

We still live in a time where people will call others out for being different. Whether it be their race, religion, political alignment, gender, sexual preference or appearance, everyone seems to be a target, for one reason or another. We shed some light on people who have struggled in their youth because of their so-called “abnormalities.” Some of these people are smaller than the average person, and others are bigger. Some have vitiligo, while others are albino. However, there are two things all of these people have in common. One: they are human. And two: what makes them different has also made them famous. Winnie Harlow Out of everyone on this list, Winnie Harlow is arguably the most famous for her unique appearance. The young Canadian model became famous after America’s Next Top Model host Tyra Banks discovered her on Instagram. She went on to star in the 2014 finals and since then, Harlow has done photoshoots for Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Glamour. Harlow’s unique appearance stems from her vitiligo, a condition in which a person either develops or is born with patches on their skin that have lost their pigment.

Danielle Kroon There is no denying that Danielle Kroon’s blue and brown eyes are a sight for sore eyes (no pun intended). However, the reason that the Dutch model looks this way is due to a condition that she was born with call heterochromia. As you can see, it is a condition that can also be found in animals, including dogs and cats. Not only has Kroon become a big hit on Instagram, but she also has a BSc in Medicine.

Shankar Jalota When Shankar Jalota was 15 years old, he discovered a couple of small, light patches on his skin, one on his chest and another on his eye. While the young man was determined to hide this from his friends and family, he eventually embraced his vitiligo and has since used it as a springboard for a career. The Manchester Metropolitan University student is now a spokesperson for body positivity. “I’m trying to spread a message of body positivity to inspire others,” he said.

Mikayla Holmgren There is no doubt that Mikayla Holmgren is not just a trendsetter – she’s a history maker. The young woman from Minnesota is the first woman with Down syndrome ever to have competed in the Miss Minnesota USA Pageant. During that competition, Mikayla won two awards and ended up on the news for her heroic efforts. Since then, the young model/dancer has become a huge hit on social media too, attracting over 14,000 followers on Instagram. The sky is the limit for Mikayla Holmgren.

Man With Vitiligo on One Side of the Face The identity of the man in this photo is unknown, but there is no denying that his condition is an amazing thing to look at. While some people with vitiligo have patches all over their body or symmetrical patterns (like Winnie Harlow), this man only has patches on one side of his face. His right eyebrow and right-sided stubble are also affected, appearing to have white hairs instead of black ones.

La Ostergren It’s been a tough journey for La Ostergren, who claims to have been bullied back at school because of her 40-inch-long legs. “When I was born my legs were crooked since they didn’t have enough room in my mom’s belly,” she said. Since 2013, Ostergren has been dedicated to a strict fitness program and has documented her every move on Instagram. As of 2019, the model has 239,000 followers and seeing that she has a lot of admirers in Russia, she often writes her hashtags in Russian too.

Eye Scar While the person chose to remain anonymous, he did share these images of his eye on Reddit. While there are a variety of causes for the scar of a pupil, this person was born with a scar on his eye. When asked on Reddit if the scar affected his vision, he said the following: “It doesn’t, fortunately. I’ve been to an eye doctor several times and they say my eye is fine. It just makes my pupils different sizes.”

Lotte Zuidema There is no denying that Lotte Zuidema has a unique appearance. However, this hasn’t prevented the Dutch professional from transitioning from her studies in product design to the world of modeling. What has drawn photographers to Zuidema is not just her natural beauty. She has also won the hearts of modeling agencies due to her charisma and sheer confidence. While she might not have as many Instagram followers as others on this list, she’s only going to acquire more with time.

Em One of the biggest mysteries surrounding model/actor Em is what her real name is. However, she has never revealed this detail and wants to let her modeling work do the talking. Similar to Winnie Harlow, Em lives with vitiligo and has fully embraced it, paving the way for a truly unique modeling career. For her 10,000+ followers on Instagram, Em always seeks to share her wisdom and words of inspiration with others, making her one of the most important ambassadors for body positivity.

Sarai Lewis Another model on this list who wanted to share her heterochromia with the world is Sarai Lewis. Her recent achievements as a social media influencer have propelled her into stardom in the world of modeling. It seems like wherever she goes to in the world, whether it’s in Europe, North America or Africa, Lewis has plenty of work opportunities. With about 24,000 followers on Instagram to her name, there is no denying that Sarai Lewis is a very popular figure.

