{"id":145435,"date":"2022-05-19T12:00:25","date_gmt":"2022-05-19T16:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/?p=145435"},"modified":"2023-03-18T17:51:42","modified_gmt":"2023-03-18T21:51:42","slug":"aweng-chuol-on-dismantling-the-trope-of-strength-in-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/?p=145435","title":{"rendered":"Aweng Chuol On Dismantling the Strong Black Woman Trope"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>\n.centerimg {padding:4em 4em;margin:20px 0;}\n.centerimg2 {padding:4em 6em;margin:20px 0;}\n.centerimg3 {padding:4em 10em;margin:20px 0;}\n.sidetxt {padding:16em 2em 16em 2em;;margin:20px 0;}\n.centerimg img {margin-bottom:0px;}\n.instagram-media {margin:auto !important;}\n#wp-content hr {margin: 40px auto 80px auto;width: 80%;}<\/p>\n<p>#wp-content hr {margin: 80px auto 40px auto;width: 10%;border: solid #000;border-width: 4px 0 0;}\nh4 \n.separ {clear:both;padding:40px;}\nblockquote p {text-align:center !important;font-family:helvetica;font-size:18px;}\nblockquote:before,blockquote:after {height:0 !important;}\n.centerimg {padding:4em 11em;margin:20px 0;}\n.centerimg img {margin-bottom:0px;}\n.instagram-media {margin:auto !important;}\n<\/style>\n<\/style>\n<div class=\"centerimg2\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2022\/05\/1248045927covers_2ef0bc4c15c88f09623e08c454463057e.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1250\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-145438\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2022\/05\/1248045927covers_2ef0bc4c15c88f09623e08c454463057e.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2022\/05\/1248045927covers_2ef0bc4c15c88f09623e08c454463057e-512x640.jpg 512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><br \/>\n<small> Images courtesy of <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/agency\/IMG\">IMG New York<\/a><\/small>\n<\/div>\n<p>It feels like everyone&#8217;s mental health is hanging on by a thread as society crawls back to whatever semblance of normalcy we&#8217;ll collectively create. Yet, questions like have we processed all the pain that has happened to us collectively, remain unanswered. Model and hotlist member <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/models\/aweng-chuol\">Aweng Chuol<\/a> is no stranger to having complex discussions free of stigma as a vocal advocate of mental health amongst former refugees and within the LGBT community. Ever since the South Sudanese model was discovered under the famed golden arches of a Sydney McDonald&#8217;s, Chuol has not let up on her goals of ascending the fashion industry, working with high profile clients shot through the lens of photographers like Viviane Sassen, Harley Weir, or Carlijn Jacobs. Chuol, whose father, a former child soldier, later died as a result of fighting in the ongoing South Sudanese Civil War, has been affiliated with charity organizations like War Child and Children in Conflict, has spoken at the UN\u2019s Mental Health Forum and has ambitions to be South Sudan&#8217;s first female president. Yet, even Chuol recognized the limitations of success during the isolation of lockdown and after losing close friends to suicide. &#8220;There is an almost patronized and reduced perspective on the level of control we have over our mental health,&#8221; she explains. There is no better time than Mental Health Awareness Month to check in with the rising ingenue on her perspective on dealing with depression and anxiety, finding solace connecting to others on social media, and the biggest misconception about our mental health as a black woman navigating the World.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Take us back to your scouting story &#8211; how did you first get discovered and then move to work on the international market?<\/strong><br \/>\nI was first discovered while working at my local McDonald&#8217;s back home in Sydney, Australia. I was in the midst of a shift and was approached about being a model. A few days later, I had an agent call me, had a test shoot\u2013 and the next thing I was doing an exclusive for Vetements in Paris. <\/p>\n<p><strong>What motivated you to share your story and raise awareness about depression?<\/strong><br \/>\nI was motivated to share my story about my mental health, as it is a very \u2018hush, hush\u2019 conversation within a lot of communities and society in general. With the beginning of the pandemic, the lockdown of countries, the lockdown of industries, and the complexity of the world not knowing where the future was heading, my mental health went into a deep dark place. The fear of reality took over and I wanted to give myself the grace to know its impact on my mind and emotional health; the motivation to share my story was me wanting to add to the conversation of sometimes not being okay. <\/p>\n<p><strong>How did the COVID-19 pandemic cultivate mental health struggles in your life?