Vitiligo advocates and champions

Last Updated on 9th September 2025 by Caroline Haye

The era of the vitiligo ambassador

When I was growing up with vitiligo back in the 1960s and ‘70s an ambassador was a top diplomat, a champion was the winner of a sporting event and an advocate was a type of lawyer. All three definitions still hold true, of course. But the terms have a much broader meaning in today’s world of celebrities, media personalities and global influencers. They now extend to prominent individuals who choose to speak out for the interests of under-represented groups and good causes of every kind imaginable… Although, honestly, I could never have imagined, in my low-tech youth, that vitiligo advocates and champions would ever be a concept, never mind the powerful reality that it is today.

Is vitiligo advocacy a new concept?

Vitiligo advocacy, as we know it today, only began to emerge after the death of Michael Jackson in 2009. Public interest surrounding mysterious changes in the King of Pop’s skin colour (and other health issues) in his latter years was one factor. And, crucially, this coincided with the rapid growth of social media, which gave virtually every individual and organisation on the planet a platform, enabling interest groups of all sorts to connect people with each other like never before.

Prior to these events the only people to champion the vitiligo cause were a handful of small, struggling charities worldwide and a meager number of medical professionals with a specialist interest in pigmentary diseases… A niche specialisation that would have been about as obscure and under-funded as you could get. And, whilst they may or may not have been influential in their own professional arena, they would have been unknown in the world at large.

To influence wider popular and establishment opinion in that pre-digital age you had to shout very loudly to make your voice heard. Standing on a soap box, handing out pamphlets, writing letters to newspapers and lobbying parliament would have been your only options, unless you were lucky enough to land yourself a slot on the radio or TV. And how likely was that at a time when no one seemed to be aware that vitiligo even existed? After all, no one talked about vitiligo back then. Sadly, those who had it hid it and were unaware that approximately one in every hundred people also shared the condition.

Why we need vitiligo champions

Not everyone with vitiligo will necessarily feel that advocacy is important. But the fact is that millions of adults and children feel isolated, stigmatised and misunderstood because of their skin condition. Added to this, the majority of the population, if asked, still could not tell you what vitiligo is. Not to mention the fact that countless numbers of vitiligo patients feel that even their doctors don’t take their condition seriously enough. So how will this state of affairs ever change?

In most cases nothing in society ever changes until someone highlights the need for change. It’s a fact of life that it takes movers and shakers to get things done. The only difference now is that, instead of door-knocking with petitions and collection boxes, waving placards or writing to your local MP (all still perfectly valid, in my opinion), today literally anyone can spread the word using technology. And many of us do so – in our own small way.

We use blogs, forums and social media to share our individual vitiligo stories. And we do what we can in our own communities to inform people about vitiligo. But changing attitudes, perceptions and policies in a big way requires the help of champions who can reach a wider audience, as well as advocate with the establishment on our behalf. Which is where celebrities come in. And not just celebrities, but a host of unsung heroes too…

Celebrity vitiligo ambassadors and unsung heroes

Celebs and influencers

Globally recognised vitiligo ambassadors include Canadian fashion model Winnie Harlow and American news broadcaster and author of Turning White, Lee Thomas. Both have widespread vitiligo and have reached the top of their respective professions, enabling them to raise awareness of the condition all the more effectively because of their celebrity.

Other well known vitiligans who actively use their talents and prominence to advocate and educate on the subject include British-Asian diversity campaigner Joti Gata-Aura, London based model and actor Kirpal Bhogal (aka Kirps), as well as fellow Londoners, children’s author Shankar Jalota and model Jasmin Toseafa.

Unsung heroes

There are many more prominent and influential personalities than those I have mentioned. (A google search may surprise you with just how many there are.) But thousands more individuals are busy every day putting vitiligo in the spotlight in their various roles. Gurdeep Romanay and Natalie Ambersley, for example, may not be household names. But they are among the dedicated members of the Vitiligo Society’s staff, and passionate advocates for the vitiligo community. In common with other staff, volunteers and trustees of the society, past and present, they are highly active ambassadors on their own social media and in the community, both in and outside of the work they do for the society.

Child ambassadors

And the next generation of vitiligo ambassadors are making their voices heard too, as the children in this Vitlife article demonstrate so well. Thanks to young people like these, there is no reason why any child anywhere in the world should have to grow up feeling as isolated and insecure as my generation did.

Scientist advocates

Influential and enthusiastic vitiligo advocates can also be found within the medical world. A prime example is founding director of the US based Vitiligo Clinic and Research Center Dr John Harris, whose mission to improve the treatment and quality of life for vitiligo sufferers is clear to all who know of his work. Similarly, Prof. Viktoria Eleftheriadou, Dr. Linda Papadopoulos and Professor David Gawkrodger in the UK all contribute their time and expertise to the Medical and Scientific Advisory Panel of the Vitiligo Society.

The influence and advocacy of medical professionals like these is important because it will no doubt take a lot more funding and research before safe and effective vitiligo treatments become widely available. And it will take more specialist information and education within our mainstream health services before vitiligo patients receive the quality of care they deserve. And who better to help bring this about than individuals who are respected experts and leaders in their field?

What we can all do to advocate

The individuals I have named in this blog are just some of the vitiligo heroes who devote their time, talents, energy and passion to advocate for vitiligo. There are many more I could have mentioned and their contribution is no less valuable. In fact, everyone who speaks out for people with vitiligo plays a vital part in bringing about positive changes in public awareness and the care and support of everyone with vitiligo. We can’t all be globally iconic social media influencers or famous models. We can’t all write books, develop drugs or found charities. But we can all do something to help change perceptions and improve life for everyone living with vitiligo.

It might be something as simple as simply and patiently explaining to someone who stares at your white patches what vitiligo is. Or it might be fundraising for one of the vitiligo charities or providing friendship and exchanging experiences with others in a vitiligo group or forum. These contributions may feel insignificant compared to some of the high profile activities I have mentioned. They won’t grab any headlines. But they are all acts of a vitiligo champion. They have the added value of being personal, unique and spontaneous. And they could make a world of difference to whoever is on the receiving end.