Unretouched photographs of model Aweng Mayen Chuol, her facial scars gloriously visible, are currently making the rounds on social media, and fans couldn’t be more excited.
Shot by Nigerian photographer Ruth Ossai, the images are part of the new campaign for Rihanna’s freshly launched fashion line with LVMH. In the images, we see Dazed 100-er Aweng showcasing a snake inspired earpiece and crisp white shirt, both from the debut collection. However, it is the model's scars on show that has captured the attention of social media and fans have taken to Twitter to show their support.
Aweng herself couldn’t be more proud of her scars, which were the result of a childhood chicken-chasing accident. “I know my facial features are different, but to me that’s beauty,” she told Dazed Beauty last year. “They are part of who I am. I had it instilled in me from a young age that my scars made me beautiful. They were normal in my culture. They’re seen as a sign of coming of age or becoming a woman.”
The Fenty images come as part of a growing number of brands ditching Photoshop. Last year, for example, CVS, the second largest beauty retailer in the US, announced it would stop photoshopping its beauty ads and label campaign images to make it clear whether the images had been digitally altered as part of their “Beauty Unaltered” initiative. Brands including CoverGirl, Neutrogena, and Revlon are said to be updating their imagery to meet CVS’s new guidelines and we hope this is just the beginning.
