Writer, fashion model and public figure. UN spokeswoman for female genital mutilation in African Muslim countries. The girl who decided to escape from her home and became a world star. And all these are facts from the biography of Varis Dirie. We invite you to get to know better this beautiful woman.
A harsh childhood in Somalia
Biography Varis Dirie (Waris Diiriye from Somali) start with her name. In the mother tongue of the top model, it is gentle and romantic - “desert flower”. By the way, this is the autobiographical book of the writer, but more on that later.
Beginning of the biography of Varis Dirie - 1965. So says the official website of the fashion model and model. But some sources indicate the year 1956. What's the matter? Varis Dirie herself does not know the exact date of her birth - in her country at that time such information was not stored and was not taken into account by anyone. For us, of course, it is strange, but for Somalia, the homeland of Varis, this is not surprising. People here try to survive in the harsh conditions of the desert, and the average number of children in one family is 10 people.
Parents of the model are Somali nomads. In his biography Varis Dirie warmly recalls his father and mother. In addition to her, the family had eleven more children, but only six survived, including the heroine of our story. She recalls that from childhood she was distinguished by a rebellious character, for which the girl was punished more than once. The biggest dream was a pair of shoes - Somali children go around all year without shoes. But now, as the model jokes, she can afford a whole cabinet of shoes, boots, sandals and moccasins. Dreams should come true.
First life tests
And then in the biography of the model Varis Dirie began what still hurts her to remember. At five, the girl was subjected to female circumcision - barbaric for the civilized world, but commonplace for Muslim countries in Africa. Varis Dirie recovered for a long time after the operation. However, after decades, she notes that she did not achieve full physical and psychological recovery.
At 13, the future star of the podium ran away from home. Otherwise, a marriage with an old man who offered her father five camels for her would have awaited her. Varis went to the city where her sister lived. The girl had to wander through the desert, fleeing from wild animals. Miraculously, she escaped rape. In a book about her biography, personal life, Varis Dirie tells what she had to go through then.
For a sister’s shelter, she worked as a housekeeper for a relative. She also had to serve in the house of her two aunts. Varis Dirie even worked as a bricklayer at a construction site. She gave the earned $ 60 to her mother as a payment for an influential relative to take her to London, so that the girl would help the household with his wife.
London and a brighter future
Further on the personal life of Varis Dirie. The girl arrived in the capital of England with a fake passport, and yet with one pair of shoes. In the relative’s house, she worked properly for 4 years: she helped with the housework, and was busy with the children.
A ray of light in her life is connected with the photographer Malcolm Fairchild, whose daughter studied with the girl’s pupil. However, the Somali, frightened, immediately refused to pose for a photo. Against this was her family.
Only two years later, the photographer still managed to invite the girl to the shooting. The first experience turned out to be very successful - Varis was invited to a casting at Crawford's modeling agency. The second luck for her was the passage of the casting for the popular Pirelli calendar. Then she received her first fee - 600 pounds. For Varis Dirie, working at McDonalds, it was a fabulous amount. The next good luck in the life of the model is getting a cameo in the James Bond movie Sparks from the Eyes.
Hard life in the UK
It cannot be said, despite all these achievements, that Varis's life in England was cloudless. She had problems with a fake passport, she could not get British citizenship, all the time she lived in fear of deportation, more than once became a victim of scammers profiting from Somali refugees.
At the end of the whole girl agreed to a fictitious marriage with an Englishman named Nigel. The man was seriously obsessed with the charm of an African beauty. But in the biography about his personal life, the children of Varis Dirie are still too early to tell.
Modeling career
In 1991, model and fashion model Varis left to work in the United States. There she collaborates with such eminent corporations as Levi Strauss & Co, Benetton, Pomellato.
Many viewers remembered the Angie perfume advertisement (Revlon), for which an African girl posed . Varis became the first black model to be invited to shoot commercials of Off-of-Ole.
You can find the videos of Mit Lough, Robert Palmer, which also starred Varis Dirie. A beautiful African girl could be seen on the covers of glossy magazines: Vogue, Glamor, Elle and others.
However, the main love of the Somali nomad still remained the podium. In his biography Varis repeatedly mentions that only on this path does she feel like a star. It was the catwalk that allowed her to turn from a crushed poverty of Somali refugee into a woman who is admired by millions.
First documentary and homecoming
In 1995, a representative of the famous BBC television company contacted the model. The agent suggested making a documentary about the girl. She happily responded. However, an indispensable condition for the contract, Waris put shooting at home. At that time, it was difficult to get to Somalia because of the ongoing civil wars in the country. Most of all, the fashion model wanted to see her mother.
