While Black History Month is celebrated in America, its sentiment is echoed throughout many parts of the world, impacting people of color from all nations. Texas-born Sri Lankan model and actress Kumari is no exception when it comes to suffering misperceptions and assumptions made about her. While efforts to obtain modeling and acting work went largely ignored, now that much of the world has a more inclusive spirit, she finds herself suddenly in demand. No longer is she hearing the words ‘not tall enough,’ ‘not thin enough,’ or various other euphemisms for ‘not white enough.’ Now she has the support of trailblazers in the beauty industry like Rihanna, with her Savage Fenty lingerie brand; and Rosie Huntington-Whitely, with a skincare line for Rose Inc.’s chic catalog of beauty essentials. Kumari and girls like her have found their place.

Can you talk about the obstacles you faced when you started out as a model?

Being far from the traditional look of what every successful model looked like made it really difficult to get a break.

What was the turning point in your career? When did you realize that being a woman of color was no longer a disadvantage?

It would be when I landed the Savage Fenty gig. It’s one of the most prestigious brands that has opened the doors to many women of color. Their platform encompasses every diversified look and tells us that you can be gorgeous in your own way, no longer only for blue-eyed blondes. We can all pave our way, now.

You were born in Dallas but have roots in Sri Lanka. How has your culture influenced your sense of style?

Sri Lanka has such a regal and elegant fashion culture. I always try to incorporate that in my style. Sri Lankan background and culture are important elements that will always be part of my foundation, therefore, I will always incorporate something from Sri Lanka into everything I’m doing. It’s part of who I am.

What do people get wrong about your culture?

Typically, people often assume women in my culture are suppressed, that we’re relegated to household duties, menial tasks – and those are the only things we can do because of the governance under which Sri Lanka exists. However, that’s completely untrue. Sri Lanka regards women highly and we’ve produced many, many women leaders. In fact, we produced the first female Prime Minister in history, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, who was elected three times beginning in 1960.

What advice would you give an up-and-coming model who’s finding it difficult to get work? You were very proactive in your career.

Definitely, my biggest thing would be to not give up. The moments when you feel at your most hopeless – you’re so tired of trying and trying and trying – are the moments when you’ll find that a door has opened for you. You need to have determination. More: it’s really important not to let yourself be discouraged by anything or anyone. You need pillars of courage and inspiration to continue to be focused on what you’re doing. I found that by persevering, you will gain greater strength.

Who were the models you looked up to growing up?

Naomi Campbell, without a doubt. She’s one of my greatest idols in the fashion world because she has broken so many barriers. There has never been a time when she has not made something amazing or pioneered in something new. I would also say Kate Moss. She is somebody I admire and look at as breaking barriers for not being the required height but still delivering amazing material. She proved to the world you don’t have to be a certain height to be a supermodel. That’s such an important thing, especially when you love fashion so much. They both have made statements that you don’t have to be a set look to be a supermodel. That’s what I most admire in each of them.

You’re also embarking on an acting career. What do you enjoy about acting?

I love being able to dive into somebody else who’s completely different from me in every way. Acting comes very naturally to me. I have two projects in the pipeline, but I can’t elaborate on either of them just yet.

You’ve been on many red carpets including the Golden Globe awards. What do you remember most about being at the Globes in 2019?

For me, it was a wonderful experience. I was so humbled and honored to be there on such an important day in movie history. What I remember the most was being able to share a moment of happiness with such great icons on the same platform.