There are thousands of beautiful models on Instagram, but Shudu Gram is one of the kind.
Cameron-James Wilson is a 28-year-old self-taught British photographer who is the man behind the stunning dark-skinned model. He created Shudu after teaching himself 3D, using online resources and YouTube videos.
“Shudu represents what I’ve always seen as beautiful, but something I don’t see often enough,” Wilson told Isiuwa Igodan. “Although there’s a slight change happening now, more people need to question, what really is beautiful.”
Even though the artist claims he wanted to spread the message of empowerment and inclusivity and many praise his talent, there was a huge backlash from people around the web, saying that by creating a black model the photographer wants to take away jobs from real black women.
“A white photographer figured out a way to profit off of black women without ever having to pay one,” wrote one Twitter user. “Now pls, tell me how our economic system is in no way built on and quite frankly reliant on racism and misogyny.”
When asked what he thinks about all the negativity, Wilson says that he never had any ill intentions and is not planning on using Shudu as a commercial model. “To me she’s special, yes, but as are millions of real-life African men and women.”
There are thousands of beautiful models on Instagram, but Shudu Gram is one of a kind
She won the hearts of more than 40k followers with her flawless skin and an enchanting gaze
But lately, she generated even more buzz around her
Except for this time, it’s not because of her beauty
It’s because of the fact that she’s not actually a real model
Shudu Gram is a digital creation of Cameron-James Wilson, a 28-year-old self-taught photographer from Great Britain
He created Shudu after teaching himself 3D, using online resources and Youtube tutorials
“Shudu represents what I’ve always seen as beautiful, but something I don’t see often enough,” Wilson said
“Although there’s a slight change happening now, more people need to question, what really is beautiful”
“Shudu is just everything I’m passionate about brought together”
“She embodies the best parts of the things that inspire me”
“A lot of what we see in media is trying to be less real, with filters and makeup”
“Shudu is coming from the other direction”
“She’s a fantasy trying to break through into reality and I have plans to help her do so”
Even though the artist claims he wanted to spread the message of empowerment and inclusivity
There was a huge backlash from people around the web
Some people accused the photographer of racism
Image credits: hodayum
Image credits: GraceFVictory
Others, though, were standing behind the photographer and his art
Image credits: KosiHendricks
Image credits: foxcorpse_k
What do you think about Shudu?
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