By Anna Ludmirsky,
The modeling industry has always been an unloving and unaccepting form of art riddled with a brutally strict list of requirements to be successful in it. Height, skin tone, weight, every inch of your body is placed under scrutiny and every flaw is judged and “fixed” to fit a specific standard of beauty. Only recently have we seen diversity on the runway from plus size, to cultural, and even people with vitiligo, like Winnie Harlow.
Winnie Harlow is a Jamaican-Canadian woman who grew up in Etobicoke, Ontario. Kids tend to mirror the standards their parents and media share, causing them to call out her “imperfections”, resulting in bullying about vitiligo, a skin condition that she possesses. However, that didn’t stop Winnie from being vocal about struggles with vitiligo, which led her to become discovered, pursuing modeling, competing on America’s Next Top Model, and becoming a household name for most people and those familiar with the world of fashion.
Winnie Harlow is a strong individual, being a black woman is difficult in itself in the media but also having to constantly face scrutiny online for vitiligo has proven how driven and confident she is in her beauty. You’d be surprised when hearing her story regarding growing up bullied for her skin condition when you see how confident she reads on and off the runway, which proves how no matter how much life throws curveballs at you, you can still make it on top. I personally believe every photograph taken of Winnie is a work of art, whether it be candid or professionally shot. Winnie is naturally alluring while radiating energy that oftentimes leaves myself and others speechless.
Citations
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