Elisabeth Van Aalderen, a photographer, first noticed a few small white spots on her skin when she was 25. Those spots grew into one larger white spot, which turned out to be vitiligo. It now covers 60 percent of the photographer's skin.
"When I was told I had acne, I started using creams, lightening therapy, a gluten-free diet, a vegetarian diet, staying out of the sun, spending a lot of time in the sun, and doing yoga. "I tried everything you can think of," Elizabeth told Bored Panda. However, when she realized that none of the treatments were working, she stopped trying them and came to terms with her condition. But the photographer said, "I couldn't change the fact that I have vitiligo, so I began to accept it."
Elizabeth has been taking pictures of other women with the same condition for a while. The series is called Shades of Pale. She says the idea came to her when a girl told her that her skin looked like a "unique tattoo." "In my regular job as a photographer, many people asked me about my skin. This made me think, "Why not use my photography skills and skin condition?" said the photographer. She thinks photography is a great way to record and celebrate a body with vitiligo. Elizabeth says, "It is a tribute to its beauty and uniqueness."
"Vitiligo affects about 60 million people worldwide, but many don't know what it is. I also want to tell the story of strong women who are proud of their beauty, which makes them different from other women," Elizabeth said. "I want to show women who are proud of their appearance. I don't want vitiligo to be seen as "out of the ordinary." There is no box when it comes to beauty. There needs to be room for all kinds of beauty. "Beauty can be anything you want it to be."
Elisabeth has taken pictures of women of all shapes and sizes from all over the world. She says that the experience has been very therapeutic for them and a way for them to express themselves creatively. "Nearly 90% of them had never been on camera. They did a lot more things that were hard for them. "It's great that the photo shoot helped them feel better about themselves," says the photographer. "For many of the women I've played, it was a way to heal and accept themselves. It's great that there are so many people on social media and that I can connect with all these wonderful people because of it. It has been a great experience for the people I played with and me."
You can see Elisabeth's sensual photos of women with vitiligo in the gallery below.
More Info & Images Credit - elisabethva.com / Instagram
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