Ruby Vizcarra, 24, is an albino model from Guadalajara, Mexico. Throughout her life, Vizcarra got bullied for her pale skin and silverlike hair. No one explained to her why she looked different from all the rest, or why she should embrace those differences.
Her mother just told Vizcarra the name of her disease. She never educated her about albinism or the special needs that come with having it, such as avoiding the sun.
Ruby says mean kids frequently called her a ‘ghost’ or ‘weird.’ The bullying got to a certain point where, because she felt terrible about herself, she began dying her hair and covering her skin with makeup.
Written in Spanish on a recent Facebook post, Vizcarra says, “I was always wondering, why was I born so white? Why did I have to close my eyes in the sun and look away? Why were there people watching me all the time?
“All that led me not to want to get out of my house, to hate the places where there were many people. I was completely physically neglected to such a degree that I cried to see myself in the mirror.”
As an adult, with the help of the internet, she finally educated herself about the condition and learned to take better care of her skin. She also learned that people in Guadalajara are not the only ones who have negative things to say about albinos.
She decided to take up modeling and make it her life’s mission to pose for gorgeous photos to show people that albinos are “beautiful,” and not “weird.” “I still had a lot of fear and insecurities when I approached a modeling agency,” Ruby shared during a Yahoo interview. “I used to think, ‘what if they reject me?'”
They didn’t reject her, but ultimately, Vizcarra did not feel the agency who took her in was the right fit. She branched out and began to model in artistic shoots flaunting her differences, centered on displaying the beauty of albinos.
All the pictures have an ethereal feeling to them – like windows into a fantasy world. Ruby also launched an organization called ‘Movimiento Albino Latino,’ whose sole purpose is to support albinos at home and educate others.
“It has been a very long road, but I am finally proud of who I am, and through my modeling platform, I have reached others who are like me,” Vizcarra said. “Being different is a blessing.”
This article was inspired by DAILY MAIL // ‘Being different is a blessing’: Albino Mexican model challenges beauty standards by embracing her pale skin and silver hair in a series of stunning photos.