A young Indigenous woman dubbed the ‘definition of beauty’ has been offered modeling opportunities after a racy photo of her at a nightclub went viral.
Murri woman Ryli Johnson traveled to Townsville with her boyfriend Tyreice Baira Gela and some friends for a weekend getaway.
The group were enjoying a night out at The Bank Nightclub on Saturday when the club’s photographer happened to snap a picture of the 19-year-old and her boyfriend.
Ryli said she didn’t like the photo of the smiling couple shared on the club’s Facebook page.
However, the photo garnered a number of comments from Australians who were taken aback by Ryli’s ‘natural’ beauty, with many arguing that she should pursue a career as a model.
Following a Daily Mail Australia article on Sunday about the photo, the teenager has received calls from modeling agencies and even appeared on Natalie Barr’s Sunrise show.
Murri woman Ryli Johnson went viral after a photo of her and her boyfriend (pictured) at The Bank nightclub in Townsville was shared on social media
The teenager explained that she was grateful for all the lovely comments and was shocked as she was just a “small town” girl
Social media users were shocked by the 19-year-old’s ‘natural’ beauty, with many claiming she should pursue a career as a model
“My nan and my mum, they all cried when they saw the Daily Mail article, they were all like ‘wow’,” Ryli told Barr on Monday morning.
‘Everyone said I had the potential to do whatever I want and they are just over the moon.’
‘It’s very crazy, my phone hasn’t stopped blowing up. ‘Honestly, (modelling) never crossed my mind, but you know with this whole thing I think it should be an option.
“I’ve had a few modeling agents reach out, so I guess it’s just a waiting game.”
She added that she has always dreamed of traveling to New York and Paris Fashion Week or even being a part of Vogue.
The TV show even called her ‘Australia’s most beautiful woman.’
On Saturday, Ryli, who is from rural Moree in north-west NSW, told Daily Mail Australia the reaction to her photo came as a shock.
Sunrise even called her ‘Australia’s most beautiful woman’
“I don’t really wear makeup, but that night I just didn’t put anything on and the guy asked if he could take a picture of us, not thinking it would be posted,” Ryli said.
“It just started blowing up and my mum showed me all the comments and I was like ‘what the hell’.
‘Like I’m just a small town, little black girl from Moree and for all these big city people to comment that I should be a model, I didn’t expect it at all. It’s just crazy’.
While growing up, Ryli said a few people had mentioned she was considering modeling, but the comments were made in passing and she dismissed them as a joke.
However, the teenager said the reaction to her photo has given her the ‘drive’ and confidence to potentially pursue a career as a model.
Ryli said her father even drew comparisons to Victoria’s Secret model Miranda Kerr, who grew up in the rural NSW town of Gunnedah – just a two-hour drive from Moree.
She added that one of her motivations if she were to work as a model would be to inspire other young First Nations and Indigenous girls to achieve their dreams.
“I definitely wanted to shout out to the people in my home country that there are definitely opportunities for us black girls,” Ryli said.
‘Anyone can do it. It’s possible, you know what I mean? Like, just don’t dream, you’ll make it if you just get out of your small town and go big.
‘I always wanted to make a difference in my home community because there is a lot of violence, everyone is under the influence of drugs and alcohol and the crime rate is just ridiculous.’
Ryli currently lives with her father in Port Macquarie and is considering moving to Brisbane if her job application with Qantas as a customer service agent is successful.
Model agencies have since contacted Ryli following the Daily Mail Australia article about the nightclub photo
Ryli, who is from the small rural town of Moree in north-west NSW, said her phone ‘hasn’t stopped blowing up’
The 19-year-old said if given the opportunity, she would use her modeling career to inspire other young Indigenous girls to follow their dreams (Ryli with her brother Bayli won bronze at the 2023 ITF Tag World Cup in Ireland)