Winnie Harlow (Chantelle Brown-Young) is making a name for herself as one of the top models to watch in the fashion industry. After competing on Cycle 21 of America’s Next Top Model with vitiligo, a skin condition that causes loss of color in blotches, the 21 year-old Canadian beauty booked several campaigns and appears on the cover of the September issue of Ebony alongside other Black models.
With popularity comes more visibility, and Harlow is gaining loads fans across race by the millisecond. In what some are calling a tribute to Harlow and her skin condition, White women are applying makeup to their faces to look more like the 21-year-old model and critics are accusing them of blackface!
Any other time, copying someone’s skin condition or disease would be seen as insensitive or offensive, but Harlow has a different perspective on things.
She released a statement on her Instagram questioning complaints on White fans copying her skin condition, and her general thoughts on Black appropriation writing, “Why do we have to make it a hate crime?”
Of course, Harlow’s unpopular approach didn’t sit well with many. She had a message for her detractors as well.
What do you think about White women copying Harlow’s skin condition and her general statements on Black appropriation? Sound off!
Image Courtesy of Desigual