A man with vitiligo who was called ‘zebra’ by bullies has defied their cruel comments by becoming a model – The Sun

Curtis McDaniel, 22, from New Jersey, USA, was just 11-years-old when white speckles began to appear on his skin caused by vitiligo

A MAN who was bullied for his rare skin condition has defied those who tormented him by becoming a successful magazine model.

Curtis McDaniel, from New Jersey, USA, was just 11-years-old when white speckles began to appear on his skin caused by vitiligo an autoimmune disorder that stops cells from producing pigment.

Caters News Agency

Soon, his face and body developed large white patches and bullies labelled him zebra and Michael Jackson while kids would run away from him crying.

But, when he was 17, the teen stopped seeing his condition, which affects one per cent of the worlds population, as a curse and a couple of years later he was scouted as a model after uploading a selfie.

Now Curtis is a part-time model and soon he will feature on MTVs True Life show, which he hopes to use as a platform to educate others about vitiligo.

Caters News Agency

Caters News Agency

Curtis, 22, said: I was the only person in my family to have vitiligo and took it pretty hard at school, I was bullied a lot by people for my skin.

They would call me burnt lips, Michael Jackson, zebra, giraffe and people thought I was contagious I had a lot.

Girls would ask if I was burned and would say Ew whenever they saw me.

I was a spectacle everywhere I went, I once had kids running out of a store crying when they saw me and was called a monster.

Vitiligo is a skin condition which causes patches of skin to lose their pigmentation it is causes by a lack of the pigment melanin in the skin.

One percentof the population suffers from it and it affects every ethnicity and gender equally.

The main symptom of vitiligo is flat, white spots or patches on your skin.

Initially, the vitiligo may start as a patch of skin that is paler than the rest. Gradually, the patch will become completely white.

Vitiligo does not cause discomfort to your skin, such as dryness, but patches may occasionally be itchy.

If you have vitiligo, the pale areas of your skin are more vulnerable tosunburn.

Treatment for vitiligo is based on improving your skins appearance, you cannot reverse the depigmentationandthe effects of treatment are not usually permanent.

For smaller patches of vitiligo you may be prescribed a steroid cream, thiscan sometimes stop the spread of the patches, and may restore some of your original skin colour.

Before I used to think my skin was a curse, but now I realise my skin is a gift, its allowing me to influence people.

Once I had this new outlook on my skin, I stopped getting so angry and started to smile more.

Before, I hated having my picture taken, so to me I never would have believed I could model.

Caters News Agency

Curtis suffered a deep depression for five years, while he struggled to understand why he had been affected by the condition.

He said: It took over my wrists, arms, then went under my nose, around my lips and my left eyelid too.

Whenever I saw a new white spot while looking in the mirror it would make me angry, once it started to affect my face I punched a mirror in anger.

I was in a bad place.

But, after returning to Christianity, Curtis mind-set changed, and he realised he should see his skin in a positive light.

Curtis said: Its all a process, confidence isnt something you just get, youve got to look at yourself in the mirror and change your mind-set.

Caters News Agency

Caters News Agency

Caters News Agency

Skin is so materialistic, you have to love who you are.

Now, Curtis models while studying and hopes that by proudly showing his skin he can inspire others with vitiligo to not hide away.

Since embracing his condition, Curtishas found people are more attracted to him for both his appearance and his personality.

Curtis said: Its pretty cool, people like the pattern of my skin and also the confidence I have too, I never could have imagined this would be my life now.

Whenever I model or speak I dont want people to see my skin but my heart, I want them to see my heart through my skin.

A lot of people have told me that when they first saw me they liked my skin but what was most attractive was reading about me as a person, thats what makes them fall in love with me.

Originally posted here:

A man with vitiligo who was called 'zebra' by bullies has defied their cruel comments by becoming a model - The Sun