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Tiffany Posteraro24-year-old American woman with vitiligo
Country:
 USA |
Content:
- Tiffany Posteraro: Embracing Vitiligo and Inspiring Others
- The Burden of Vitiligo
- A Turning Point
- The Vitiligo Tattoo
- Personal Growth and Success
Tiffany Posteraro: Embracing Vitiligo and Inspiring Others
Tiffany Posteraro, a 24-year-old American woman living with vitiligo, has ceased concealing her skin under layers of clothing. She even inked a tattoo across her forearm stating "This is Vitiligo" to alleviate the curious stares of onlookers who often mistook her condition for burn scars.
The Burden of Vitiligo
For years, Tiffany hid her body under clothing and slathered on layers of makeup to cover her vitiligo, a condition that causes white patches to develop across the body due to a lack of melanin, the pigment responsible for skin, hair, and eye color. Throughout her childhood and adolescence, Tiffany endured cruel teasing in school, being called "cow," "Dalmatian," "ghost face," and "burn victim." The taunts from her classmates, particularly the boys, fueled her feelings of insecurity and low self-esteem. She avoided situations that would expose her skin, such as pool parties where girls typically wore revealing swimwear.
A Turning Point
Everything changed for Tiffany after a chance encounter with another woman with vitiligo in May 2015. The woman introduced Tiffany to support groups and an online community, providing her with much-needed information and support. "That really helped me," Tiffany said.
Inspired by this encounter, Tiffany realized her need to stop hiding her condition. She began wearing minimal makeup and left her body largely un-concealed. With newfound confidence, she started to wear shorts in public, uncaring of the opinions of others.
The Vitiligo Tattoo
A few weeks after meeting the woman at IKEA, Tiffany got a tattoo. She had the words "This is Vitiligo" inked across her forearm in bold letters. "I was tired of people staring at me," she said. "I wanted to be like, 'Ask me what it is.'"
The tattoo, which runs down her forearm towards her hand, strategically covering many of her white patches, has been liberating for Tiffany. "It definitely makes it easier to deal with the stares," she explained.
Personal Growth and Success
Today, Tiffany is pursuing a career as a counselor for substance abuse clients and has recently started her own business helping people create online dating profiles. She plans to marry her fiancé, Jonathan Grant, in September 2015.
Despite the challenges she has faced with vitiligo, Tiffany believes that it has made her a more compassionate person. "I think I'm a lot more empathetic, a lot more human because of my vitiligo," she said. "I don't see the flaws in people. What's a flaw to one person might be an asset to another."