“The Baby With the Darkest Skin” While most of the images on this list are real, the one of this baby certainly isn’t (at least, the one on the left – we’re not so sure about the right one). Unfortunately, it’s images like these that make it difficult for people with legitimate abnormalities to come out and be proud of who they are. This is a warning for readers – don’t always believe what you see on the internet. Do your research first.

Ava Clarke Another person on this list who was born with albinism is Ava Clarke. While she is undoubtedly a beautiful individual, Clarke’s Oculocutaneous albinism affects her sight considerably, so much so that she is legally blind and requires a variety of visual aids. Despite this, her mother, Shala Edney, is extremely proud of Ava and has shared her with the world through the power of Instagram. She has approximately 90,000 followers and even had the chance to hang out with Beyonce!

Dru Presta Dru Presta was born with a form of dwarfism and is 3 feet 4 inches tall today. Nevertheless, the 21-year-old has not let this stop her from breaking down all sorts of boundaries in the fashion industry. These days, Presta, who moved to L.A. to start a career in modeling, is determined to change what people view as beautiful, one photo shoot at a time. “I want everybody in the fashion world just to be accepted,” she said. She has 67,000 followers on Instagram.

Aleece Wilson Aleece Wilson started pursuing her dream to become a model when she immediately caught the attention of Canada’s Elite officials. It didn’t take long before she made an appearance on Alexander Wang’s FW New York show in 2017. “I never thought I was pretty enough to be a model because I never saw models who looked like me,” she said. These days, the model is working for the likes of Marc Jacobs, Maison Margiela, and Yeezy by Kanye West. She has also appeared in US Vogue.

Tallest Girl In The World World’s tallest girl is the absolutely strikingly beautiful and unique Elisany da Cruz Silva. The 17-year-old is already at 6’-8” and is originally from Brazil. Her magnificent height is something that sometimes could be slightly tricky to manage with ordinary things (such as bed shopping, standing inside an elevator, and more) – but the one things that is certainly no a struggle for her is finding love. If you ask Elisany, her 1’-6” shorter boyfriend is the love of her life no matter what their differences are.

Harnaam Kaur Born in the UK on 29 November 1990, Kaur was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome from the young age of 12. The syndrome consists of an imbalance of hormones in the body, which causes hirsutism – or, in other words, excessive facial and body hair growth. While Harnaam Kaur wasn’t always strong mentally, she is now a proud model, anti-bullying activist, life coach, and motivational speaker.

Laura O’Grady Everybody is far from perfect – in fact, John Legend said it best when he described his wife and all her “perfect imperfections.” Laura O’Grady is an excellent example of taking a unique body feature that others may have tried to fix with plastic surgery and instead turned it into something that should be viewed as beautiful by the rest of the world. Now a fulltime, successful model, Laura O’Grady is the embodiment of beauty with her bold ears and sharp facial features.

Hamad Jaman Hamad Jaman had chosen to look at his uniqueness as something to be proud of, as opposed to oppressing himself as he did when he was younger. By embracing his freckles, Jaman has actually been so successful that he managed to make a modeling career out of his individuality. Instead of pounding on makeup and trying to look like everybody else, Jaman is proud of his freckles and is often found making them even bolden by playing around with photo editing features.

Bee Melvnin Top model Bee Melvnin has captivated the eyes of many through her unbelievably unique features. While many rumors have gone around circling her ethnicity, the model stands tall and proud as a gorgeous Gambian. Bee MelvninWhether it is her outstanding appearance that is making many confused or her simply heavenly eyes, there is no argument Bee is a force of nature. We have yet to find a suitable competitor. No matter where she is from, we simply cannot look away.

Anisocoria There’s no shadow of a doubt that David Bowie has many accomplishments, and that it is his uncanny voice that has fans jumping from their seats whenever a timeless song comes on the radio. However, there are more deviations to Bowie that make him unique. For example, his heterochromia, combined with his anisocoria. Both are fairly rare conditions in humans. The first – heterochromia – is when each iris is a distinctly different color. Anisocoria, on the other hand, is a condition characterized by an uneven size in a person’s pupils.

