Duckie Thot Is Familiar With the ‘Awkward’ Reality of Failure – Swimsuit

Duckie Thot may have made her SI Swimsuit debut in the 2022 issue but the 27-year-old was hardly your average rookie. Best known the face of Fenty, the industry vet shared her best advice about perseverance and failure during a launch week panel hosted by Pay With Change partner Nine West last summer.

“You’re going to have to keep failing as you’re seeing, like, it’s O.K.,” she explained. “It’s uncomfortable. It’s awkward, you know. It’s not gonna feel nice, but you’ll do it.”

“I think that you should trust your gut,” she continued. “If that’s the path that you’ve chosen and fully believe in it, it will come to you.”

Thot is a strong advocate for change in the fashion industry with increased diversity, inclusion and representation.

“Being a minority in any line of work should encourage people to create space for others that reflect their ethnic backgrounds,” Thot said earlier this year. “I’m South Sudanese born and raised in Australia; this moment is rare for people like me. I’m grateful to represent both my home countries and represent Africa on a global scale. With my rookie status, I’m hoping to inspire young girls who look like me to see and know there is space for them, too.”

View the 2022 Montenegro shoot here.

Thot has grown her Instagram presence to 1.3 million followers.

“I would love for people to feel empowered when they come to my page,” Thot said. “I think there is a lot more I would love to share with my fan base. There is a lot people don’t know about me…I have a huge personality!”