At the age of 4, model Chantelle Brown-Young was diagnosed with vitiligo, a skin disease that destroys cells that produce skin pigment, according to the National Institute of Health, and causes white patches to appear.

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"The bullying started when I went to school," Chantelle, 20, told People. "It was tough. I definitely had problems with self-esteem."

But Chantelle has had a new attitude about her skin disease since the stunning model (whose vitiligo is nearly symmetrical, which isn't often the case) caught Tyra Banks's eye on Instagram and Tyra asked Chantelle to be on cycle 21 of America's Next Top Model,which premieres Aug. 18.

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Chantelle said the show has given her a platform to talk to women about accepting their bodies and who they are. "Growing up, it was a 'fake it 'til you make it' type of thing," she said. "I just decided, 'You know what? I'm going to keep telling myself I'm beautiful until I feel beautiful.' And it happened." Did it ever — check out some stunning photos of Chantelle:

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Carly Cardellino Carly Cardellino was the beauty director at Cosmopolitan.

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