Episode 10: Andrea Thomas - Modeling The Beauty of Vitiligo

0:06 Hello, beautiful humans. Welcome to role models. Juicy conversations with beautiful humans. Today's juicy conversation is with an absolutely gorgeous woman, Andrea Thomas. This woman is a true work of art and Ray was diagnosed at a young age, with a unique skin type called Vitiligo, even though her skin condition is considered very rare her journey. And self-acceptance is so relatable and her story is so empowering today. Andrea is a beauty and fashion model, Paving the path in the beauty industry for curvy women with Vitiligo welcome Andrea. Oh my God, thank you so much for having me.

0:47 I'm so happy to have you now you have such a compelling story but first I want to help educate everybody who's listening. Can you tell everyone? What is little I go. Yes. So the best way to describe Diddle, I do, is it basically is your immune system attacking your pigment? So your skin cells have melanocytes, which give you your skin color and yeah. So it's an autoimmune condition basically, because my immune system is just kind of overactive and that explains like my loss of pigment. How old were you when you were first diagnosed? I think it took a little while to get the official diagnosis and I parents were trying to treat eat it at home without knowing, but it started happening around the age of five.

1:34 And so somewhere between like five to seven, I would say I was officially diagnosed because at the time, I just remember, like some doctors, not know it, having a name for it. So like it took a while to get a name for it because I guess it could also be so many other things. And the way it first presented itself was, I would fall down and it like cuts and scrapes and then my skin would heal. But then I would kind of be losing In that area. But so we didn't have those like temporary or not and we didn't know what it was and it didn't bother me too much. But what changed for that was? Just, I guess being treated at a young age and like what that entailed and going to the dermatologist regularly, like, twice a week leaving school early to go, all of those did kind of make it unintentional impact on me, right? Right, so, when you would fall down, he would almost not know if it was just a scar.

2:28 Like it was just like a Discoloration or something that lasted and then all of a sudden it started to evolve Elsewhere on the body is that how it was it spreads? Yeah then I started to notice I was just getting like new spots and it would have nothing to do with falling down and scraping myself. Yeah. So for those who are just listening and your has extraordinary skin, she's got these extraordinary patches of beautiful dark pigmentation as well as a combination in a mix of light, Skin tone. And so it really creates this very unique patterns. And from what I understand, they change your patterns evolved over time.

3:09 Is that right? Yeah, that's true. Sometimes it's more active than other times and it can change according to even like, sun exposure, which is not intentional, but, you know, you're in California. You're in the Sun, a lot. So, I have to be extra cautious, just show you. I have like a looks like a tiny little, Freckle pattern. I see it. Yeah. So this will probably cause a lot of change this little part. Yeah. But it's like kind of temporary. It will fade over time but it'll get darker first. So it's just interesting.

3:51 Like UV rays are like, you know, kind of dangerous. So like I said this was not intentional but I had like the slightest pink. It here after I went to the beach one day and I was like, oh it's probably because I didn't reapply enough and then I didn't think I was there that long either but this will pop up it's basically like the deeper layers of my skin that still have pigment. This is like my original skin coloring trying to make its way to the surface so it's just interesting or so many things with Vitiligo that I really just learned to be more Vigilant about taking care of my skin. So it's one Good thing. Yeah, now from what I understand that Ally, go only impacts like one to two percent of the world's population.

4:37 So it is incredibly rare and so it's no wonder that a lot of dermatologists or other professionals. Can't really tell you very much about it because I think that only in the past maybe several years has there been some more broad awareness built out of what the condition is? What caused it, or what can cause it to actually be susceptible to change and to your It's on, you know, being exposed to Sun, or I think, because it is considered an autoimmune situation that it could be anything health, or stress related to is that right? Yeah, that's correct. Yeah. Any stress like, any trauma, physical? Or emotional can cause your Vitiligo to spread more. It's very difficult to treat.

5:20 There's no cure for it. Some people have had success doing different treatments which is great. There's a lot of misinformation out there. I know like for some people there have been Eli go first presented itself from kind of like mine. I told you I was falling down and getting scrapes and cuts and I think that caused my body to react that way, which it would have at some point in my life even if I had never fallen down or fell off a bike. So I think that's something that I understood later on in life. There are some really good dermatologist that will be able to explain a lot more to you. I feel like I've picked up like pieces of information from different doctors over the years. And that is just like, Piece of living with the condition.

