A couple from China had a girl with albinism. When they decided that she was too ugly, they left her in an orphanage.
However, the baby’s fate took a completely different turn. She became a radiant model, even though her appearance is characterized by a single color.
Xueli Abbing lives in the Netherlands. She is a girl born with congenital albinism – a hereditary condition that manifests in the complete absence of melanin, the color pigment.
Her biological parents left no information about her, so she still doesn’t know when her birthday is.
According to her, in 2019, she had a hand X-ray to at least estimate her approximate age. At that time, doctors believed she was 15 years old.
Xueli says, “After my birth, the Chinese authorities introduced the one-child policy per mother.
My presence worsened my situation. That’s why children like me were simply abandoned, confined, or their hair was dyed black.”
When the baby was about 3 years old, luck came her way. She was adopted by a European family from the Netherlands.
At the age of 11, she tried her hand at modeling for the first time. And this opportunity came to her quite unexpectedly.
Xueli’s biological mother contacted a Hong Kong fashion designer who launched a campaign called “Perfect Flaws.” It was the fashion show that kickstarted her career.
Now she has become a successful young woman and already appeared in the pages of the Italian magazine Vogue in 2019.
Now, the girl enjoys her work. She is also confident that she is changing the world for the better by shattering stereotypes about people with similar traits to hers.
However, even in the world of modeling, where her extraordinary appearance is an asset, Xueli faces various challenges.
She admitted that people with albinism are often forced to pretend to be angels or spirits.
“To look different from everyone else in the modeling business is a blessing, not a curse.
This gave me a foundation to raise awareness about albinism.
Tall and thin models were, are, and will always be part of the modeling industry. But the situation has changed somewhat.
People with physical characteristics are appearing more frequently in the media, and that’s simply wonderful, because in reality, that’s completely normal,” says the young model.
