Girl abandoned by parents at a very young age vowed to prove them wrong and became a Vogue model
Xueli Abbing, 16, from China, was born with albinism. She was abandoned by her biological parents at a very early age. She was left at the door of an orphanage and her birth parents never contacted or enquired about her well-being, according to Goalcast. Thousands of kids in China were abandoned by their biological parents owing to the country's one-child policy for more than three decades, including Xueli Abbing. She was born with albinism, a genetic disease that causes a lack or absence of the pigment melanin, resulting in pale skin, hair, and eyes. Even after having a hard childhood, she was adopted by a Dutch family at the age of three, reports Daily Mail.
Abbing relocated to the Netherlands to live with her adoptive mother and sister, Yara. She began modeling at the age of 11. She was approached by a Hong Kong designer to model for a photoshoot aimed at portraying many types of beauty. She talked to BBC, "She called the campaign ‘perfect imperfections’ and asked if I wanted to join her fashion show in Hong Kong. That was an amazing experience." She added, "After that, I was invited on a couple of photo shoots and one of them was for Brock Elbank at his studio in London. He published my portrait on Instagram. Zebedee Talent modeling agency got in touch and asked if I wanted to join them in their mission to get people with disabilities represented in the fashion industry." One of her pictures shot by Elbank was featured in Vogue Italia's June 2019 issue.
At first, Abbing did not realize that it was a really big deal. She told BBC, "At the time, I didn't know what an important magazine it was and it took me a while to realize why people got so excited about it." She goes on to say that being different is actually a blessing more than a curse for her in the modeling industry. She wants to use the platform to raise awareness about albinism. She emphasized how models with disabilities and albinism are stereotyped in the industry. She said, "Models with albinism often get stereotyped in shoots to depict angels or ghosts and it makes me sad." She feels this also "endangers" the lives of people in countries where this condition is not accepted and demonized.
Yara, her sister and social media manager told Daily Mail, "She works as a model in order to raise awareness around albinism and to show others that people with disabilities are 'normal' as well and can perfectly participate in society." Photoshoots are especially challenging for Abbing, who has just 8 to 10% eyesight and can't stare directly at flashes because it hurts her eyes. Nonetheless, she models because she enjoys being able to display a different type of beauty than what is generally seen. "I want to use modeling to talk about albinism and say it’s a genetic disorder, it’s not a curse,” added Abbing. "The way to talk about it is to say ‘a person with albinism’ because being ‘an albino’ sounds as if it defines who you are.” She goes ahead to say, "I want to change the world."
Abbing is an inspiration to several individuals with this genetic condition who face discrimination and dehumanization all around the world. There are still several myths and superstitions related to albinism that cause persecution of people with this condition in some parts of the world, according to the United Nations. Looking at the enthusiasm and dedication of youngsters like Abbing, it seems like there is a glimmer of hope for more peace and harmony in the world.