Nyadak "Duckie" Thot (born 23 October 1995) is a South Sudanese–Australian model. Thot became the last eliminated on the eighth cycle of Australia's Next Top Model and made her runway debut at the Yeezy S/S 17 show.[4] She is best known for being a face of Fenty Beauty[5] as well as playing the lead role in the Alice in Wonderland–inspired 2018 Pirelli Calendar.[6]
Duckie Thot | |
|---|---|
 Thot after a 2019 fashion show | |
| Born | Nyadak Thot 23 October 1995 |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Modeling information | |
| Height | 5 ft 10.5 in (1.79 m)[1] |
| Hair color | Black[1] |
| Eye color | Brown[1] |
| Agency |
|
Early life
editThot was raised in Melbourne, Australia with her family as South Sudanese refugees. Her mother was pregnant with her when they left the country due to war.[7] She is one of seven siblings, and the first to be born in Australia. In Melbourne, her classmates and teachers at school weren't able to pronounce her birth name, Nyadak; this led to Thot going by the nickname "Duckie", which she prefers to go by as a model.[3] She attended Maranatha Christian School and graduated in 2013.[8]
Career
editThot was introduced to the modelling industry by her model and YouTube star sister, Nikki Perkins, who chaperoned her on photo shoots. From there, Thot became inspired to audition for cycle eight of Australia's Next Top Model in 2013, where she became the last eliminated.[9]
Beginning her modelling career in Australia where she walked the runway for David Jones in 2016, Thot overall found making bookings difficult due to what she believed was the lack of opportunity for models of colour in Australia.[10][11] She made the decision to move to Brooklyn, New York in hopes that she could become a more successful model in America. After scheduling meetings with multiple modeling agencies, Thot flew to New York. In New York, she got multiple offers to sign with agencies and ultimately chose to sign with New York Model Management.[12]
Kanye West helped to turbo charge Thot's career. After Thot left a casting in New York one day, West's assistant chased her down the street to invite her to meet West immediately. Thot ended up shooting a magazine cover that same day. Thot went on walk in the Yeezy Spring/Spummer 2017 show which was her first international catwalk show.[13]
Since 2018, Thot has been a global ambassador for L'Oreal Paris.[14] Thot participated in campaigns for Fenty x Puma, Fenty Beauty, Moschino, Balmain, and Oscar de la Renta.[15] She debuted in the 2018 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.[16] Thot appeared on the cover art for CHIC's album It's About Time, which was released in September 2018.[17]
Pirelli's 2018 annual calendar spectacular, shot by Tim Walker and styled by Edward Enniful, was a powerful all-black retelling of Alice in Wonderland in which Thot was cast as Alice and is credited to helping her rise to fame.[18][19] Before her work with Pirelli, Thot stated that she often provided her own makeup at shoots as there often wasn't a consideration for her skin colour.[19] She has since been vocal about diversity, race inclusion and Black Lives Matter in the fashion industry, after stating that she is often the only person of colour on set.[20] Speaking to The Glass Magazine in 2020, Thot said "I think that the fashion industry has come far, but to really push it forward it needs to go further than just hiring models of colour. The industry needs to be more receptive when it comes to hiring diverse talent to work in the creative and decision-making fields." Thot stated that when she was growing up she did not see people that looked like her in the beauty industry. She hopes that her work will allow others to see themselves reflected and know that nothing is off limits to them.[21]
In January 2022, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit announced Thot as a 2022 rookie.[22]
Personal life
editThot currently resides in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.[19]
Thot stated that her family never let her forget her roots and stated, "Coming to Australia from South Sudan created a sense of diaspora for my parents so they were always very diligent about incorporating our culture into our everyday lives as much as possible. Whether that be speaking to each other in our mother language, eating traditional foods, attending a South Sudanese church, and consuming entertainment directly related to our culture."[21] Praying is something that helps Thot stay grounded, and her favourite Bible verse is Philippians 4:13.[7][8]
Rihanna has become a friend and mentor to Thot after their work together for Fenty. [19]
Remaining mindful of the continuing conflict in South Sudan, Thot would like to use her platform to help Africa as a whole by providing rehabilitation so people can heal and care for themselves.[21]
Thot dated actor Kofi Siriboe for around a year, but broke up in 2019.[23]
Legendary make up artist Pat McGrath, was inspired to create a new cosmetics colour to suit Thot's skin tone.[24]
Thot has been given the nick name of "Black Barbie", a name she is proud of but feels she's maybe not perfect enough for.[24]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Duckie Thot - Women". New York Model Management. Archived from the original on 23 April 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- ^ "Duckie Thot - Model". Models.com. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
- ^ a b "Duckie Thot Is Going to Shock Us". Papermag.com. 16 September 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
- ^ Eckardt, Stephanie (10 November 2017). "No Wonder Rihanna Loves Duckie Thot, the Model Thriving in Pirelli's All-Black Calendar". Wmagazine.com. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
- ^ Weiner, Zoë (16 February 2018). "Duckie Thot Says Makeup Artists Still Can't Shade-Match Her". Teenvogue.com. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
- ^ "Duckie Thot, Naomi Campbell Star in All-Black Pirelli Calendar". Harpersbazaar.com. 10 November 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
- ^ a b Chia, Jessica (19 August 2019). "Duckie Thot on diversity in beauty, her favourite mascara, and more". Glamour UK. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ a b "Duckie Thot, Class of 2013 - Maranatha Christian School". www.maranatha.vic.edu.au. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ "5 Australia's Next Top Model Contestant Success Stories | ELLE Australia". Archived from the original on 8 September 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
- ^ Crane, Kris (19 September 2017). "Aussie model says she couldn't work in Australia due to her skin colour". News.com.au. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
- ^ "A conversation with Duckie Thot". Vogue.it. 21 March 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ "Why Duckie Thot is fashion's new superstar". Standard.co.uk. 15 February 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
- ^ Newbold, Alice (13 October 2017). "Duckie Thot On Pirelli, Rihanna And Doing Her Own Thing". British Vogue. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ Mackenzie, Macaela (24 September 2018). "Duckie Thot Is the Stunning New Face of L'Oréal Paris". Allure. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ "Model Duckie Thot Stuns As The Face Of Oscar De La Renta SS 2018 Campaign". Hypehair.com. 12 March 2018. Archived from the original on 15 May 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
- ^ Vogue. "Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2018: Everything You Need To Know". Retrieved 16 September 2018.
- ^ "Exclusive: Chic Reveals the Album Cover for 'It's About Time' | V Magazine". vmagazine.com. Archived from the original on 30 September 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- ^ "2018 Pirelli Calendar unveiled". www.pirelli.com. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ a b c d Acharya, Dipal (15 February 2018). "Why Duckie Thot is fashion's new superstar". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ Black Lives Matter With Fashion Model Duckie Thot | Generation Change, retrieved 8 June 2021
- ^ a b c Clark, Imogen (6 November 2020). "Glass meets model on a mission – Duckie Thot – The Glass Magazine". Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ "Sports Illustrated Swimsuit announces Duckie Thot as the latest 2022 rookie". ca.style.yahoo.com. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ^ "Kofi Siriboe And Duckie Thot Announce The End Of Their Relationship By Shading Each Other On Twitter". BET.com. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ a b "Duckie Thot Is Going to Shock Us". PAPER. 16 September 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
