Imagine yourself in a room with 136 people, one person in that room has Vitiligo. This is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the pigment-producing cells either stop functioning or die completely. I am that lucky one. When I was about 13 my body went through a change and I was pretty ashamed of it. I was blessed with Vitiligo. People who have this disease make up about 1% of the population, so we’re pretty rare if you think about it. Here are some questions that I am asked:
1. What are those spots?
My spots are Vitiligo, I have a pigment disease.
2. Is that what Michael Jackson had?
Yes, it is. This answer leads me to the next question.
3. So, are you going to bleach yourself like him?
No, I’m not. If I bleached myself I would be risking me being able to ever go outside again. I think that I’d rather be judged for the rest of my life.
4. Does your whole family have it?
No, actually I am the only person. The rest of my family is “normal”.
5. Do you have low self-esteem from it?
Actually, yes I do. I normally won’t leave my house without makeup, but as i’ve gotten older I just have accepted it as apart of who I am.
6. What is wrong with you?
This is probably the most hurtful question I am asked. When asked this not only does it offend me, but it also really hurts my feelings. Nothing is wrong with me. Something is wrong with my skin. I am perfectly fine.
I could go on, but I’ll just end here. If you have vitiligo, you understand the struggle of having to answer these question. Embrace your spots! :)
