The 31-year-old model and beauty entrepreneur on the autoimmune realities many still overlook, and the emotional campaign where she confronts—and comforts—her younger self.
Winnie Harlow has built a global career on being unmistakably herself. The 31-year-old supermodel and beauty entrepreneur, who broke out on America’s Next Top Model before walking runways around the world, is also one of the most recognizable people living with vitiligo. But growing up, the chronic autoimmune condition made her a target for confusion and cruelty—“parents told kids they couldn’t hang out with me,” she recalls—and she had little information about what was happening to her own skin. Vitiligo is not contagious, yet misconceptions like these continue to shape the experiences and self-esteem of the estimated 1.9 to 2.8 million Americans living with the disorder.
Now, Harlow is reframing the conversation through a new partnership with Incyte, the pharmaceutical company behind the vitiligo education platform ThisIsVitiligo.com. The campaign features two short films that recreate her childhood bedroom—complete with a young actress playing “little Winnie”—and ask her to literally face her younger self. For Harlow, she hopes to empower others living with an autoimmune condition and give families the kind of clear, accessible information she didn’t always have.
She told The Healthy how quickly a simple cold can escalate for her, why nightly skincare and heatless rollers are non-negotiables, and how her love of every kind of massage—from deep tissue to Thai—has become a form of body awareness. And as she prepares to release her new children’s book next June, Harlow says she hopes kids grow up with something she didn’t always feel: a sense of belonging, and a clear understanding of the skin they’re in.
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The Healthy: In this new campaign, you look back at your younger self. What was the emotional experience of revisiting that inner child who was just beginning to understand her condition?
Winnie Harlow: It was kind of an out-of-body experience, honestly, because the room was created to look exactly like my childhood room. We had little Zoe, who was playing young Winnie, and I was watching myself in my room while also looking in the mirror and seeing “big” Winnie. It was very surreal. And it’s been amazing to partner with Incyte on this collaboration to highlight the educational side of vitiligo. My career has let me elevate representation and diversity, but diving into the education piece and being able to share resources like ThisIsVitiligo.com has been a real gift.
The Healthy: Misconceptions about vitiligo shaped so many of your early experiences. What’s one misunderstanding you hope this campaign helps correct?
Winnie Harlow: There are so many things people don’t know. You can get vitiligo at any age, and it can affect anyone—any race, any skin type. One very strange misconception is that if you have vitiligo, it means one parent is white, and one is Black, like you’re “mixed in a different way.” But it doesn’t work like that. Vitiligo doesn’t change your race; your skin tone doesn’t change your race. You can be very fair-skinned or very dark-skinned and still be Black.
Growing up, some kids told me they couldn’t hang out with me because their parents thought they would “catch” my skin. Vitiligo is not contagious. There are a lot of misconceptions, and it’s really nice to help break that stigma today.
The Healthy: What was that like to hear as a child? It sounds incredibly painful.
Winnie Harlow: There are so many challenges when you’re a kid, and having something so visibly different makes it even harder. The most difficult part was not really knowing a part of myself and not having information about this very visible aspect of who I was. Having that education now—being able to share it, talk to dermatologists, and know that people have options whether they choose to treat or not—is really amazing.
The Healthy: You’ve talked about defining beauty on your own terms. How has living with vitiligo shaped your personal definition of beauty, and how do you encourage others to see themselves with that same compassion?
Winnie Harlow: It’s influenced me a lot because I was so far outside the traditional beauty standard. Pulling confidence from within took a lot of love and patience. It’s really been a journey of choosing to know my own beauty.
The Healthy: That’s such a powerful message—especially for young women today. You also prioritize wellness. What does your approach to longevity look like—whether fitness, nutrition, or anything else that helps you feel strong long-term?
Winnie Harlow: I’m proud of myself when I stick to a good gym routine. For me, protecting your natural beauty and having vitiligo makes SPF really important. It’s important for everyone, of course, but it’s a big one for me. I created Cay Skin because SPF is essential, but you also want to look good while wearing it. You shouldn’t have to sacrifice looking good to protect your skin.
The Healthy: What does fitness or nutrition look like in your life? Are there routines or practices you love?
Winnie Harlow: I love getting massages—different types depending on what I need. When I’m working out a lot, I love deep tissue and lymphatic massages. When I need relaxation, I love Thai or Swedish. Releasing muscle tension makes such a big difference—even with headaches. You can have tension built up in one area affecting another. I get really tight in my hips, and that affects my back. You might feel something in your neck that’s actually coming from your lower body. Paying attention to the signs your body gives you is so important.
The Healthy: Absolutely. The whole body is connected.
Winnie Harlow: Yes, exactly. And with vitiligo being an autoimmune disorder, it’s another example: what is happening inside your body if your skin is reflecting it? Same thing with breakouts—they can point to digestion or diet. Paying attention to your inner health is really important.
The Healthy: In what other ways does vitiligo affect your health as an autoimmune disorder?
Winnie Harlow: When you have vitiligo, you’re more susceptible to other autoimmune disorders. For me personally, when I get sick, I can go from a simple cold to being really sick very fast. It’s something you have to pay close attention to.
The Healthy: What is one self-care ritual you refuse to skip, no matter how busy you are—whether at home or traveling?
Winnie Harlow: I really try not to skip taking off my makeup before bed. If you sleep in your makeup and then do your skincare in the morning, you don’t get that same hydration and glow you get when you do your skincare at night. Also, right now I have a blowout—
The Healthy: It looks amazing.
Winnie Harlow: Thank you so much. I’ll never skip putting in my heatless rollers after I get a blowout. My hair will last like this for about two weeks. It’s so good—every single day.
The Healthy: Beyond this campaign, what projects—beauty, fashion, personal, or unexpected—are you excited for us to have on our radar?
Winnie Harlow: I’m really excited for my children’s book to come out. I hope kids feel a sense of belonging when they read it—and representation that’s pure, not specifically about differences, but about seeing themselves in everyday experiences. It comes out in June next year—right in time for back-to-school season. I’m really excited.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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