There is a popular notion that to be a model, you have to be tall, skinny, and stunning. While this may be true, the definition of beauty is too diverse to restrict modelling to a particular standard.
As time passes, many people have realized that you don’t have to look a specific way to become a model.
These five models are particular about breaking the rules in the fashion world.
1. Winnie Harlow
Winnie Harlow suffers from a rare skin disease called vitiligo (a violation of skin pigmentation), and she shared how she was constantly bullied for it as a child. Other kids tagged her names like “zebra” or “cow.”
Determined to live out her dreams, Winnie didn’t allow any of that to weigh her down, and she went on to participate in America’s Next Top Model. She has appeared in numerous music videos, on catwalks, and on the covers of fashion magazines.
2. Nyadak Thot
The Sudanese model looks very much like a Barbie doll, and strangely, this caused her to be a victim of cyberbullying at the age of 17.
After winning the Next Top Model competition in Australia, people called her appearance “unnatural”. Now, she is a top model and has featured in top magazines like Paper Magazine and has worked for big brands like Fenty.
3. Madeline Stuart
Madeline Stuart became a household name in the fashion industry at just 20 years old.
She became the first professional model with down syndrome. In 2015, she decided to get healthy and lost nearly 40 pounds. Her mother posted her pictures on social media, and overnight, the photos went viral.
4. Sara Geurts
Although Sara is just 26, she looks a lot older. This is due to her Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which impedes the production of the collagen responsible for the skin’s elasticity.
At school, Sara was embarrassed by her condition and always covered herself up. But in 2015, she found the courage to post herself on social media and embrace her illness so that women would feel more comfortable with their insecurities.
5. Nastya Zhidkova
The albino model got into modelling by way of cosplaying Japanese anime characters. The Russian-born model has super pale skin, a white mane, near-translucent eyebrows and eyelashes, and clear lavender-blue eyes.
Her features are entirely devoid of melanin, so she is genuinely a ‘white girl’.
Written by Eniola Olaniyi