Chantelle Brown-Young of America’s Next Top Model ( ANTM ) fame recently opened up about a rare skin condition that she suffers from called Vitiligo. According to UInterview News , the skin disorder affects about 1 percent of the population. It is characterized by white patches on the skin. Brown-Young started noticing the changes in her skin when she was very young — only 4-years-old. As you can probably imagine, Chantelle had a very hard time growing up different from the rest of the kids at her school… and she was bullied.
“The bullying started when I went to school. It was tough. I definitely had problems with self-esteem. Growing up, it was a ‘fake it ’til you make it’ type of thing. I just decided, ‘You know what? I’m going to keep telling myself I’m beautiful until I feel beautiful. And it happened.”
Chantelle Brown-Young has vitiligo and models. Don’t let anything stop you from reaching your goals. pic.twitter.com/UszKYCF6T3
— Maren Reed (@marentreed) July 29, 2014
Chantelle Brown-Young went on ANTM after being approached by the show’s creator, Tyra Banks. Banks told Chantelle that she wanted her to do the show because she clearly saw something incredible in her that went beyond Vitiligo. Something that made Chantelle a woman, a beautiful model, and that had nothing to do with the changing pigments of her skin.
“I’d only been modeling for maybe a year before she found me, so I was pretty fresh. The fact that she wanted me so badly for her show will stick with me for the rest of my life.”
Chantelle Brown-Young- a supermodel with vitiligo. Thank you for being an inspiration. #antm #vitiligo pic.twitter.com/P3RfsxozA8
— taniaaa. (@Tonsponge54) July 8, 2014
According to Entertainment Tonight , the 20-year-old will be competing on the new season of America’s Next Top Model . The challenges each week will force Brown-Young to dig deep and to look beyond her skin… because her beauty is so much deeper. It’s not always going to be easy, but in the preliminary photos of the young model, you can tell that she’s very serious about her career and she could take it very far.
Chantelle Brown-Young will be on ANTM when it premieres on August 18.
As previously reported by The Inquisitr , Chantelle has opened herself up in an effort to give others hope. She currently acts as a speaker and ambassador for the Vitiligo community, and hopes that she inspires others to live their dreams no matter what.
[Photo courtesy of Twitter ]
