Slick Woods, whose face is synonymous with many of Rihanna’s brands, wants you to know one thing: she’s not a “victim.” The 23-year-old model is battling Stage 3 melanoma cancer and it’s “spreading,” which she revealed to The Shade Room on Nov. 20. The model added that “she’s currently fighting for her life” — melanoma cancer is considered the “the most serious type of skin cancer,” according to the Mayo Clinic. Regardless, Slick — whose real name is Simone Marie Thompson — remained optimistic when she took to her Instagram on Nov. 19.
In lieu of a sad announcement, Slick chose to share a photo of herself sticking out her tongue by friends and wrote, “How I feel about chemotherapy, shout out to everyone that gotta go through it.” She even threw in the hashtag “#atleastimalreadybald.” Despite her lighthearted attitude, fans jumped into the comments section to offer their prayers and support, including stars like La La Anthony who wrote, “Love u sis ❤️.” Taraji P. Henson also sent love to the model, writing, “You are already on the other side of this heathy and strong like it never happened. I adore you🙌🏾🙏🏾💋💋💋.”
Slick doesn’t want fans’ pity, though. A day after followers shared their well-wishes, Slick shared a photo of her 1-year-old son Saphir pouting. “Stop treating me like a victim,” Slick joked in the caption, but repeated “I’m not no victim” in a follow-up post shared later that day.
Slick is a revolutionary force in the modeling world, iconic for her gap tooth and appearances on major magazines like Vogue, Vogue Italia, i-D and Love (she was the cover star for the last two publications). She is a favorite of Rihanna’s, and most recently walked for the multi-hyphenate’s Savage x Fenty Spring/Summer 2020 show in September.
Slick broke the Internet — and the status quo — by modeling lingerie with a full baby bump in tow a year prior for RiRi’s Savage x Fenty New York Fashion show in 2018. Slick really does possess a fighter’s spirit — RIGHT after the show, Slick reportedly went into labor!