For decades, the modeling business has promoted unrealistic beauty standards. Fortunately, in recent years, there has been a tremendous surge in activities to combat such stereotypes. Thus, we present the case of Xueli Abbing, an albino model whose beauty was acknowledged by Vogue.
Xueli was abandoned outside an orphanage.
Xueli Abbing was born with albinism, a disorder that causes a lack of pigment, leaving her exceedingly pale and sensitive to sunlight. Superstitions surrounding this hereditary illness remain prevalent in some areas of the world, posing a major hazard to those who suffer from them. Because of this, Xueli’s parents abandoned her.
Her name reflects her appearance.
Her biological parents did not leave any information about her, thus she does not even know when her birthday is. Because of her pale complexion and white hair, the orphanage workers called her Xue Li, which translates to “beautiful snow.” At the age of three, Xueli was adopted by a family from the Netherlands. Her mother was pleased that Xueli’s name accurately matched her appearance while also representing her Chinese heritage.
At the beginning, Xueli wasn’t aware of her success.
At the age of 11, Xueli contacted a designer who was interested in creating a campaign for persons with impairments. The campaign, Perfect Imperfections, introduced a stunning albino child to the modeling world. She went on to do many picture assignments, one of which was included in Vogue Italia’s June 2019 edition. Xueli admits that she first underestimated the magazine’s value.
She found the silver lining in her lack of sight.
People with albinism frequently have impaired eyesight because melanin helps to grow cells at the rear of the eye. However, Xueli refused to let it destroy her spirit. “Maybe because I cannot see everything properly, I focus more on people’s voices and what they have to say,” she told me. “So their inner beauty is more important to me.”
Xueli wishes to convey the word and fight against prejudice.
Xueli utilized her social media influence to raise awareness of albinism. As she stated, they are frequently portrayed as ghosts or angels rather as real humans, which makes her unhappy. Xueli is adamant that her peculiarities do not define her, and she intends to show it to the world.
Today, Xueli is an UNESCO Ambassador.
Xueli just become a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. Her objective is to challenge established beauty standards and break down boundaries in the modeling profession. “I am simply one individual. With the designation of Goodwill Ambassador, I can use it to spread awareness. persons will come to see disability as normal if they see more handicapped persons in the media,” she added.