Once Deemed Unattractive, Chhatisgarh Girl’s Uncanny Resemblance To Rihanna Makes Her Famous!

The colour of a person’s skin has very often defined their life. In some places of the world, having skin of a certain colour would determine where the person would live, the kind of work they would do, and even the civil rights they would have. In India, too, being fair-skinned meant the world was at your feet, or so the fairness cream adverts would tell you. And being dark-skinned? Well, you just had to accept your life was going to be tough.

Renee Kujur, a girl from Bagicha, Chhatisgarh, was always ridiculed for her dusky skin. They called her ‘kaali’ and shamed her for it. That was until she grew up and turned into a dead ringer for pop icon Rihanna!

That’s Renee, who’s Instagram handle is @badgalrene, an ode to Rihanna’s @badgalriri!

Renee’s childhood was full of taunts and jibes about her dark skin and unusual features. But things got worse when she entered the modelling world.

The modelling industry is quite cut-throat, and with her dusky skin, Renee would often find it difficult to get good work.

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In an interview with Hindustan Times, Renee revealed how sometimes, she was even advised that sleeping with clients was probably her only way to get assignments. When she did get an assignment, she’d have to listen to make-up artists bragging about the difficult task of making a dusky girl look pretty.

 “Sundar ladki ka makeup toh koi bhi kar sakta hai. The real challenge is to make a dark girl look good.”

So what changed? Well, it was Renee’s friend who happened to notice that she bore a striking resemblance to singer Rihanna. What’s more, she even did a photoshoot of Renee to prove this to her!

“I laughed off the Rihanna part. But soon everyone was saying the same thing.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjFszVAAZKe/?taken-by=badgalrene

It’s uncanny, isn’t it?

Soon enough, everyone began to notice the incredible resemblance Renee had with Rihanna. And just like that, her ‘dark’ skin became her biggest asset.

She began getting more modelling assignments, because who wouldn’t want a Rihanna look-alike to model their stuff, right? Rihanna was stunning, an international icon, a powerful force. And even without meeting Renee, she was transforming this Chhatisgarh girl’s life!

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“Photographers would tell their clients that I resemble Rihanna. That way, it was easier to convince them. No one could deny that Rihanna wasn’t beautiful. That sort of worked in my favour.”

It’s astonishing, right? The way people’s perception does a complete 180°! The same dark-skinned girl they made fun of and considered unattractive was now a stunning beauty to them!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkQkyBNgXHg/?taken-by=badgalrene

“Those who had called me kaali and unattractive haD to take back their words.”

It won’t be wrong to say that being a Rihanna look-alike changed Renee’s life for the better. And she is super grateful for it.

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Dusky beauties are only now getting the same level of opportunities in Indian film and modelling industries as fair-skinned ones. While Renee may have not been insecure about her looks, the Rihanna factor sure helped people see the beauty she always saw herself as.

“The Rihanna factor turned out to be a blessing. Rihanna has already convinced people that she is sexy and beautiful and the West is crazy about her. If I resemble her, how can I be unattractive? That’s how our mind works. I don’t know where I would have landed without Rihanna.”

So does that mean things are changing for good? Renee surely hopes so!

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“Few are willing to turn around rules. For most of the people, beauty strictly means fair skin. It will take time to rewrite set norms, but I am happy I am part of the change.”

As for a meeting with Rihanna herself, that would be huge, wouldn’t it?

“She in a way turned around destiny for me. I would love to meet her, surprise her and thank her.”

You go, Renee!