Model Winnie Harlow is Not Offended by People Recreating Her Vitiligo – Here’s Why!

Ex-America’s Next Top Model contestant, Winnie Harlow has become a source of inspiration and acceptance. Not just for those with her rare skin condition, Vitiligo, but also for others who have faced criticism for their skin tone, colour or even who they are as individuals.

So it is only natural that those who she has inspired would want to pay homage to their ‘hero’. With the use of makeup, many have recreated Winnie’s signature vitiligo skin sharing their results on social media. However, other fans are not feeling it.

Many shared their displeasure on social media calling it a different version of Black Face, insensitive and cultural misappropriation.

The buzz drew Winnie towards her fans’ art and she had this to say via her Instagram page;

“My response to this is probably not what a lot of people want but here it goes: every time someone wants fuller lips or a bigger bum, or curly hair, or braids does Not mean out culture is being stolen. Have you ever stood to realize these things used to be ridiculed and now they’re loved and lusted over, No one wants to “steal” our look. We’ve just stood so confidently in our own nappy hair and durags and big asses (or in this case, my skin) that now those who don’t have it love and lust after it. Just because a black girl wears blue contacts and long weave doesn’t mean she wants to be white and just because a white girl wears braids and gets lip injection doesn’t means she wants to be black.

The amount of mixed races in this world is living proof that we don’t want to be each other we’ve just gained a national love for each other. Why cant we embrace that feeling of love? Why do we have to make it a hate crime? In a time when so much negative is happening, please don’t accuse those who are showing love ans appreciation, of being being hateful. It is very clear to me when someone is showing love and I appreciate these people recreating, loving and broadcasting to the world that once upon a time I cried myself to sleep over #1LOVE.”

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What are your thoughts BellaNaijarians – do you think this is simply showing love to the model or culturally inappropriate.

Photo Source: HellYeahChantelleWinnie