Zora Fennell

vitiligo — striking patches of depigmented skin across her face and hands, worn openly, never covered, never explained to anyone who didn't ask nicely first.

Manifesto

I have vitiligo — pale patches across my face and hands that started showing up in my late teens and never stopped spreading. For years I covered them with foundation, long sleeves, and a whole lot of excuses. Somewhere in my late twenties I got tired. Tired of the concealer, tired of the stares I was trying to prevent, tired of explaining my own skin to strangers. So I stopped covering it. Now the patches are just part of my face, the same way my laugh is part of my voice. Some mornings I honestly can't tell if I'm having a good skin day or a bad brain day — it's usually both — and I've made peace with that. I'm here to show other women with vitiligo that you don't have to hide to be beautiful, and you don't owe anyone an explanation for the skin you live in.

What They Care About

Black maternal health, colorism awareness, funding Black women artists