<\/strong><br \/>\nAt the beginning of the pandemic, I had a lot of panic attacks and anxiety. At some point, I stopped watching the news and deleted social media apps on my phone; I felt suffocated for a huge part of the pandemic. Then, I went into another stage of being frustrated with the stillness and aloneness we all had to readjust to. The pandemic had my mental health going through the stages of self-loss, self-preservation, and then, to an extent, emotional exhaustion (I started doing puzzles to feel like I had control, I highly recommend it!) <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CcrGU_DpdvB\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n<div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CcrGU_DpdvB\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <\/p>\n<div style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\"><svg width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewBox=\"0 0 60 60\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"><g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><g transform=\"translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\"><g><path d=\"M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631\"><\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n<div style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CcrGU_DpdvB\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by AWENG\ud83d\udc04 (@awengchuol)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the biggest misconception about our mental health as black women?<\/strong><br \/>\nI had written a piece during the pandemic about my opinion on the strong black woman trope. The biggest misconception would be the strength; there is an almost patronized and reduced perspective on the level of control we have over our mental health. <\/p>\n<p><strong>What are some common mental health issues you\u2019ve seen impact models and the fashion community?<\/strong><br \/>\nThe two common mental health issues that I&#8217;ve seen the impact the industry are depression and anxiety. The pressures of the beauty industry as a whole certainly affect models. The internal demands of the fashion community itself can cause a lot of self-grief, doubt, self-consciousness, and overall insecurity in what you are doing, which then leads to the emotion of aloneness. <\/p>\n<p><strong>You&#8217;ve openly spoken about your own experience with suicide and the suicide of close friends around you. How has social media offered you a platform to connect with others who share similar mental health challenges?<\/strong><br \/>\nI think social media reminded me to have my feet on the ground regarding mental health challenges, especially with friends, peers, family, and lovers. I had gone through a lot at the beginning of the year, like losing a few very important in my life to suicide, and I was in a very frozen place for a while. Social media offered solace in having my feet on the ground; I was sent places to go for grief therapy, grief help books, and links.<\/p>\n<div class=\"centerimg2\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2022\/05\/2104926103ig_109_26cb7ef7b4705fee5ca8f50f16cbed1d0.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1250\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-145439\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2022\/05\/2104926103ig_109_26cb7ef7b4705fee5ca8f50f16cbed1d0.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2022\/05\/2104926103ig_109_26cb7ef7b4705fee5ca8f50f16cbed1d0-512x640.jpg 512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><br \/>\n<small> Images courtesy of <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/agency\/IMG\">IMG New York<\/a><\/small>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Over the years, have you seen changes in the industry regarding these issues, or especially with the pandemic, have new issues arisen?<\/strong><br \/>\nFashion, beauty, and entertainment as collective industries have made a big step in the right direction regarding these issues. The opening of the dialogue to learning about these mental health issues and acknowledging the industry&#8217;s impact on the people in it. I feel like the first step is always to start. I believe that we have all become more empathetic with the pandemic. <\/p>\n<p><strong>What advice would you give those that don&#8217;t feel like they can share they\u2019re feeling depressed or struggling with another disorder?<\/strong><br \/>\nThe advice I would give is that it is not an alone battle, do not be afraid to speak to someone. If you feel like you cannot share, there are many professional services; share with a close friend, and please try your best to share the weight. May your today always be better than your yesterday.<br \/>\n<!--pp-thumb-start--><!--PictPress found no dir \/2022\/05\/145435--><!--pp-thumb-end--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Images courtesy of IMG New York It feels like everyone&#8217;s mental health is hanging on by a thread as society crawls back to whatever semblance of normalcy we&#8217;ll collectively create. Yet, questions like have we processed all the pain that has happened to us collectively, remain unanswered. Model and hotlist member Aweng Chuol is no&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":444,"featured_media":145517,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10414,16,13940],"tags":[11608],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145435"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/444"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=145435"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145435\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":145526,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145435\/revisions\/145526"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/145517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=145435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=145435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=145435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}