Arina Lubiteleva While Arina Lubiteleva doesn’t have any disease or condition that affects the way she looks, it appears that she has embraced her imperfections and proudly shows them off for the world to see. The Ukrainian model has nearly 79,000 followers on Instagram and she wants to inspire other young women who have nonstandard appearances to be proud of the way they look. Arina has no interest in hiding her ears, which is something that many self-conscious individuals might be inclined to do.

Simone Thompson With her gap tooth, bald head and numerous tattoos, Simone Thompson doesn’t shout out “normal” in any sense of the word. However, the model who goes by the alias Slick Woods isn’t interested in being normal. She fully embraces what makes her different and is proud to show it to the world. Kanye West is often credited with having helped to launch her career, and Thompson has gone on to work with the likes of Marc Jacobs, Puma, and Miu Miu.

Cat Eye Syndrome While the boy in this photo has eyes that actually resemble that of a cat, the condition Cat Eye Syndrome is much more complex than what the name suggests. There are plenty of instances when the condition doesn’t even affect the eyes. In fact, there are a variety of other medical issues that are attributed to Cat Eye Syndrome. These include abnormalities in the heart, kidneys, and ears, to name a few. The cat-like eye effect is caused by a condition called Iris Coloboma.

Swantje Paulina German model Swantje Paulina might not have an illness that seriously affects her health. Despite not being bothered by her freckles as a child, she grew to be extremely self-conscious about them during her adolescence and young adulthood. It’s only recently that she has managed to embrace this aspect of her appearance and it’s a good job she did. This is because Swantje has since developed a huge fan base, acquiring over 597,000 followers on his Instagram page alone.

Angel Giuffria & Friends Since she was a child, amputee Angel Giuffria has worn a prosthetic arm. However, she eventually got the chance to transition to a bionic arm, which allows her to perform basic actions with much greater success. In recent times, the young lady has become something of an ambassador for bionics. Moreover, she enjoys bonding with other people with bionic limbs and together, their goal is to bring bionic limbs to whoever needs them. As of 2019, Giuffria has nearly 30,000 followers on her Instagram account.

Maeva Marshall While it might seem like Maeva Marshall got famous simply because of her unique freckles, that’s only half the story. It turns out that the young woman had a stroke. While taking medicine during her recovery, Marshall suffered from an allergic reaction and second-degree burns that eventually turned into freckles. Now, she uses them to promote the idea that being different is only a good thing. “I want to show people that you’re allowed to be different and don’t have to change for anyone,” she said.

Khoudia Diop Often referred to as the Melanin Goddess, it has been a rollercoaster ride for model Khoudia Diop, who is still only 22 years old. The French woman was bullied when she was a child due to her dark skin. Eventually, though, a number of people suggested that should she pursue a career in modeling. Since then, Diop has become a huge hit and as of December 2019, the model has 538,000 followers on Instagram alone. “I want to show girls it’s not bad to be dark,” she said. “Different is beautiful.”

Bera & Tsotne Ivanishvili While only one of them is actually famous, there is no denying that it’s still amazing to see two albino brothers standing side by side. Bera Ivanishvili is a Georgian singer who stands out because of his albinism. At 24 years of age, Bera has already achieved so much, having released his own music and even launch his own record label – Georgian Dream. His brother Tsotne, also has albinism and as of 2019, Bera had over 971,000 followers on his Instagram page.

Nyadak Thot One model who has been making a splash both on social media and beyond is Nyadak Thot. Originally from South Sudan, the model also known as Duckie resembles something closer to a Barbie doll than a traditional model. Sadly, Thot’s unique appearance has made her the subject of intense scrutiny from the online community, which she has been dealing with since she was 17 years old. “People will always say bad things about you, but their opinions don’t define who you are,” she said after winning first place in Australia’s Next Top Model.

Rain Dove There is a pretty obvious reason why Rain Dove has found themself on this list. The 26-year-old model often has two different types of photos taken of them. Either they’ll pose as a man, or as a woman. Either way, Rain Dove feels just as comfortable either way. “Many people think I’m a man that gave himself breasts, and I seriously find it funny. I never thought of myself as androgynous,” Dove said. “I just thought I was terribly ugly. But then I understood that I can do something that others can’t.”

Madeline Stuart Madeline Stuart made history when she became the first professional model on the planet who happens to have Down Syndrome. The 20-year-old built up hundreds of thousands of social media fans in just a short space of time and it didn’t take long before she became a household name. In 2015, Madeline decided to confront her insecurities about her weight and lost approximately 40 pounds. After her mother created a social media account for her, her first photo went viral and the rest was history.

