![Model Winnie Harlow Says She’s Much More Than Her Vitiligo Skin](https://www.essence.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/1462804268/GettyImages-521456374.jpg)
Winnie Harlow is making waves in the fashion industry. From wowing Tyra Banks on the 21st cycle of America’s Next Top Model to being featured in Beyoncé’s Lemonade, this young woman’s rise to fame is unbelievable. Many of us know her as the beautiful model with vitiligo—an incurable skin pigmentation disease made famous by Michael Jackson—but she wants her fans to know her skin condition does not define her.
Recently on Instagram, Winnie shared a personal clarification of who she is and exactly who she isn’t.
“Clarification: I am not a “Vitilago Spokesperson,” she says. “Stop trying to pin that on me. I have vitiligo, and I am confident. That doesn’t make me the Spokesperson for Vitiligo. Just because a Black person is confident, doesn’t make them a Negro Spokesperson. I am a 21 year old who looks beyond the box that people try to place me in…Lol and that’s pretty much it on that topic.”
She captions her clarifying declaration on Instagram with: “Please stop placing me in the box of just being my skin. I am a lot more than that just like you are a lot more than Your skin, black, white, brown, yellow, orange, red, green.”
While the fashion and beauty world embraces her as a popular face in the industry, this young beauty is making her purpose known in the best way possible. We hear you, Winnie!
What do you think of her thoughts on being much more than her skin condition? Do you agree of disagree?