A baby girl born with albinism was abandoned by her parents, She looked too weird for them and left her at an orphanage door
The modelling industry has been based on limited beauty standards that have excluded a lot of people for decades.
Models were supposed to have a specific appearance, and those who didn’t fit the mould were rarely given the opportunity.
As diversity campaigns gained traction, that started to change gradually. One of the most inspiring tales to come out of this development is that of Xueli Abbing, a young lady with albinism whose career has brought her from the periphery to the pages of Vogue.
Xueli’s story started off in a very sad way.
As a baby, she was left outside a Chinese orphanage.
She was born with albinism, a genetic disorder that stops the body from making pigment, which makes her skin and hair very pale and her eyes vulnerable to sunlight.
There are still negative stereotypes and superstitions surrounding albinism in several regions of the world, which frequently make life dangerous for people who have the illness.
Because of these prejudices and anxieties, Xueli’s birth parents believed they were unable to keep her.
She was given the name Xue Li by the orphanage personnel, which means “beautiful snow.”
In addition to reflecting her remarkably pale complexion and snowy hair, the name connected her to her Chinese ancestry.
She was taken in by a Dutch family when she was three years old.
Because it accurately reflected her daughter’s appearance and heritage, her adoptive mother decided to keep the name.
It was never Xueli’s intention to enter the modelling industry.
When she was eleven years old, a designer approached her and asked her to participate in a campaign that highlighted those with disabilities.
The campaign’s theme, Perfect Imperfections, struck a chord with many people.
Xueli was working on additional shoots shortly after her images gained popularity.
Then came her big break: in June 2019, one of her photos appeared in Vogue Italia.
She acknowledged that at first she didn’t realise the magazine was so prominent, but as her career progressed, she realised what a significant milestone it was.
Her eyesight is also affected by her disease.
Many individuals with albinism, like Xueli, have vision issues because melanin affects how the eyes develop.
However, she has not allowed that to define or confine her.
Rather, she claims it helps her focus in a different way.
In an interview, she said, “Perhaps because I can’t see everything clearly, I concentrate more on people’s voices and what they have to say.”
Inner beauty has always been more important to her than outward beauty.
Her platform expanded along with her modelling career.
Xueli started using her prominence to criticise the representation of individuals with albinism.
She claimed that they are far too frequently portrayed as supernatural creatures, angels, or ghosts rather than regular people.
Even when they appear innocuous, these stereotypes serve to perpetuate the notion that individuals with albinism are somehow distinct from the general population.
By stressing that her peculiarities are just one aspect of who she is, Xueli has resisted those narratives through her art and online voice.
She has transcended the runway with her advocacy.
She recently received recognition as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, which would allow her to carry out her work on a global scale.
The title is more than just a title to her.
“Although I am only one person,” she stated, “I can now use this title to raise more awareness.”
persons will start to see disabled persons as normal if they see more of them in the media.
She strives for that inclusive world vision with each picture session, interview, and public appearance.
From being abandoned outside an orphanage as a baby to advocating for change in the fashion industry and beyond, Xueli’s story demonstrates how courage and beauty can thrive despite stigma and rejection.
In addition to modelling, her tale is about questioning the norms that formerly governed the field and redefining visibility.
