Albino model’s star keeps rising

THE colour of one’s skin should not be a deterrent to one’s quest for success.

One only has to look at Refilwe Modiselle, South Africa’s first albino model and entertainer, to see that.

Born in Rockville in Soweto, Modiselle kicked off her modelling career at the age of 13 when she appeared in Y! Magazine.

This year, Modiselle rose to further stardom when she was cast in international series Of Kings and Prophets , which made its debut in the US in March, and is currently on South African screens on M-Net’s Edge channel. The show was shot in Cape Town. Modiselle is not alone in not letting her albinism hold her back.

Thando Hopa, 26 – whose career took off in 2012 when she was approached by a designer in a mall and offered a photo shoot – is not just a model but also a lawyer and a poet.

Since her modelling debut, she has been dubbed the cover girl for people with albinism, but she rejects the term “albino”, saying it is reductionist and leads to discrimination – sometimes even death.

Worldwide, other famous albino models include African-American models Shaun Ross and Diandre Forrest, Jewell Jeffrey, Moscow-based law student Nastya Zhidko-va, Hong Kong-based Connie Chiu and 18year-old male Russian model Amal Sofi. —