6:02 Like this is, as a patient, you know, your experience and the information you're given is so important. I know that there's like patient advocacy programs and even though Vitiligo is considered like kind of rare, it is a disease that affects a lot of people. People should be able to find, you know, the care that they need or someone that they can talk to about what bothers them the most and what they want out of an experience at a dermatologists and Amazing. Yes, I think a lot of the condition may be more psychological and more emotional than it is actually physical. Because as I understand there is no real pains like physical pain is there. No, there isn't. But it's funny you mention that because up until two years ago, I realized that there is an aspect of pain possibly. So just having any autoimmune condition can make you more likely to get another one or Autoimmune condition. So a lot of people with little, I go get rheumatoid arthritis or lupus psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, endometriosis, and I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, two years ago. So it's a different condition but related. So I think it's also important for people to know like yeah I have this what seems kind of cosmetic like a skin condition but it affects me in so many ways and I do need to be on top of it and I only was diagnosed through blood work, but specific blood work, I requested because

7:34 I felt that I was having symptoms, so it's just important to be aware, you know, at some point I could get this. Yeah, yeah. Now, I'm curious because I know that you said any stress, or trauma can cause an inflammation and that seems like it would be very logical because of the fact that it is an autoimmune response and so are there things that you do to manage stress or to keep yourself more on the Zen side, To be better about it. But if you know me, I am a pretty Zen person, most of the time. Honestly, Vitiligo has taught me so much about life. It's taught me to be very patient. It's taught me to take things in stride.

8:14 Life can be so unpredictable. I never knew I would have a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis at this age and I feel like, yeah, I've learned a lot of life lessons and I just try to treat people with Grace. I just You know, people don't know what I'm going through so I don't know what they're going through and yes I definitely try to stay peaceful stays then I probably need to be better about it. But yeah, definitely therapy talking to friends doing whatever you need to do for yourself. You know, because I feel like things can just be so challenging out there. And then one thing I noticed lately is just having my skincare routine which is not related to the vitiligo. Gives me so much confidence and makes me feel prepared for almost anything.

9:04 I'm like, at least I did my skincare, we talked about back to Ritual, it's like a skincare as self-care ritual. And a lot of people take that for granted. And the, you know, it's like a lot of times I'll be Leavin, you know, being in the skincare industry as myself. I'll be like washing my face very quickly and then, you know, just like slap on some moisturizer because I'm in a rush and then I'm like, you know what, this is such an opportunity to just really focus on. And all that. So it's nothing to beat ourselves up over a horse, but it's, like, you know, this could be a really nice moment. If I have a spare a couple of minutes, it's really doesn't take that long, but to your point I could, it could actually just be one of those little resets for you each day. Yes, it's so important.

9:46 I one time got in a fight with my sister and but I had dug like 10 steps of skincare that day that I was like man I just like at least I did that like I'm upset but I'm not a madam. Yeah, so I want to dive in a little bit more because you said that, you know, it's taught you so much about life. But from the point where you were diagnosed to the point where you started to become more, okay, with yourself and recognize, you know, this is who I am and I embrace this, I mean, can you tell us what that was like, it's just like in a journey like anything in life, especially as a woman. I feel like going through so many changes physically, my parents would like each change of kind of Until work with it was just like, okay, like this is what I got going on so how can I be the best version of me and still, you know, show up and feel my best and it's hard sometimes, I'm not going to lie, but it's just about resilience and finding a way to focus on what's important just being the best you that you can be.

10:51 You know, a lot of people have opinions, people have that all kinds of things to me. Like there's gotta be something you can do, there's got to be something you could change about your diet. I've heard it all and it used to really affect me and make me feel sad inside like this is what people think about me that I just like don't take care of myself then. That's why I have it. It used to affect me and I feel like that was passed down to me kind of from my parents because I think that they weren't well equipped to deal with it either and I felt like people kind of made them feel shame a little bit that maybe they could be doing more to take care of their daughter. And I hope they don't feel that way anymore because I All that they did everything they could and they tried hard and I still had a great life growing up. I have no complaints.

