Insecurities in adolescence about problematic skin, crooked teeth, or excess weight can accompany us all our lives.
Stephanie Yashimura managed to turn what she was avoided for into something she is now proud of. Moreover, she began to earn money on it.
At the age of 14, she noticed a white spot near her eye, which alerted her.
Turning to the doctor, she learned that her dark skin would change. And one spot was just the beginning. This phenomenon has a name – vitiligo.
This chronic condition, caused by the absence of skin pigment cells (melanocytes), is extremely rare, by the way. It occurs in less than 2% of the population.
At first, Stephanie was very insecure and put on things that hide the skin areas on which the hated spots began to spread.
After six years, 80% of her skin had lost pigment.
The unwillingness to put up with such an outcome of events prompted the young girl to take extreme measures: to whiten areas of swarthy skin. The procedure was successful, but the girl realized that she was losing part of her personality.
At some point, she decided to come to terms with this feature, and in 2020, by a lucky chance, she was spotted by a makeup artist. The girl was afraid, but still decided to take a photo shoot.
The pictures were accepted by the public with a bang, which gave Stephanie confidence and encouraged her to even consider herself as a model.
Later, she started her blog on Instagram, the purpose of which is to help others to accept themselves.
“I hope my example will help people accept themselves and be happy here and now,” the girl writes.