As Varis herself admits, she began her modeling career only with thoughts about her mother: the girl wanted to ensure a decent existence for her family, and her parents a quiet old age. The top model was leaving Somalia with tears in her eyes. She gave her mother a promise to come back for her.
The film about Varis, entitled "Nomad in New York", caused considerable interest among the television audience.
Finding a family
Husband and children in the biography of Varis Dirie - this chapter of life is extremely interesting to many readers. Imagine her too.
With her future husband, Dave, Varis just met in a jazz bar. Dave was the drummer of the band performing there. But with regard to marriage and love, this issue continued to remain painful for the model, although she went through a series of reconstruction operations in London. Alas, the moral recovery after the barbaric procedure that Varis underwent at the age of five took much more time than physical. The model was also harassed by claims from a fictitious spouse.
However, the child and husband in the biography of Varis Dirie still took their place. The girl gave birth to her beloved man a lovely and healthy baby. The boy was called the Somali name Aliki, which translates as "a mighty lion." The child appeared at the model on the eve of her thirtieth birthday.
Varis Dirie on female circumcision
Fashion model and writer Varis Dirie recalls that after the birth of her son, she repeatedly returned in her thoughts to the procedure that she had to endure in childhood. Thoughts ended with the fact that the model decided on a frank interview with the journalist of the monthly French publication Marie Claire Lore Liv Ziv. The former Somali nomad told a terrible story from her childhood. She knew that this would set up fellow countrymen against her. But she could not keep silent about the existence of a sacrilegious rite for the modern world.
The scandalous article, published, literally stirred up the world community. After the publication, Varis was invited to appear in the documentary "Journey for Healing", which was shown in the program "20x20".
Varis - UN Ambassador
The program did not leave indifferent UN representatives. The Somali model was invited to take part in a global campaign aimed at banning the horrific female circumcision procedure, which even in the modern world is considered the norm for many African countries. Unfortunately, the problem is not far-fetched or bloated, the sad facts are completely confirmed by statistics.
Varis Dirie has been actively involved in the work of the United Nations. She works in tandem with Dr. Nafis Sadyk (Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund). Varis was so attracted to helping ordinary African women that she actually left the modeling business in the past.
I must say, the world star has achieved success in this field. Thanks to her educational and propaganda activities, a ban on female circumcision has been achieved in several African countries. Varis also organizes assistance to women, girls and girls who could not be saved from the barbaric procedure. They are offered to undergo a rehabilitation course that will help them return to normal life and forget all the horrors of the past.
Sayings by Varis Dirie
What is Dirie Varis? This is a phenomenon in the fashion world! A woman who showed catwalks, stylists, models, designers on the other hand. She was able to tell the masses that the fashion world is not a bunch of soulless beauties whose thoughts are occupied only with clothes and cosmetics instead of self-education. Varis Dirie writes: “We don’t have to prove anything to anyone with foam at the mouth. We don’t have to do anything to anyone. Neither make excuses for the fact that we have a beautiful outfit and perfect makeup, nor protect the provocative length of a skirt or shorts.”
Varis says incredible people with enormous fortitude revolve in the fashion world. No adversity can stop them in moving forward. She writes that their beauty just illuminates the world from within, illuminates what they create. Beauty is not only external (regular facial features, a seductive figure), but also internal.
The writer Varis Dirie says that every model she has met is a person worthy of respect. She writes: "Behind every pretty face there is a story, and this story is not always a fairy tale about the sudden transformation of Cinderella into a princess." A striking example is Varis Dirie herself, not following blindly imposed ideals, but creating her own, admirable for the whole world.
Bibliography and filmography
The biography and essays of Varis Dirie are very popular all over the world. The writer has already released six books. All of them are biographical works:
- "Flower in the desert."
- "A letter to my mother."
- "Desert Children."
- "Daughter of the nomads."
- "Dawn in the desert."
- Safa.
The model played one of the roles in the film about the famous James Bond "Sparks from the eyes." According to her book, the film "Desert Flower" (2009) was shot. Reviews about him say that in many ways the film is not connected with the content of the book, but it correctly and fully conveys its essence. Viewers also celebrate the charm and talent of Leah Kebede , an African actress from Ethiopia who played Varis.
Today, the Somali rebel is a happy, loving wife and mother. She continues to engage in social activities, writes books about the real life of the African people, and helps in filming documentaries about Somalia. Varis Dirie does not forget his parents, does not hold grudges against them for a difficult childhood. One cannot help but admire this purposeful, strong-willed woman, and not rejoice at the successes she has achieved.