Winnie Harlow, the supermodel who’s famous for having the skin condition Vitiligo, has posted a series of photos to celebrate her 31st birthday.
Vitiligo changes the pigmentation of a person’s skin, causing them to appear to have white patches or spots.
Today, Harlow is one of the most well-known people with Vitiligo, and continues to help demystify its stigma in the public eye.
Winnie Harlow dons several bikinis in a new IG photo drop
Image credits: winnieharlow / Instagram
Image credits: winnieharlow / Instagram
Harlow released several shots of herself in a bikini in honor of her 31st birthday.
There are a number of photos. In some, she is modeling a black string bikini while on the beach.
In others, she appears to be channeling a mermaid with strategically placed sea shells and star fish, while indoors, sometimes sipping a beverage.
Other shots show her on a boat with either a white or black crocheted bikini.
Solid color, plaid, and rastafarian colors: she is wearing a number of bikinis of different colors and designs against various backgrounds, including beaches, boats, poolside, and a shower.
In each one, her brilliantly patterned skin is the eye’s main draw.
Most people online think Harlow looks stunning
Image credits: winnieharlow / Instagram
Image credits: Amalieweb
As a model with Vitiligo, Harlow has helped shine a light on the condition to educate the public.
Most people online think she is beautiful and should be proud of her condition. “Be confident in your own skin,” one person said, calling her “gorgeous.”
Some people said she looked like a “living piece of artwork.”
As with anything nonconforming, Winnie’s look did generate insensitive comments, similar to those she suffered as a child, with comparisons to various farm animals.
But the hate was greatly outnumbered by the positive: “She’s a masterpiece! Sunning!”
There is no cure for Vitiligo, but medications can lighten the skin so it blends
Image credits: winnieharlow / Instagram
Vitiligo, pronounced “vit-uh-LIE-go,” is an autoimmune disease that affects the pigment of a person’s skin.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the condition causes parts of your skin to lose its pigment or color, making it appear lighter, or even white, compared to the surrounding skin.
“The condition occurs when your body’s immune system destroys melanocytes, which are skin cells that produce melanin, the chemical that gives skin its color, or pigmentation,” their website says.
Anyone can get Vitiligo, as it affects all types of people equally.
Of course, if your natural skin color is dark, Vitiligo’s white patches will be more obvious.
Image credits: winnieharlow / Instagram
Experts say Vitiligo can develop at any age, but usually starts to become apparent before or around the age of 30.
It tends to start on your hands, feet, and face, but can spread to any part of your body.
What causes it? It’s not entirely clear.
People at high risk of getting Vitiligo include those with other autoimmune conditions like various Thyroid disorders, Anemia, Diabetes, or Psoriasis.
Plus, the Mayo Clinic says, it can be hereditary or triggered by “stress, or severe sunburn or skin trauma.”
Image credits: winnieharlow / Instagram
Counterintuitively, sun exposure actually aggravates the condition for some people, where instead of tanning while in the sun, a person with Vitiligo gets more white patches.
There is no cure for Vitiligo, and no medication that can stop it from spreading.
According to the Mayo Clinic, some medications or light therapy can help restore some color.
Michael Jackson had Vitiligo, but he was not proud of it
Image credits: winnieharlow / Instagram
How a person responds to their Vitiligo is a personal choice. Harlow is very open now, but has said that she was badly bullied before being discovered as a model.
In the 1980s and 90s, the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, famously underwent procedures to whiten his skin as a way to even out his Vitiligo.
At the time, the public had been speculating about his whitened appearance and accused him of wanting to denounce his African heritage.
Image credits: winnieharlow / Instagram
During an interview with Oprah, Jackson admitted that he had a condition, but appeared to be ashamed of it. He never said the actual name of the condition.
“It is something I cannot help. When people make up stories that I don’t want to be who I am, it hurts me,” he told Oprah in the infamous interview. “It’s a problem for me. I can’t control it. But what about all the millions of people who sit in the sun to become darker, to become other than what they are. Nobody says nothing about that.”
His dermatologist later confirmed to the media that he had Vitiligo and stressed that it was not contagious.
Image credits: winnieharlow / Instagram
Netizens offer overwhelming support for Winnie Harlow’s unique look
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