It’s not the first time that a major platform has misidentified an Arab figure DUBAI: If Nora Attal isn’t a name you’re familiar with, you should get acquainted. In addition to being one of the most-sought after models season after season, the Moroccan-British beauty is one of the first Arab models to land covers and campaigns with prestigious labels and publications such as Chanel and British Vogue. The 20-year-old, who just finished a stellar Spring 2020 Couture Week was recently photographed at the British Vogue x Tiffany & Co. Film and Fashion after party for the British Academy Film Awards, but there was one major issue — when the photo was published online by image resource website Getty Images, Attal was misidentified as Kara Marni, a London-based singer. Naturally, the model was upset, taking to Instagram to share that “it’s an issue and it needs to be addressed.” In a lengthy statement composed on the notes app and shared with her 35.1K Instagram followers, Attal detailed how she woke up to pictures of herself mistaken for someone else. “This is a lesson: I woke up this morning to pictures of me, my face, tagged as someone else,” she began. The model goes on to reveal that it’s not the first time it has happened to her. “This is not the first time and unfortunately probably not the last time. There have been countless times where I experienced online, in person, seen, or heard other people of color being mistaken for someone else. This isn’t a coincidence — it’s an issue and needs to be addressed.” “The reality is this happens all the time nonchalantly at work, in magazines, online, on social media... In this specific case the article was probably written by someone who isn’t a minority and has no experience about inequality from behind a computer.” She concluded by saying “The feeling of not being seen as yourself as an individual is hurtful and the truth is people are lazy and don’t care enough to distinguish real people, people of color, from one another.” “This should be a fundamental respect. I wanted to share this knowing people realize and know that it’s not ok.” The statement received an outpouring of support from her fellow model friends and fans, with many taking to the comment section to thank Attal for speaking out, including French-American model Sophie Koella, who wrote: “Unacceptable on all levels, there are literally no excuses.” It’s not the first time that a major platform has misidentified an Arab figure. In 2019, Libyan-American journalist Noor Tagouri was mistakenly referred to as Noor Bukhari, a Pakistani model, actor and director, in the February issue of Vogue magazine.