Vitiligo in Fashion and Culture: The Models, Actors and Brands That Changed the Picture

Ten years ago a model with white patches would not have got past the casting door. Today vitiligo appears on magazine covers, in global beauty campaigns and on a Barbie doll. That shift matters beyond fashion: for a teenager who has just been diagnosed, seeing someone with the same skin walk a runway does more for their confidence than any pep talk. Here are the people and moments that made the difference – and why it is still fine to treat your vitiligo if you want to.

Winnie Harlow

The Canadian model Winnie Harlow (born Chantelle Brown-Young) developed vitiligo at the age of four. Bullied at school – "zebra", "cow" – she changed schools repeatedly, struggled with depression and later spoke openly about suicidal thoughts as a teenager. In 2014 she was a contestant on America's Next Top Model; within a few years she had walked for Victoria's Secret, Tommy Hilfiger and Fendi, fronted campaigns for Desigual, Diesel, Nike and Puma, and appeared on the covers of Vogue and Elle.

Harlow is careful about the word "suffering": she describes herself as a model who happens to have vitiligo, not a "vitiligo model", and she has been outspoken that the condition does not need to be hidden – while also defending anyone who chooses to treat or cover it.

Michael Jackson

The most famous person ever to have vitiligo, and for decades the most misunderstood. Jackson said in 1993 that his changing skin colour was caused by vitiligo and that he used make-up to even out the patches; many did not believe him. The autopsy in 2009 confirmed universal vitiligo – widespread loss of pigment – and his dermatologist described the depigmentation treatment used once most of his skin had lost colour. His case is why the phrase "vitiligo" entered everyday vocabulary at all.

Actors and presenters

• Jon Hamm (Mad Men) has spoken about developing vitiligo on his hands during the stress of filming – a textbook example of the stress trigger.
• Graham Norton, the British TV host, has vitiligo on his hands and has discussed it on air.
• Kasia Smutniak, the Polish-Italian actress, has shown her vitiligo unretouched in campaigns and on her social media.
• Lee Thomas, an American TV news anchor, wrote the book Turning White about broadcasting through progressive vitiligo.

Models who followed Harlow

• Amy Deanna became the first model with vitiligo in a CoverGirl campaign (2018), using foundation to show the patches rather than hide them.
• Breanne Rice, American model and advocate, built a career after years of covering her patches – and now works both ways, sometimes covered, sometimes not.
• Curtis McDaniel, one of the first male models with vitiligo to gain international attention, started by posting unretouched photos and now fronts campaigns and speaks about self-acceptance in men, who are less often encouraged to talk about skin.
• A younger generation – Moostapha Saidi, Alpha Ndoye, Tia Jonsson and others – now appears in campaigns for sportswear, cosmetics and high fashion without vitiligo being the story.

Brands and dolls

In 2020 Mattel released a Barbie with vitiligo in its Fashionistas line, developed with input from a dermatologist; it became one of the best-selling dolls of the year. LOL Surprise and Rainbow High followed with their own vitiligo dolls, and several children's picture books now feature heroes with white patches. For a child with a new diagnosis, a doll with the same skin is a small thing that changes a lot – see our advice for parents in Vitiligo in children.

Visibility and treatment are not opposites

The message of the vitiligo-positive movement is that you do not have to hide. It is not that you must not treat. Winnie Harlow, Amy Deanna and Breanne Rice have all said the same thing: what matters is that the choice is yours. Some people are happiest leaving their patches; others want to stop the spread, get colour back on the face or hands, or cover a patch for a wedding – and all of those are legitimate.

If you want to treat, the tools are better than ever: narrowband UVB phototherapy at home, skin care such as Vitistop gel, and camouflage products made for vitiligo. If you want to leave it, protect it from the sun (SPF 50+ – see sun protection) and look after the stress that drives it (Vitiligo and stress).

Either way, you are in good company.