Redefining Beauty— A Model’s Journey of Resilience, Self-Acceptance, and Empowerment.
In this inspiring interview, Ste shares her powerful journey with universal vitiligo—how it shaped her identity, tested her strength, and ultimately led her to embrace her unique beauty. From battling emotional trauma to finding peace through self-love, she inspires others to accept their true selves and love the story written on their skin.
Can you share a bit more about yourself and your experience with vitiligo? What has your journey been like since you first noticed the changes in your skin?
The first patch of vitiligo appeared at the age of 14, in pre-adolescence. Can you imagine? The first contact we have is with a dermatologist and they diagnose a disease.
So from that moment on, I understood that I was sick and therefore, I would have to look for treatments, which meant accepting everything that was available on the market regardless of the side effects, because for “the world” any side effect is better than being tainted. Now, tell me if something that doesn’t leave us in bed, doesn’t leave us in pain, doesn’t leave us in a hospital can make someone feel “sick”?
You mentioned that your type of vitiligo is similar to Michael Jackson’s. Can you explain what universal vitiligo is and how it has affected you personally?
There are several types of vitiligo (some studies say 4, others say 7) and mine is universal vitiligo, the rarest of them. Universal vitiligo affects more than 70% of the body and is the same type of vitiligo as Michael Jackson.
Just like him, I lost all my melanin and became completely depigmented. That was the worst part for me. Even though I looked good to society, since I had uniform skin, I had an identity crisis and started not recognizing myself.
At that time, whenever I met someone, I had to show them a photo of what I looked like because for me, the person didn’t know me if they didn’t know I had vitiligo. That was a turning point in seeing so much beauty in my skin today.
How did you initially feel when you started noticing the changes in your skin at 14? What emotions did you go through during that time?
When I discovered vitiligo at the age of 14, I didn’t have many negative emotions. Vitiligo came from an emotional trauma I had in childhood and that was always my biggest concern.
So in At the time, I didn’t pay much attention to vitiligo because I had a big problem with my head. I dealt with vitiligo in a practical way. When I wanted to go out and didn’t want people around me, looking naked asking questions smooth handling nara camouflage In a simple and practical way.
When I wanted to go out and didn’t want people looking at me or asking me questions, I used makeup to camouflage it. In a simple and practical way, like a woman puts on makeup to go out. It wasn’t a problem.
Today I know that using makeup to camouflage is part of the process of acceptance. I don’t judge and I don’t care who uses it. It’s part of it, each person has their own time to accept the changes.
You underwent numerous treatments in an attempt to “cure” yourself. Can you discuss some of the treatments you tried and how they impacted your physical and emotional well-being?
During this journey, I underwent countless “treatments”. Some of them prohibited me from sunbathing (imagine that!), and others were medications that made me super sensitive to the sun and kept me exposed to it for a while.
I did one with dry ice that hurt a lot and that also made me even “whiter”… Vitiligo has no cure. There is nothing that treats the cause of it, only attempts to reverse the symptom, which are the depigmented areas. It’s like having an infection and wanting to take medicine just for the fever.
You’ve mentioned that the true disease was the emotional stress you experienced. Can you elaborate on how trauma played a role in your experience with vitiligo?
Our body is our BEST friend. We need to understand this once and for all. And what do we do with our friends? We listen and pay attention. Our body speaks! And that’s what it did to me and that’s what it does to you too. In my case, I come from a toxic and dysfunctional family.
I was raised by my stepfather since I was 1 year old and he beat me a lot. I lived like this for many years and when I was 14 I got my first spot. I understand it as a warning that “we are at the limit”. And we really were. Only those who have a dysfunctional family understand the feeling of not having a home. Having nowhere to go back to. No child should go through that.
At what point did you begin to embrace your vitiligo and see it as a part of your unique beauty? What helped you shift your perspective?
When I became completely depigmented. That’s when I started to miss having spots. I understood that I have my story on my skin and I say with great pride that my skin spoke for me when I couldn’t. Isn’t that beautiful? How can I not love myself? No.
You talk about looking in the mirror and loving what you see. What advice would you give to others struggling with self-acceptance and body image issues?
Look at yourself with love! I dare say that self-love cures everything! When you love yourself, you can reframe so many marks that you carry on your body. You don’t accept any love, any place, any treatment.
And loving yourself is a daily exercise. Go to the mirror every day and tell yourself your qualities. Change your focus! Stop looking at your defects. It’s not easy, but it has to be done every day until it becomes a habit.
How have you learned to listen to your body and what it needs? Can you share any specific practices or habits that have helped you in this process?
Meditation helps me a lot. It takes me out of the normal rush of everyday life and reminds me of how much I have to be thankful for. Not comparing myself is also a daily practice. We do this all the time, even unconsciously. I control myself and that is liberating.
As someone who has gone through this journey, how do you hope to inspire others with similar experiences? What message would you like to share with them?
Respect your time and your story. I like to say that I don’t care about people who have vitiligo and use makeup to hide it. I don’t believe that you are not accepting yourself, quite the opposite, you are doing what you can with what you have at the moment.
We are all afraid of the unknown, whether it is a new job, moving to a new city, or leaving a bad marriage. What will be waiting for us? Will it be worse? Will this really do me any good? The unknown is scary.
Imagine seeing your color disappear. It really is scary! It really causes insecurity. I am in favor of everything that does not leave you withdrawn at home, afraid of the world. Look for references. Fear comes from not knowing where we will fit in from that moment on.
Look for and follow people like you. References are very, very, very important. I try to be that reference of a woman who loves herself, but who also had her bad story, went through the process as best she could and managed to love herself.
You can do it too! Vitiligo is far from the end of the world. Just look at how many women don’t have vitiligo and don’t love themselves. How many women are considered the norm and still have an image disorder.
Love yourself without the first aesthetic perspective. Love your story, your essence, your personality and you will see the beauty in your characteristics that make you unique.
You mentioned that you are currently repigmenting. Can you share more about this process and what it means for you?
I started to get repigmentation when I started living alone. I always thought that my trauma came from everything that happened to me with my stepfather. But when I started living alone and started to get repigmentation, I understood that what hurt me the most was not having been protected by my mother.
Even without knowing, my unconscious knew. Our body knows, it always knows. Something kept messing with me emotionally, making my vitiligo never stabilize. It affected my whole body. Leaving was difficult.
Getting up and leaving is a huge burden. But even so, I saw my color returning. That’s when I understood everything. I was finally giving my body the peace that it had been asking for for years.
How has your experience with vitiligo influenced your perspective on life and your future goals?
Having vitiligo has definitely shaped the personality I have today. I don’t know if I would love myself as much if I didn’t have it. Today, as I work in advertising and fashion, and as I tell my story, I want people with vitiligo to feel that they have a place in all areas!
We can still want to be anything, and our dreams don’t need to be forgotten. For the future, I hope that everyone can see the beauty that we truly have. We are in advertising, in some campaigns and on TV, but beyond being different (which we really are and I don’t see any problem with that), I want to make you see beauty here.
“Ste’s journey teaches us that beauty is not defined by societal standards but by the love we cultivate for ourselves. Her story is a powerful reminder that embracing our uniqueness, no matter the challenges we face, leads to true strength and self-acceptance. To anyone struggling with their own battles, remember: your story is written on your skin, and it’s beautiful just as it is.”