Daphne Groeneveld There is no denying that Daphne Groeneveld uses her unique appearance to her advantage. Hailing from Leiderdorp in The Netherlands, the 25-year-old took the modeling world by storm in 2011 when she was named “The Best Dutch Model” at the Marie Claire Fashion Awards. Since then, Daphne has worked for a variety of leading fashion lines such as Dior, Prada, Gucci, Calvin Klein, and Miu Miu, to name a few. She is currently the face of Tom Ford Beauty and Jean Paul Gaultier Classique Fragrance.

Julia Zimmer While she might not be the most well-known name on this list, Julia Zimmer is just as worthy as any of these other unique-looking models to have the spotlight thrown on her. Originally from Germany, Zimmer has a unique charm about her, which is the result of a perfect combination of rough and gentle facial features. These days, the young, promising model works for the likes of Prada and Vivienne Westwood and experts are tipping her to become one of the very best.

Liza Ostanina Blessed with 15,000 followers on Instagram alone, Liza Ostinina is a force to be reckoned with in the world of modeling. Originally from Izhevsk in the Ural Mountains of Russia, Liza has been modeling since she was a teenager, having first gone to Japan to try her luck when she was just 15 years old. She couldn’t believe it when she first received a job offer from a famous modeling agency. These days though, Liza finds it perfectly normal traveling around the world for work purposes.

Issa Lish Although she is still just 24 years of age, it feels like Issa Lish has been in and around the modeling industry for decades! The half-Mexican, half-Japanese model certainly has a unique appearance, which she owes to her angular and androgynous facial features. There is much more to Lish though than just her modeling credentials. She originally studied to be a sculptor a the Faculty of Art History. Ultimately though, her destiny was to work for the likes of Marc Jacobs and Givenchy.

Cierra Skye Arguably one of the most inspiring modeling stories on this list comes from Cierra Skye. Having overcome a number of obstacles during her formative years, the young woman is still standing tall and is a popular figure in the world of modeling. Many have compared Skye to figures often found in Renaissance art. This in no small part due to her thin nose, her oval face and her wavy hair. Outside of modeling, Skye loves nothing more than writing prose and poetry.

Lindsey Wixson Wichita, Kansas-born Lindsey Wixson is best recognized for what is often referred to as a “rosebud pout,” or “bee-stung lips.” The 25-year-old is arguably one of the most promising young models in the world right now and fans can’t seem to get enough of the dimple on her chin, as well as the gap between her teeth. She has already worked for the likes of Miu Miu, Versace Vanitas, Chanel, Alexander McQueen and John Galliano, to name a few.

Alek Wek Another Sudanese model who has been on an incredible journey over the years is undoubtedly Alek Wek. When she was a child, she had to flee her country of origin due to civil war and moved to Europe with her family. In 1995, she began her fashion career at the age of 18 and since then, Wek has managed to disrupt what people perceive as beautiful in the western world. In 2015, Wek’s life reached an all-time high when she was listed as one of BBC’s 100 Women.

Kelly Mittendorf Unlike most models on this list, Kelly Mittendorf seems to have taken a step back from her modeling career to pursue other passions. However, she created a huge buzz over the last decade, having appeared on catwalks for the likes of Mulberry, Topshop and Prada. She most notably closed the Marc Jacobs show in the Spring of 2012. Mittendorf also appeared in a variety of top fashion magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar, Elle and the British and Italian editions of Vogue.

Natalia Castellar Calvani Proud of both her Cuban and American roots, Natalia Castellar Calvani is an international woman with tons of ambitions. There is no denying that the distinctive feature that sets her apart from others is her large eyebrows. Sadly, her classmates used to make fun of her for them when she was younger. However, she has since used them to her advantage and modeling agency Next Models immediately took notice. As of March 2020, Calvani has a stunning 153,000 followers on Instagram.

Refilwe Modiselle South African model Refilwe Modiselle made history when she became the country’s very first professional model with albinism. During Refilwe’s formative years, her peers never considered her to be beautiful. However, through hard work and persistence, she never let go of her dream to enter the fashion industry. She even performed as a backing vocalist for South African pop star KB. These days, she makes regular appearances in fashion magazines and was even part of the Oprah Magazine Power List in 2013.

