Drop the masks! A few weeks ago, 31-year-old former model Breanne Rice shed the thick layer of foundation that had camouflaged her vitiligo for 12 years. The publication of the selfie revealing its white spots is accompanied by a message full of determination: “No one can be you, but you, assume what makes you different and unique”
Showing her true colors has aroused a lot of encouragement from Internet users who see her approach as an ode to self-acceptance. Since then, she has continued to post on social networks, showing her support for women also affected by the disease.
Diagnosed at the age of 19, she says she spent hours wearing makeup to camouflage this disease. “My face was everything, and I was constantly striving for perfection. (…) I put on a first layer of very thick foundation to make it look like I had pigment. It was a long process every day,” Breanna Rice told People.
Vitiligo, a relatively common disease
If it still affects 0.5 to 2% of the world’s population, the mechanisms of vitiligo are still poorly understood. Caused by a dysfunction of the immune system or endocrine disorders, this disease can be transmitted hereditarily.
Vitiligo affects all populations, men or women and can develop at any age. However, most of the time it is triggered before the age of 20 and beyond repigmentation of the skin, there is no miracle treatment at the moment.
Now a nutritionist in Seattle, Breanne Rice joins model Winnie Harlow, also suffering from vitiligo. Highly appreciated for her difference, she knew how to make it an asset that puts her on the front of the stage today while making people aware of self-acceptance.
“The fact that my post has resonated with so many women shows (…) that in our culture we put a little too much emphasis on our external appearance. For me, seeing a woman have confidence in her brings me a lot of joy,” enthuses Rice.
Read also :
Vitiligo: a still poorly understood disease
Skin depigmentation, a dangerous fashion for Ivorian women
A capsule that whitens the skin