11:40 I always had friends. I always felt loved. I just think they just didn't know really how to understand what I needed best did. I want makeup? Did I want to continue doing treatment? Did I like getting treated? And I want to ignore it. We just like didn't have a lot of talks about that you feel alone. Sometimes it's getting better because there's like Like Community, you can find, but I think that most people who go through something like this feel alone, they might be the only person that they actually know who has it. So, I just think it's important to find your people. I love that you just mentioned that because I actually have a similar, it's quite a different situation, but a similar story, in terms of parenting because I happen to be a mom of a disabled boy.

12:25 And I remember, you know, at first feeling like I need to find Chance you get into that like there's a mode as a parent like the fixer solution sort of a person that comes out and it was only until more recently where I recognize that me stressing out. And me feeling like I needed to fix something, was causing my son to feel that he needed to be fixed, and that he wasn't perfect or there was something wrong with him. And so that was a great lesson for me and one that I would impart to other parents. It's like your kids are awesome, the way that they are and they're perfect in their special way and relinquished control relinquished, the need to fix that feeling that, you know, because you're the parent, you have to control the situation or protect or anything like that. Once I recognized that, I needed to step back and just love and just love my child where he is and how he is and not stress out about Solutions or fixes or look through a record because it was causing Me to be a crazy person, frankly, and that was not helping anyone around me.

13:35 And once I just developed that sense of release and allowing it changed everything. It just gave more open room for love and for it flow and just positive energy in general. And so I'm hoping that any parent that's listening. Might find some words of relatability in that because it could be the difference between people feeling True. True love and acceptance for themselves as well as from their family members. So yeah, I'm so glad that you brought that up now talking about acceptance. I mean, you are a model now about how did that happen?

14:18 What was the discovery story? It was through Instagram. Honestly, everything is kind of happening over there. I was looking into it, I had like kind of like waves of time so I'm just like Maybe I could do it. Maybe I could get some photos done, especially with how rapidly looks can change. My skin can change and it's just something cool to document even if I look back and I'm like, oh look at when I did that photo shoot one time. Like that's the most I thought I would get out of. It is like do some cool photos and call it a day. So I was just like, digging around a little and I like had found a few people on Instagram with Vitiligo and I was really excited about that. There was a few letting communities Instagram accounts and so I was just like looking at what other people were doing. I'm seeing all these beautiful pictures people were posting, it was so inspiring and made me feel good. And then I found it agency that I applied to. This is like the original agency I signed with and I still work with them.

15:15 They work out a New York through that like I've booked some amazing campaigns and then Danny from natural found me and reach out to me on Instagram he was new at natural actually I think that I'm the first model he scouted because he was brand new So he really didn't have a lot of followers and I didn't know who he was at first. Saw this person's like commenting to go. Check my diems, and then he was a legit agent. Just looking to scout me, he's a gray represented. So that's my story of how I got signed with natural. And it's been a great relationship. And I never imagined that I would be booking. Some of the campaign's that I am, I thought, you know, I told you, I just thought would be fun to take some pictures and then this has been exciting to see the direction my career as a model is going.

15:59 Going and how I'm able to meet so many people and have more opportunities to advocate for my community. It's been amazing. Yeah. I mean what do you think about the beauty industry and the evolution of fashion, you know, shapewear and body positivity? Like what are your thoughts about the whole shift? That's happening. I have a lot of feelings about it. I don't know, unlike fully understanding everything that goes on. I'm happy. Hey, that a person like these able to book campaigns and be seen in the media executive that that's important. Talked about how I felt really alone that I didn't know anybody else who had little I go. And I think now we're seeing more people with Vitiligo, so it's not so lonely. So it's wonderful seeing more representation and seeing Vitiligo and seeing all kinds of bodies all kinds of skin different abilities like that's amazing I feel for me yes I support body positive movement which is originally started by bigger girls and I feel that we use that term for everything. What's been Important for me is being neutral. I'm neutral about my body, a neutral about my skin. Like I do my best and I'm not looking to compare myself to anybody else's body because I think like, we just missed the point sometimes, like our skin, is there to protect us. Our bodies have a purpose and I feel that we can kind of feed into Dart image and having the right look for our size. Everybody is really into

17:30 Snatched waist and I don't have that right. Where did that word come from? It's like giant craters. Like why do we call everything snatched like? Yeah, I think like sometimes we take a word or we take a term and we like run with it without thinking too much. So it's like yeah where it's like I want people to feel positive about their looks and their body. But not only if you fit within this allowed type what's approved by By our society so I don't know. So I just like to say I'm body neutral that it got it and I think that that's also extremely extremely healthy.