Yasmine Aisha Khalifa Yasmine Aisha Khalifa is getting more and more fans by the day. The young lady from Stockholm is developing a reputation as one of the most promising models in the world right now. With her curly, blonde locks, beautiful blue eyes juxtaposed against her dark skin, there is no denying that even Yasmine Khalifa has a unique appearance for a model. And yet, so many people on social media (around 30,000, to be precise), can’t get enough of her stunning photos.

Linus Jasper Jokingly calling himself Professional Orange on social media, Linus Jasper fully embraces his red hair and is officially one of the most popular ginger models around. Not only does the young man enjoy posing for his tens of thousands of Instagram followers, but he also has plenty of other passions to his name. Despite not appearing to have any, Jasper is a huge fan of tattoos and enjoying designing ones for others. In more ways than one, he is a true artist.

Sveta While many models like to use their Instagram pages simply to post photos of themselves for the world to see, Sveta does things a little differently. Sure, she likes to flaunt her unique appearance as much as the next model on her Instagram page @svetkazelen. However, she also uses her social media pages to document the world around her. With a keen eye for a beautiful landscape and close attention to detail, Sveta is also a talented photographer in her own right.

Kettelen de Jesus The reason that 11-year-old Brazilian Kettelen de Jesus has such beautiful blue eyes is that she actually has Waardenburg syndrome, a rare condition that also affects hearing, skin and hair color. While blue eyes are certainly less frequent amongst dark-skinned people, there are plenty of other reasons as to why this can happen. Either the person has caucasian ancestors, they were born with a mutation and on rare occasions, the person has albinism, but only in their eyes.

Shaiwel Without a doubt, Shaiwel’s blue eyes make her stand out from the crowd. With an impressive 35.8k followers to her name, as of 2019, it is clear that Shaiwel is a popular individual on social media and there is so much more to her than just her achievements as a model. She is a self-proclaimed personal development coach and covers all sorts of areas on her Instagram page, ranging from food and mentality to traveling and friendships.

Julia Gnuse Commonly referred to as The Illustrated Lady, Julia Gnuse was famous for having 96% of her body tattooed. However, it turns out that she tattooed most of her body for health reasons. In her 30s, Gnuse was diagnosed with porphyria, a skin condition in which sunlight causes severe blisters. As a result, Gnuse started to cover her scars with tattoos. At one point, she was considered to be the most tattooed woman in the world. She passed away in 2016.

Devon Gallagher While Devon Gallagher isn’t interested in having a career as a model, she certainly doesn’t let her disability prevent her from traveling around the world. The young woman from Philadelphia has a prosthetic leg and uses it to her advantage while on her travels. She uses it as a “chalkboard,” writing the name of the place she is currently exploring before taking a photo and sharing it on social media. Countries she has visited include Denmark, Austria, Ireland, Spain, Hungary, and France, to name a few!

Sophia Hadjipanteli It is clear what makes Sophia Hadjipanteli different from many of her peers. The young model, who is originally from Cyprus, has fully embraced her unibrow, which has captured the imaginations of fashion enthusiasts and designers alike. Many critics believe that Sophia has helped to change conventional beauty standards of the post-modern era. As of 2019, the self-proclaimed “social reject who found her people” has a staggering 403,000 followers on Instagram. Also, she is the proud founder of the #unibrowmovement.

Coraline Jouhier Coralie Jouhier undoubtedly has a unique appearance. She has admitted that her ginger hair, combined with her mixed-race appearance has been an obstacle in various aspects of her life. However, the 28-year-old has since used her appearance to her advantage and blesses her parents for giving her these gifts. “There are a lot of clichés about redheads in the black community,” she said. “When we moved to Paris…there were a lot of mixed-race people and I started to get compliments about my ‘look.'”

Elaine Davidson According to Guinness World Records, Elaine Davidson is the most pierced woman in the world. She began her extraordinary journey over 20 years ago, receiving her first piercing in January 1997. Of course, the Brazilian-born artist is also recognizable for her elaborately-colored dresses, hair-pieces, and makeup. She eventually relocated to Glasgow, Scotland and has been there ever since. Davidson’s most recent update came in 2011 when it was reported that she had 6,925 piercings. There is no denying that since then, that total must’ve risen.