A BRIGHT FUTURE
11-year-old Ava hopes to inspire others to look beyond their differences
Don’t tell Ava Bright she can’t change the world. She’s already doing it.
The 11-year-old daughter of Julie Brown and Joe Bright of London, Ont., has embraced her own difference — vitiligo, a condition in which the skin’s pigment disappears and leaves large patches of white skin — and is hoping the rest of the world will, too.
Ava has become a model to do her part to inspire other people to embrace their differences and convince the rest of the world to look beyond those differences and see the person.
“I hope one day to show other kids with vitiligo they should love who they are, including their skin,” she said.
That quest began in May when Ava’s mother came across a social media post from Changing the Face of Beauty, a non-profit group “committed to equal representation of people with disabilities in advertising and media,” according to its website.
The ad was a call for models for Matilda Jane Clothing, an online store that sells clothing and household items, such as blankets, crib and bed skirts, bath mats, towels, doll clothing sets and sleeping bags (matildajaneclothing.com). “I called the company directly and they called me back within an hour and they wanted Ava to be part of their back-to-school promotion,” Brown said. Mother and daughter spent three days in New York the first week of June, including a photo shoot at Rockefeller State Park Preserve in Mount Pleasant, N.Y. Vitiligo is the same condition pop superstar Michael Jackson had, leading to rumours he was bleaching his skin, which Jackson denied, although he admitted using makeup to hide the white patches.
There is no cure for the condition, but there are treatments, including corticosteroid creams, light therapy and skin grafting that can be effective for small areas of skin.
That is not an option for Ava, Brown said.
“There are parents who spend the money on those, but from the beginning, we took the stand to raise her to be proud of who she is and to not want to change or fix her skin because there’s nothing to fix,” Brown said.
“I think people have every right to change their skin,” added Ava. “But you need to love who you are first.”
The modelling industry has been changing in recent years, said Anita Norris, who founded Anita Norris Models, now based in Toronto. She manages Ava, one of the new models that her operation is focused on developing.
“I think the industry has changed and wants to be portrayed as diverse and make it look real,” said Norris, noting the industry now includes plus-sized women and people with disabilities.
“I think people (consumers) are bored of seeing perfect bodies and perfect faces. For them, it has to be relatable. Today, the more interesting and different you are, the better.”
She pointed to such success stories as that of Winnie Harlow, the African-Canadian model whose vitiligo left her with a white patch of skin around her mouth, chin and other parts of her body.
“It certainly didn’t hinder her career,” Norris said. “It made her different, made her stand out, which is so important.”
Norris said it’s not uncommon for models, due to their height and thin appearance, to be the target of bullying as children.
“I’m sure it hasn’t been easy being different, because when you stand out like that, kids like to bully,” Norris said.
“But (modelling) gives them a sense of self, a sense of confidence. For Ava, this will give her a lot of confidence and support and make her feel special.”
Katie Driscoll, founder and president of Changing the Face of Beauty, said her organization is committed to “representing children of all abilities in advertising and media.” Her daughter Grace has Down syndrome.
“You can’t be what you can’t see,” said Driscoll, of children with disabilities and other differences. “To see others like themselves is empowering. It can inspire them to be more independent and reach for bigger goals in life. We believe being seen (in advertising and media) leads to jobs, independence and being accepted. We just have to give the public the opportunity to be exposed to the differences so they are more accepting.” Ava’s father said he’s proud of his daughter for embracing her condition and choosing to model instead of hiding it. “I think it’s just great,” Bright said. “I’ve definitely seen Ava get a lot of self-confidence, and what’s really good is she’s making these choices for herself.” Ava said her condition made her the target of bullying by other children when she was younger, although she’s well accepted and respected as a Grade 7 student in her school.
Ava is quick to admit she wanted “to get rid of it ... But now I meet so many other people with it, it’s inspiring to me.”