaching her skin and suicide.

“As you get older and into your career, there’s still gonna be people who say something about your skin color,” Gatwech told The Guardian. “You’ve got to work on loving yourself and not letting these people’s words affect you.”

Our rating: False 

Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that a Sudanese model holds a record for having the darkest skin color. Guinness World Records has said it does not monitor skin color, and Gatwech has also denied the claim.

Our fact-check sources: 

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