Bullies Called Me A Cow - Now I'm A Model | SHAKE MY BEAUTY

A young model is being celebrated for her beauty after embracing her skin condition. Deborah Moreno, 22, from Rotterdam in the Netherlands, has vitiligo, a disease that causes patches of skin to lose their colour when the pigment-producing cells die or cease functioning. Her vitiligo first showed around her eye when she was five, but accelerated when she was 11, spreading over her arms, legs and face. Growing up Deborah was on the receiving end of cruel taunts from bullies. She said: “Kids called me bad names like zebra, cow, or monster and that really hurt me at that time because I was insecure about myself. I'm a shy person so every time it was like someone stabbed me in the heart. I was so sad and angry all the time." Growing tired of hiding away because of her skin insecurities, age 15 Deborah wore a sleeveless top to a party – and was showered with compliments. She said: “It really brought a smile to my face. It was the best feeling I ever felt in my life.” At college her unique look caught the attention of a photographer, who asked if she would pose for him. The pictures garnered a huge number of positive reactions and convinced Deborah to pursue modelling full-time. She is now signed up with a modelling agency and travels around the world hoping to inspire other people with the same skin condition. She said: "I'm really happy that I got into modelling at this time, a few years back there wasn't any diversity, a model had to be tall with a tiny waist. Now if I had a choice to cure my skin condition, I wouldn't do it - it's part of me.”