18:10 So one thing that you had said, I read a quote that you had written and that is like, when you love yourself, you learn to live with what others view as problems skin. And so, can you say a little bit more about that? I feel like confidence comes from loving yourself. It comes from love you give yourself. My grace, you give yourself room for growth but also, you know, that your valuable and worthy and other people may not feel the same way but, you know, it and that doesn't change based on what you look like. It's difficult to show up fully feeling your best and confident at all times. But I think it makes a difference for your own well-being and also maybe other people will change their minds about what they were thinking. Because I honestly know, sometimes what people think of me when they see me and they just feel bad people have Asked if they could pray for me or they say, like, I hope you get better, they have good intentions, they have great intentions, but it doesn't always feel good. I mean, it's kind of funny to me now because I'm just like, okay, like, it's not gonna get better but thank you anyway. It's hard to show up in this world as yourself and for other people to give you what you should already feel for yourself.

19:21 So don't rely on other people to tell you how amazing you are. You have to know it and it takes time to come to that place sometime. There's a quote that I saw that you had written which has, I've always felt that being kind and having a friendly personality will make people reconsider how they treat someone with a physical feature that is stigmatized. Whoo, that one got me in the field. I love that statements and I agree with you. I think kindness is a superpower and luckily, I find myself more and more in circles where people are really kind to each other and I shun when I see See things that don't speak. Kindness to your point.

20:02 There is a lot of acting with good intent and then, you know, prayers may not be the thing that you need to pray for World Peace. Pray for a great for starvation to n in the world. Pray for Wars to end. You know, those are the things that need Frank. I mean, pray for me if you want to but like now I'm embarrassed that he's very very sweet. So tell us when you were growing up, did you have any role models? Do you have any role? Models now growing up. Let me see. I probably looked up to people just who I thought were really cool and successful, and that was into music. I liked like Mariah Carey. I don't know. You know, you grow up like you just live in your own fantasy world, but I will say, I thought it was a model when I was a kid. So maybe there was something to that. Yeah, you manifested your dream.

20:58 Yes. And I feel like Now I have so many Role Models, some people I really look up to are younger than me, you know, Whitney Harlow, for example, Ashley Graham as far as models and then I love Oprah, my focus tell people that I just think she's so amazing and I think she's such a positive person and she brings people so much joy and regardless like what you think about her? She's just a boss and her lifestyle is like what I'm striving for. Like I want to be on that level, she's neighbor with Adele who's a The person that I really admire and I think what they have in common is they just seem like they're really good people and they found their way and made a career and they're talented but yeah, awesome, that's awesome. What does a day in the life of Andrea Thomas looked like, day of my life is pretty regular.

21:50 It's a balance, we get like a lot of at home castings and self tapes that we submit for potential work. So when I'm not shooting, a lot of times I'm just doing like Chores around the house or I tried to like just be ready. Just in case I do book work like I need a haircut right now. I need to like be on top of that. It's pretty chill. I go to my appointments like doctor appointments and I clean like no. And then the other part is just kind of thinking about your image and how you want to present yourself and I feel like I haven't always been good about keeping up with fashion and what's in style but I try to do that a little bit just because I do have to show up places and present myself. Well, I'm not coming how I wanted comments.

22:31 What kind of a day in the life? Is honestly pretty average and less. There's a shoot than it's like that's the only thing that's like a little different. Yeah, cool. Now, there is a special date coming up on June 25th. Can you tell us about that? Yeah, so June 25th is World. It'll I go day. There are lots of events. Like, there's an official Global Vitiligo foundation and another big event happening in Minnesota. But I just feel like Ending the location wise, what's convenient for you? I think it's great to have a bunch of different events going on. Wow, thank you so much for sharing that with us everybody. This is Andrea Thomas. You can find her on Instagram at and rocks and be sure to mark your calendar for June 25th, which is World Vitiligo day.

23:19 Andrea. Thank you so much for being a beautiful human and joining us today. Thank you.