Monday, February 20, 2017
BHM Day 20: Winnie Harlow
I have been a fan of America’s Next Top Model from the start. Ok, maybe I missed cycle 1, but I definitely went back and rewatched during a VH1 marathon. Tyra picked aspiring models and molded them in her likeness. She showed them how to smize and other tricks that made Tyra a household name. I can’t really think of any winner from ANTM who actually became a top model, but they got money so they should shut their pretty faces up and keep it pushing, OKAY?!
I remember seeing this girl on a cycle a few years back named Chantelle. She wasn’t warm and fuzzy and took bomb photos, so naturally I adored her. What made her stand out was her skin. She has vitiligo, an autoimmune disease that causes the body to destroy its own melanocytes (the cells responsible for producing pigment in skin), which results in patches of white skin. I actually knew all of that on my own and didn’t have to Google anything. I think people forget that I’m like REALLY smart. Anyway, Tyra was fascinated by the symmetry of her depigmentation and recruited her via Instagram. See, doing the most of the Gram might get you discovered. Well that, or it might make you look like a sad thirst trap, but I’m sure none of my readers fall into that category. Chantelle fell shy of the finals and was given the boot for being icy and standoffish. (she's just like me!)
A couple years later and I see the winner of that cycle doing some random modeling jobs, but I am seeing Chantelle (err, now she’s going by Winnie Harlow) everywhere! She recently just closed out both Coach and Julien Macdonald’s fashion shows. It’s great to have the fashion world love you, but do you know what’s better than that? Having Beyonce say “Hey baby girl, you wanna be in my top secret movie, Lemonade? Ok, meet me in NOLA, it’s going DOWN, sis!” (Ok, I don’t know if that’s how the conversation went down, but I’m going to assume it until proven otherwise.)
Modeling contracts and Beyonce videos are dope and what any model would aspire to achieve. Winnie has helped changed the face of beauty in the sometimes stagnant fashion world. She’s forcing people to see not only her beauty, but the beauty of others. Her impact can be seen in the current GapKids campaign, which features April Star, a young girl with vitiligo. Because of Winnie’s efforts, April has a legitimate chance of being a working model. Winnie has given so many young people who have been told they are ugly hope, and that is a huge impact. WHitney taught us that the children are our future! Today I celebrate her beauty as well as her commitment to changing the face of beauty.
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