Supermodel Winnie Harlow: parents banned their children from playing with her

Supermodel Winnie Harlow, who has the autoimmune condition vitiligo, has opened up about her difficult childhood. Growing up, other parents forbade their children from playing with her due to her appearance. Despite this, Harlow has always considered herself beautiful.

Supermodel Winnie Harlow knows better than most what it means to feel truly comfortable in one's own skin — but that confidence was hard-won. Growing up with vitiligo, an autoimmune condition that causes patchy loss of skin pigmentation, she had no one around her who looked the same way she did.

Harlow has revealed that as a child, other parents actively banned their children from playing with her because of her appearance. The cruel exclusion left her isolated at an age when belonging and friendship are everything. Yet even through those painful years, she says she always considered herself beautiful — it was the world around her that needed to catch up.

Vitiligo affects the skin's melanin-producing cells, causing irregular white patches to appear across the body. The condition is not contagious and causes no physical harm, but the social stigma attached to it can be deeply damaging, particularly for children.

Harlow rose to international fame after appearing on the reality TV show America's Next Top Model and has since become one of the most recognisable faces in the fashion industry. She has used her platform to challenge narrow beauty standards and advocate for greater representation of diverse appearances in media and advertising.

Her story continues to resonate with millions of people worldwide who live with visible differences — a reminder that beauty is far broader than any single standard, and that acceptance must begin in our own communities.