Winnie Harlow inspires people with vitiligo (with pictures)

Hana Khaled

SEE-September2nd :The 24-year old Canadian model Winnie Harlow who is also known as Chantelle Winnie broke the strict beauty standards by joining the fashion industry with much confidence. Despite of being teased for her vitiligo, she participated in Cycle 21 of America’s Next Top Model in 2014 and went viral since then.

Harlow posted a video on YouTube in July 2011 titled, "Vitiligo: A Skin Condition, not a Life Changer", she spoke openly and answered questions about her life and how she lives with vitiligo. The video empowered many people who are going through the same case.

She shared her story in 2014 in one of TED inspiring presentations and also spoke at the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty in 2015.

Harlow was diagnosed with her skin condition at the age of four, vitiligo is a skin condition that causes “the loss of skin color in blotches” and occurs when “cells that produce melanin die or stop functioning," according to the Mayo Clinic.

Even though Winnie Harlow had to suffer from bulling throughout her early life, she was even called hurtful and humiliating names such as cow and zebra. she decided not to to fall for victimization.

She appeared on the covers of many different international beauty magazines such as French Elle and L'Officie. In addition to American Harper's Bazaar.

A British newspaper published an article in which the super confident model was described as a "vitiligo sufferer"; that made Harlow who is against being labelled by her skin condition feel frustrated.

I'm not a 'Vitiligo Sufferer.' I'm not a 'Vitiligo model,'" Harlow wrote. "I am Winnie. I am a model. And i happen to have Vitiligo. Stop putting these titles on me or anyone else."

“I AM NOT SUFFERING! If anything I’m SUCCEEDING at showing people that their differences don’t make them WHO they are," she added.

With such simple yet powerful words, a child summed up how the skin condition must be seen when he told one of people with vitiligo, 'I think God couldn't choose which color to make you, you're beautiful like the rainbow."

The former America's Next Top Model star was spotted recently at an Atlanta nightclub with American rapper Wiz Khalifa who was wearing a chain that read "Winnie". She wore before one of Wiz's most recognizable necklaces, his "CAM" necklace which refers to his birth name Cameron Jibril Thomaz. That might be a confirmation of the couple's rumored relationship.

Here are some breathtaking pictures of Winnie: