A Woman Who Made History: Waris Dirie

Waris Dirie was born to a Somalian nomadic family in 1965. She was circumcised at age 3 and at age 13, fled to London to escape an arranged marriage to a 60 year old man.

While in London, she worked at a local Macdonald’s while taking evening classes to learn English. By chance, she was discovered in the streets by a photographer who helped kick off her modeling career with top brands such as Chanel, Levi’s, L’Oreal and Revlon.