Model won't let vitiligo get in the way of her dreams
MALAYSIANSKINI | Freelance model Sonya Danita Charles is someone who deserves so much more than just being celebrated on one particular day of the year, that is World Vitiligo Day, which is celebrated on June 25.
Just log on to her website and not only will you get to see her extensive modelling portfolio but also conversations on self-acceptance, being body positive, celebrating beauty in diversity and much more.
And she’s done all of this despite being diagnosed at the tender age of eight with vitiligo, a condition where pale white skin patches appear on the skin. It is caused by a...
MALAYSIANSKINI | Freelance model Sonya Danita Charles is someone who deserves so much more than just being celebrated on one particular day of the year, that is World Vitiligo Day, which is celebrated on June 25.
Just log on to her website and not only will you get to see her extensive modelling portfolio but also conversations on self-acceptance, being body positive, celebrating beauty in diversity and much more.
And she’s done all of this despite being diagnosed at the tender age of eight with vitiligo, a condition where pale white skin patches appear on the skin. It is caused by a lack of melanin, which is the pigment that gives the skin its natural colour.
“Honestly, we did not know that I had vitiligo at that age. The doctors we saw told us it was just sun spots.
"Only when it started spreading that we sought a second opinion and the doctor told us that it was vitiligo and explained to us what it was. It continued to spread and started spreading prominently when I was about 12 or 13.
“I had different reactions to the treatments I was trying so my skin changed a lot in five years,” shared the 29-year-old, who is the only one in her family with vitiligo.
As with many people who have this condition, Sonya tried various treatments.
“I tried conventional and traditional treatments. I went for this treatment called light therapy where they use UV rays to pigment your skin. I tried ayurvedic medicine for which I was required to be a vegetarian for two years.”
She was told that the food she had been consuming was a contributing factor to her skin condition, but she soon found out that that was not the case.
“All it did was make me miserable, having to be a vegetarian for two years,” she laughed.
She also saw a doctor who was giving her steroid injections without her knowledge. Although her skin started to re-pigment significantly, they stopped the treatments, and her skin went back to what it was.
After a while, she just lets vitiligo take its course.
Modelling career
Modelling was something Sonya only took up in 2018 and she has been featured on the covers of magazines and at fashion shows such as KL Fashion Week.
“It was something I always wanted to do. I studied fashion and I was always interested in fashion and modelling. Obviously, I don’t look like the conventional models out there.
"Then, one day I decided to try it, take this leap of faith and see how it goes. From there, I got different projects and worked with different people and campaigns. I used that as a platform to educate people on what vitiligo is and how they can be kinder towards people who look different physically," shared Sonya, who also does marketing and content writing.
It was her way of telling people to treat each other the same regardless of their skin colour, their sizes and anything else that may set them apart.
Sonya attributed her inspiration to internationally renowned Canadian fashion model Winnie Harlow, who also has vitiligo and is a public spokesperson on skin conditions.
“I think Harlow pushed boundaries and educated the world on what vitiligo is. Although not many Malaysians know who she is, I find her very inspirational and she is one of the public figures that I look up to,” Sonya said.
Taking a page from Harlow's book, Sonya hopes to make a difference here when it comes to educating the public.
Perception of beauty
The perception of beauty changes all the time. However, these days, diversity is embraced. It is okay to look “different”, and your skin colour is something you should embrace proudly.
Sonya said there are so many people trying to overcome the stigma associated with dark skin colour and the overall perception of how beauty should be defined.
“When people approach you or comment on social media about you wrongly, you must correct them,” she believed.
However, some are stuck in a particular mindset, believing that beauty can only be defined in a particular way.
“This is particularly with the older generation. The younger generation is exposed to social media and current events. They see all kinds of people on social media advocating for skin positivity and body positivity,” she said.
When the writer shared a story about a brilliant dessert chef with a skin condition who refused to be photographed as he was worried patrons would think he was shedding skin onto the food he prepared, Sonya said that could not be further from the truth.
“People have crazy ideas and assumptions about things they think they know.”
She recalled a recent incident when she was dining at a restaurant and one of the people from the group sitting next to her table came up to her.
“He came up to me and asked, 'I hope you don’t mind me asking about what happened to your skin. Are you an acid burn victim?'”
Perplexed, Sonya’s response was simply, “What?”
She had to tell him that she was not an acid-burn victim and that even if she was, it was ignorant of him to come up and ask a question like that.
“I proceeded to educate him on vitiligo. Then he asked another baffling question - ‘I don't understand why God chose you’.”
The clueless man continued asking her more uncomfortable questions, such as if others in her family have the condition.
Going back to the story about the dessert chef, Sonya said the chef probably had to put up with many annoying questions and hence preferred to stay out of the limelight.
“When I was younger it affected me more because I was trying to come to terms with how my skin looked and my insecurities. Nowadays, when I get questions like this, I use the opportunity to tell these people off, in a nice way, of course.
“I understand curiosity is a normal thing, but I believe you should structure your curiosity in such a way that it should not offend a person,” Sonya said.
Being herself
People are insecure with the tiniest blemishes, but Sonya is a confident young woman. However, she wasn't always that way. It was when she went to Los Angeles, California, to study Fashion and Business Marketing that she became more confident.
“I used the opportunity to rebuild myself and rebuild my confidence. When I was there, not a single person came up to me and asked if I was an acid-burn victim or if I had an infectious disease. Nobody has asked me that, but in Malaysia, I always get asked questions like that.
“People were so much kinder to me over there,” Sonya observed.
In the US, she said, she was often told to ignore what people think about her and to just be herself.
“You only get this one lifetime to live your life. If you are going to live according to other people’s beliefs and assumptions, that will only sink your goals. It will keep you from doing what makes you happy and living your best life.”
As apprehensive as she was about returning to Malaysia, she decided to take 10 steps forward instead and love herself.
“People are entitled to their opinions, but I have to love myself. I can walk out of my house without make-up, I can wear shorts. I don’t care if people are looking at me from head to toe. I feel good and that is all that matters. I don’t care if I look like an eyesore to you. That is your problem, you deal with it,” Sonya said.
“I feel I should not limit myself or limit my potential for the sake of other people’s convenience.”
So, what’s next for this woman who just exudes self-confidence and positivity?
“I would like to have my own talk show one day. I look up to people like Oprah Winfrey. I always felt that if you have the platform to share other people’s stories, a platform to educate, you might as well use it positively.
“I am using my website as a platform to show all the different people in Malaysia who have vitiligo,” said Sonya, who shared their stories, struggles and the amazing things they are doing with their lives on her website.
“It is to show people you are so much more than your appearance. Only you can limit what you can do. If you feel you are incapable or insufficient, you are always going to feel that way.
"If you are going to feel good about yourself and dive into things, there is so much change that people are capable of making. My goal is to help people reach their fullest potential, to learn to love themselves. Life is more than what the media tells you or a stranger who has been mean to you or a bad breakup.
“There is so much life for us to live. There is so much for us to experience, there is so much knowledge for us to learn. There are so many people who inspire us in so many different ways. These are crucial life lessons that will help you progress and grow as an individual,” she concluded.
Malaysianskini is a series on Malaysians you should know.
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