An albino woman from Mexico who grew up being teased and bullied for her incredibly light skin and hair has finally learned to embrace her beauty — and has made it her mission to get others to see it, too.
Ruby Vizcarra had a rough time with the way she looked while growing up in Guadalajara, Mexico. The kids at school didn’t understand her condition — and really, she didn’t know a whole lot about it either.
But now she has made herself the local poster child for albinism, and that poster is a pretty glamorous one. Profiled by Yahoo, the 24-year-old is pursuing a career as a model, and is showing off rather than covering up what makes her different.
Pale: Ruby Vizcarra, 24, was born with albinism, meaning she has little or no melanin resulting in pale skin and hair
Ignorant: As a child, she was bullied and teased a lot by her peers
Hiding: She felt bad about herself, and would dye her hair and cover her skin in makeup
Now she is embracing her natural looks and pursing a career in modeling
Ruby always knew that she had albinism. Her mother gave her the name of it, and one of her sisters had it as well. So did a grandma, and a deceased aunt.
But that was where her information ended. It wasn’t explained to her why she looked different, or that those differences were OK.
She wasn’t educated about the special medical needs that come with her condition. Ruby didn’t know that her skin was devoid of melanin, and that meant the sun could be quite dangerous for her. She wasn’t aware that she should avoid it, and at the very least slather on sunscreen. She got burned a lot.
She also didn’t have a way to cope with school bullies who called her ‘ghost’ and ‘weird’.
‘Some years ago, they saw me as a freak, and now I understand why… I saw myself as a freak, I didn’t know what the albinism was,’ she wrote in Spanish a recent Facebook post. ‘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 people watching me all the time?
She has made it her mission to pose for gorgeous photos to show people albinos are beautiful
She wants other albinos to feel comfortable in their own skin, too
She didn’t no much about her condition growing up and often went out without sunscreen
As an adult, she researched her condition and knows much more about it
Teasing she faced as a child pushed her into action as an adult
Family history: Her sister, grandmother, and an aunt were also albino
‘All that led me to not 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 she grew older, she piled on makeup and dyed her hair other colors to mask her differences.
Her mother’s attempts to get bullies to leave her alone backfired. Once when she was young, another girl asked Ruby why her skin was so white. Ruby’s mom told the girl that it was because she was ‘very sick’ and it was contagious. The girl ran away, and Ruby said it made her cry.
But the moment also pushed her to do something.
As an adult, she finally educated herself about her condition, learning how to take better care of herself. But going online also introduced her to the fact that her classmates aren’t the only people who have something negative to say about albinos.
Ruby signed with a modeling agency but the fit was not right, so she branched out on her own
Her focus is showing the beauty of albino women and flaunting her skin and differences
Photos often prominently feature her silvery eyelashes without mascara
She launched an organization called Movimiento Albino Latino to support albinos at home and educate others
She said people have sent her messages saying she inspired them to embrace their natural beauty
Ruby decided to take on a career in modeling to show people that albinos are beautiful, not ‘weird’.
‘I still had a lot of fear and insecurities when I approached a modeling agency,’ she told Yahoo. ‘”What if they reject me?” I used to think.’
They didn’t reject her — but while they welcomed her in, she ultimately didn’t feel like it was the right fit. Now she is branching out on her own, and has even launched an organization called Movimiento Albino Latino to support albinos at home and educate others.
‘It 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,’ she said. ‘Being different is a blessing.’
She has inspired others to see it that way, too.
‘Even when I decided to stop dyeing my hair other colors and [now] simply embrace my natural silver, I received messages from women who said I inspired them to embrace their natural beauty too,’ she said. ‘Hearing that I am helping others is the most rewarding feeling in the world.’
Photos courtesy of Salem McBunny Photography, Rebecca Saray, Damián Serrano, and Anton Rebull.