Dirie, Waris

Waris Dirie is a former supermodel, internationally known author, human rights activist, and actress. She works to raise awareness and eliminate the practice of female genital mutilation of young girls around the world. Her books have sold over 11 million copies worldwide. She has received critical acclaim for her film, Desert Flower; is the founder of several human [Page 402]rights organizations; and has received numerous appointments and awards.

Born in a nomadic tribe in Gaalkacyo, Somalia, Dirie can only guess her age, as her clan in Somalia keeps track of seasons-not years. At a young age, Dirie was taken by her mother and sister to become a woman, which meant undergoing female genital mutilation. She was infibulated and later stitched together with thorns, recuperating for weeks alone in a hut, bound from her ankles to her hips.

When she was a young adolescent, Dirie's father arranged for her to marry a much older elderly man. She chose to escape and, during the night, began a painful nine-day journey that would take her from her home in Somalia to Mogadishu. She lived for a time with her older sister and her family, working as a bricklayer. She eventually left with her uncle and his family and moved to London, England, where she worked in her uncle's home. After her family's departure from London, Dirie remained and got a job at McDonald's, attending classes in the evening to learn the English language. She was discovered by a photographer, which began her international modeling career.

The first modeling job Dirie received was on the cover of the Pirelli calendar in 1987. That job catapulted her into fashion modeling. She became the face of Chanel, Levi's, L'Oréal, and Revlon, and she has modeled for high-profile fashion magazines, including Elle, Glamour, Vogue, and Marie Claire. Her successes in those areas led to her walking the catwalks in the fashion industries of the world. She also appeared in The Living Daylights, a James Bond movie, in 1987. During the height of her popularity, Dirie spoke of her painful experience of undergoing female genital mutilation as a child. That interview led to her appointment as a United Nations ambassador to abolish female circumcision around the globe. Dirie wrote her first book, Desert Flower, in 1998. This was followed by Desert Dawn, Letter to My Mother, and Desert Children. Eventually, a movie based on her life experiences was produced in 2009.

Being a humanitarian has garnered Dirie numerous awards, including being named Woman of the Year by Glamour and receiving the Women's World Award from former president of Russia Mikhail Gorbachev, among others. She founded the Waris Dirie Foundation to raise worldwide awareness of female genital mutilation and the Desert Dawn Foundation to raise money for health and education in Somalia. She also cofounded the Foundation for Women's Dignity and Rights.