Beauty
Woman With Vitiligo Reveals Struggle To Embrace Her Unique Looks And Becomes A Successful Model
A beautiful model who was called ‘ugly.’
We can’t choose how we are born. Because of that, many people suffer from discrimination and bullying because of how they look. Storm Dove Frederick from New York is among such people who’ve experienced bullying because of vitiligo around her eyes and mouth area. The 21-year-old was not born with it, but they began to appear when she was just 7.
She began to grow anxious about her appearance as the vitiligo continues to spread.
She has been bullied and made fun of by local kids who kept making comments about her face. When she attend school, she’d start using makeup to conceal her vitiligo, but she was determined to not anymore when she enrolled for a major in Biology.
Even to this day, she still hears people making comments under their breathe and muttering about how she looks on the street. Some people would say it’s burn scar or that bleach had been poured on her face. But she’s used to ignoring those comments.
She began modeling at the age of 17 because her body features looked perfect for the job. She was hesitant when her cousin recommended her, but with her family support, she went with the job. She finally landed a professional gig at the age of 20.
Sharing about her childhood days, “I wasn’t just dealing with the vitiligo but also with other people around me bullying and mocking me, making me aware that I was different. It was hard to get harassed daily basically.”
“If people don’t know what vitiligo is, they’ll assume that I’ve got burnt or that I bleached my skin.”
“Sometimes people will yell out at me and it’s not even just kids, it’s adults too. It’s a lot to go through when you’re so young, to have a grown person say ignorant things about you,” Storm continued.
“As I got older and grew into myself more and knowing who I am and who I want to be and actually starting to love myself for who I am it got easier to ignore the negativity.”
She continued to comment about her experience on social media with how it’s been uplifting for her. The positive comments were amazing, but trolls really spare no one when it comes to public figures. She ignores them, as to how she has on most days and focuses on using it to uplift others who are experiencing the same as her.
Storm commented, “It might not be easy to overcome your insecurities, but don’t hide or cover your who you are because there is no greater feeling than loving and accepting yourself for who you are.”
“I respond by not responding because the not so nice comments are coming from the people who are ignorant and have a lot of insecurities, and they are trying to bring others down to their level.”
“You have one life to live so why not live it loud, proud and be unapologetic in yourself.”
