Fortunately, she had the chance to work with a London photographer who treated her like any other model, resulting in a stunning photoshoot. One of the photos was even featured in Vogue Italia in its June 2019 issue.
“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 recalled.
Modeling also brings its challenges for Xueli. With only 8 to 10% vision, looking directly at camera flashes can be painful. Despite this, she continues to model to represent people like her who do not fit conventional beauty standards.
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“There are still models who are like eight foot two and skinny but now people with disabilities or differences are featured more in the media and this is great – but it should be normal,” she said in the interview.
“Maybe because I cannot see everything properly, I focus more on people’s voices and what they have to say,” she explained. “So their inner beauty is more important to me,” she added.
Xueli hopes to make a difference by raising awareness about albinism. “I want to use modeling to talk about albinism and say it’s a genetic disorder, it’s not a curse,” she said. “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.”
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She’s determined to create change. “I’m not going to accept that children are being murdered because of their albinism. I want to change the world,” she declared.
We wish Xueli Abbing great success in her journey and believe she will continue to inspire and educate people around the globe.
Share her story with your friends and family to help spread her message.
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