Woman With Vitiligo Beats Her Bullies

#1 Tanesha Brown

Stunning Tanesha Brown, from LA, endured years of taunts because of her vitiligo which causes white patches all over her body. She was called names growing up by other children and even some adults. Her nickname in the neighborhood was 'The Dalmation". Losing all of her skin color, she isn't letting the haters keep her from enjoying her life.

#2 She Embraced Her Condition

Ever since Tanesha embraced her unique skin coloring, she has become less insecure about herself and says that people find her more interesting than before, especially men. She says, "Men can be really weird with me. I get guys asking to lick me and bite me and I even get marriage proposals, which is bizarre."

#3 Low Self Esteem Prompted Her To Use Makeup

Tanesha, 32, suffered from low self-esteem and would cake her face in thick make-up after years of cruel remarks. That paid off, as she is now a make-up artist for many famous celebrities and works for several television series doing makeup for the actors. She also posts videos and photos of her techniques on YouTube and Instagram.

#4 Her Pigmentation Changed Over The Years

The mother of twin 12-year-old boys, Tanesha recalls every bad thing ever said to her growing up. 'I've had vitiligo since I was five years old so I didn't know that I looked different until I got to middle school. People made me realise I looked different." That is when her skin pigmentation really began to change drastically. She says she is happy her sons do not have the disorder which causes the skin to lose pigmentation and change colors.

#5 Makeup Was Used To Hide Her Looks

'I would never stare people in their face and I spent a lot of time applying makeup and hiding behind the face I created," she said. Even as a young girl she began to notice that her skin was different than her siblings, but it was not until she had her two children at age 20 that she began to embrace her appearance fully and become who she is today.

#6 The Vitiligo Queen

She uses her social media accounts to inspire other women and goes by the name Vitiligo Queen. She says, "It's important to embrace our uniqueness and accept ourselves completely because that's who we are." The former police officer became a makeup artist because she was spending so much time exploring the best products, but now she also helps others with their techniques and provides makeovers for cancer patients. She volunteers for The American Cancer Society and goes to clinics and hospitals to show chemo patients how to use makeup and scarves properly while they undergo treatments.

#7 Showcasing Her Journey As She Loses Color

She has amassed a huge following on Instagram, which she set up to show makeup techniques. However, after getting so much response to her positive attitude and her different looks, she changed her page to show how she deals with her vitiligo. She says that she has come to terms with the fact that she is going to lose all of her coloring and is letting people follow her through that journey with her.

#8 Keeping A Positive Outlook

She admits that she still gets some unwanted attention as well, and some of the comments on her posts can be hurtful. She was recently called a zebra by one follower, but she doesn't let that get her down. 'This is the most fun I've had in my life, I'm so lucky that what others thought was a curse is such a blessing to me now," she says. "And I'm really happy to be who I am right now and nobody is going to make me feel bad again." She recently did a professional photo shoot featuring her makeup and the artwork of several friends.

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