Mixed Race Model Accuses Photographer Of Racism After He Says Her Afro Hairstyle Is Scary

A Brazilian model has gone viral after she filmed a man who claimed to be a photographer telling her her Afro hairstyle “scares people”.

Model, activist and communicator Ludmila Cassemiro, 21, reported being the victim of ‘racial injury’ in the neighbourhood of Cachoeirinha in the city of Belo Horizonte in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais on Saturday, 9th October.

The young woman posted footage she filmed of an exchange with a stranger who called her hair “scary” on Instagram where she has 11,400 followers. She posted the clip on 10th October and it has since been viewed 37,600 times.

Ludmila Cassemiro, 21, teacher and model, recorded an encounter with a man who approached her in the street stated that her hair was scaring people, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on 9th October. (@ludmilacassemiro/Newsflash)

The model later told reporters she was on her way to the gym when she crossed paths with the man, who was walking in the opposite direction. She said she did not know him and had never spoken to him before.

She told news portal G1: “Before I could even say ‘good afternoon’, he came up to me insulting me, saying he had always wanted to tell me my hair made people uncomfortable and scared them.”

“He said my hair was disproportionate and projected dominance and that, as a photographer, he could talk about my hair. I was speechless. I was so shocked I couldn’t even argue back.”

Ludmila Cassemiro, 21, teacher and model, recorded an encounter with a man who approached her in the street stated that her hair was scaring people, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on 9th October. (@ludmilacassemiro/Newsflash)

In the video clip, Ludmila is seen to be shocked by the man’s comments, and she can be heard telling him “you’re racist” and “I don’t want to listen to you”.

She said it was not the first time she had been the victim of racism, telling G1: “It was not an isolated case, sadly. I have already been sacked on the grounds that my hair polluted the environment.”

“I’m always discredited because my appearance is put ahead of my intellectual capability.”

Ludmila Cassemiro, 21, teacher and model, recorded an encounter with a man who claims to be a photographer, who approached her in the street and started to comment about her hair, and stated that it was scaring people, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on 9th October. (@ludmilacassemiro/Newsflash)

Ludmila told reporters she had not yet sought out the police over the incident, but she said she intended to report the case to the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

She has said the unpleasant exchange has had a happy ending, as many professional photographers have since contacted her offering their services free of charge.

Ludmila said of her hairstyle: “It’s my identity. I’d always used lots of products to remove volume and straighten my hair until I understood that my hair is curly.

Ludmila Cassemiro, 21, teacher and model, recorded an encounter with a man who claims to be a photographer, who approached her in the street and started to comment about her hair, and stated that it was scaring people, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on 9th October. (@ludmilacassemiro/Newsflash)

“I learnt about activism, history and learned to love and respect myself. Today I love myself as I am and I wouldn’t change anything.”

In Brazil, the crime of ‘racial injury’ is punishable with one to three years in prison and a monetary fine.

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