Deborah: Kids call me bad names like
zebra, cow, monster.
And that really hurt me at the time.
But now if I had the choice
to cure my skin condition
I wouldn't do it.
It's a part of me.
Today I'm having a photo shoot for the very first time
with another Vitiligo model.
This is my vitiligo brother,
Fari: And my Vitiligo sister.
Deborah: My vitiligo
first started when I was five years old.
I got a new spot around my eye.
Me and my mom went to the doctor
and the doctor told us that I had Vitiligo.
It just happened one day, like, all of a sudden
it's nothing that we could do about it.
We've seen doctors and they gave me
a different medication.
I had to use the lotions every day, three times a day.
I was bullied in elementary school.
The kids called me all types of bad names
like zebra, cow, monster.
And that really hurt me at that time
because I really was insecure about myself.
And I'm a very shy person.
So every time someone called me 'cow' it's really like..
It's like somebody stabs you in the heart,
I really was so sad and angry all the time.
Hey sis!
Deborah: At the age of 11,
my skin changed, my Vitiligo got bigger and bigger, on my arms and on my legs and especially my face.
And it turned out beautifully
because I had like freckles on my face
and stuff like that. But now it's like one.
Like one structure.
I was 15 years old,
at that age you will start going out.
One day, I decided to wear a cute top.
It's like a top with strips.
So no sleeves.
I went to the party
and I got so many good compliments from people,
that it really brought a smile to my face.
And I thought, "Oh my God, this is like the best feeling ever, that I've ever felt in my life."
So that day, I started to dress up more.
When I went to college,
a friend of mine who has a cousin who is a photographer
asked me, "Would you like to shoot with me one day?"
When my picture started to appear online,
I got a lot of good response from people, especially girls.
That's when I thought, "Oh, wow!"
And there were a lot of people with vitiligo themselves,
asking me for advice.
Or mothers with children asking me how should they handle it?
So when I saw that positivity,
I thought,
"Okay, maybe I should like make this my real job."
So that's when I started modeling.
Today I'm having a photo shoot for the very first time
with another vitiligo model.
His name is Fari.
I'm so happy because
I have seen people with Vitiligo but
I've never done a photo shoot with them.
So I'm really excited about it.
Fari: I've been a model for over a year now.
And I've never had an assignment with another Vitiligo model before.
I am very excited to meet Deborah today
because she's an inspiring, strong woman
also carrying the same skin condition as me.
And she is an inspiration for all of us.
Josefien: I think
it's very important to show a very diverse
range of models because
in society you have so many different types of people
and I love representing
all of those
so that everyone can see a bit of themselves
in the fantasy
and they can feel represented.
I really love working with Deborah because she's just adorable.
She's an absolute sweetheart.
And she's absolutely gorgeous
and she knows how to work her features
and she knows that her unique beauty is
something that's very special.
And so she's not ashamed to show that
and I think that's very important.
Deborah: This is my vitiligo brother,
Fari: And my vitiligo sister.
Deborah: I'm really happy that I got in the modelling/fashion industry on time,
because I know a few years back,
there wasn't any diversity because
every model has to be tall and tiny small waist and stuff like that.
But now they're accepting people like me,
people who are plus size or
not as tall or, you know,
different features, ethnicities and stuff like that.
So I really hope that it will stay this way.
I'm really happy with the results.
I had a great team who was working with me.
I was also very excited to work with Fari.
The most important message
I want to get to everyone else dealing with skin conditions
is to love yourself first.