Gorgeous Winnie Harlow has become one of the trending names in the American modeling industry; all thanks to her resilience, courage and determination. The model has become an inspiration and source of hope for vitiligo patients who have lost their self-confidence and sense of belonging due to the deplorable state of their skin. Despite her condition, Winnie has undoubtedly shown what it means to live above your difficulties, hence the strength of her weaknesses. Thereafter, she did well to establish herself as one of the most successful models in America. Learn more about Winnie below.
Who is Winnie Harlow?
Winnie Harlow is a stunning Canadian model who rose to fame through her appearance in the 21st edition of Tyra Banks’ Next Top Model in America. The model is also notable for being a public spokesperson for people suffering from this skin condition called Vitiligo. Furthermore, Winnie is also an actress and has starred in TV movies as well as music videos such as Courage Over Fear by Eminem feat. Sia and Lemonade by Beyonce, among others.
The amazing model was born as ChantelleBrown-Young on July 27, 1994. She was born to Canadian parents, Windsor Young, and his wife, Lisa Brown. Winnie is of Canadian nationality and is of Jamaican ethnicity. She spent her childhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where she grew up with her two sisters. At the age of four, young Winnie was diagnosed with a chronic skin condition called vitiligo. This gave him a difficult childhood. she was often bullied and called by classmates names like zebra and all sorts of derogatory names Winnie dropped out of high school because of the stigma. She also had suicidal thoughts.
Fate smiled on the talented and gorgeous model when she was discovered by Tyra Banks, who is the host of the famous show USA’s Next Top Model. She was discovered via Instagram and then sent an invitation to appear on her show. Interestingly, she is the first Canadian to appear on the show since its inception. During the show, Winnie managed to put on a shrewd performance; thus, reaching the final stage of the competition. Unfortunately, she was ejected in the second week of the finals. After her resilience, Winnie participated in the series of comebacks and was picked up in the competition before finally being placed in 6th position overall.
Modeling career
Throughout the show, Winnie Harlow caught the eye of top modeling brands around the world. Shortly after the show ended, Winnie was hired by a Spanish clothing brand called Desigual. By joining the brand, she becomes their official representative and model. Later, she worked with fashion brand Ashish during London Fashion Week 2015. Not only that, she has also been associated with other notable brands including Diesel, Swarovski, and Lutin. Winnie has also appeared in major fashion magazines such as Glamour, Vogue Italia, Cosmopolitan, and Ébène magazine, among others.
Winnie Harlow is the first Canadian with Vitiligo to appear as a runway model on Victoria’s Secret. The star is making waves in the American fashion and modeling industry, despite her condition.
What happened to his face, is it (vitiligo) curable
Many people wonder what happened to Winnie’s face. Well, the answer isn’t far-fetched. As we mentioned earlier, the charming model was diagnosed with vitiligo when she was four years old. The deplorable condition of the skin usually leads to depigmentation of certain parts of the skin, as can be seen in Winnie’s case. In some other cases, the hairs on the skin of people suffering from this disease turn white, especially the areas exposed to the sun. Vitiligo affects men and women equally and can be developed before the patient reaches the age of 20 or 40. Unfortunately, people with vitiligo are usually stigmatized and Winnie suffered from severe depression as a child.
There is no known cause for this long term skin condition yet; vitiligo may be thought to develop due to genetic susceptibility and is often triggered by environmental factors, including pernicious anemia and hyperthyroidism, among others. Although the cause of the skin condition is not yet known; nor has the cure been found. However, the use of sunscreen and makeup has been recommended for fair-skinned people, while steroid-based creams have been recommended to darken white patches in dark-skinned patients. Counseling and emotional support will also help them.
Also, it might interest you to know that Winnie Harlow is not the first known celebrity to have suffered from vitiligo. Some of your favorite celebrities, including Steve Martin, Michael Jackson, Rasheed Wallace, Joe Rogan, Jon Hamm, and Thomas Lennon, also fall victim to this deplorable skin condition. Winnie has notably been a spokesperson for people with vitiligo. She was honored with the Model Award at the GQ Man of the Year award ceremony in 2015.