Trinette Lucas hits back at colourism, derogatory terms

Model reminds followers she's content with her dark skin

Pakistani model Trinette Lucas took to Instagram Stories to address the hate in her comments section fuelled by colourism against her dark skin. "I was going through a video that I recently posted and there's this comment that someone left calling me a 'jamadar' (sweeper)," she began.

Trinette admitted that she initially laughed at the comment before asking herself why she was doing so. "It was actually not funny at all. It's really sad that this is the world we live in, where we think we're so much better than everyone else. Based on how we look, what we do, and who we are, we think it's okay to use terms like 'maasi' (maid) and 'jamadar' to belittle someone else," she added.

"There is no shame in being a sweeper. There is no shame in being a maid. There is no shame in doing what you do honestly and earnestly. So, where does this entitlement come from where we think that we can call someone something like it's a bad word?"

The model added that she's aware why people call her such terms. "It really has a lot to do with the colour of my skin, and it doesn't even offend me anymore because I've been hearing this since I was a child. It just makes me angry. It makes me sad that this is still where we're at, that we still have so much work to do. It just blows my mind."

She believes that her career pursuit is a step forward in a society where these problems are still prevalent. However, according to her, this is not enough of a change. "I keep thinking that I've made some kind of a difference since, you know, I'm in fashion, I'm a model. I'm really unapologetic about the way that I look, in that I really own my skin. All of these things are true. But do I still think we have a lot of work to do? Yes."

Explaining why she thinks so, she added, "The fashion industry is a very small community; it's a bubble. There's a lot more work that we need to do. We have such a long way to go."

Concluding the video, she reiterated that she's neither sad nor offended on a personal level over the remarks directed towards her. She simply wanted to share her thoughts.

Netizens backed the model with compliments and words of support. An Instagram user wrote, "You're more than these faceless trolls! You have broken barriers in an industry that often favours conventional beauty standards, and you continue to inspire and empower those who once felt overlooked."