Growing up with your parents around during childhood provides a sense of safety.
However, being forced to grow up without them or knowing you were abandoned can sometimes lead to feelings of resentment toward them.
Xueli Abbing, a 16-year-old born in China, experienced this firsthand when she was abandoned at birth. She was left at the door of an orphanage, and the identity of her parents remains completely unknown.
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The orphanage staff gave her the name Xueli, where “Xue” means snow and “Li” means beautiful, reflecting the fact that she was born with albinism.
Albinism is a genetic condition that reduces melanin, resulting in pale skin, hair, and eyes.
Xueli was adopted by a family in the Netherlands who provided her with a loving home. At the age of 11, she was approached by a designer in Hong Kong to model for a campaign that celebrated diverse types of beauty.
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“She called the campaign ‘perfect imperfections’ and asked if I wanted to join her fashion show in Hong Kong,” Xueli shared in an interview with the BBC. “That was an amazing experience,” she added.
Around the world, people with albinism often face discrimination, and in some regions, they are even “hunted” due to the false belief that their bones have medicinal properties. Reflecting on this, Xueli once remarked, “I’m lucky I was only abandoned.”
Even within the fashion industry, models with albinism are sometimes used as props to depict angels or ghosts. About this, Xueli said, “It makes me sad.”