I remember seeing her for the first time at an event in Johannesburg 3 years ago and being absolutely blown away by Refilwe Modiselle! Tall gorgeous and confident, she owned the room and then I realised that I was not the only person who was in awe of her beauty. Since that day, I have been following her career and can truly say that she is one of South Africa’s most inspiring entertainers and models to date.

The first albino model we heard of was Chinese – Swedish model Conny Chiu.

Even though she had her own share of prejudice, it could not be compared with the prejudice you would get in a country like South Africa where albinism is riddled with superstition and myth to a point where your life might even be in danger if you are born with albinism.  Rifilwe (who is affectionately known as Fifi) has broken those stereotypes and has taught many South Africans that beauty is not always packaged in the conventional form.

Fifi started her career at the age of 13 and has since been seen on the runway as a model for the likes of David Tlale as the first South African albino model. She was also a brand ambassador for Legit and this multi-talented young lady also did a stint as a backing vocalist for KB. She also works as a marketer and has worked for some of South Africa’s top media agencies. Despite always being different she has held her head up high and proves that she is a force to be reckoned with! She has also paved the way for other up and coming models like Thando Hopa who is making a name for herself internationally as the “new face of fashion”. Slowly but surely they are positive role models to other young albino girls out there.

Thando Hopa

Generally, we can all be inspired by her. For me it was being, the darkest tallest chick in my grade and having to stand at the back of the queue with the boys. For you it might be freckles, a birthmark, your ears, your red hair or whatever that you might have been given a hard time about. What we can learn from people like Refilwe is that there is no set definition to what beauty is and it comes in different shapes and forms. Sometimes it comes with that extra detail to remind you of your uniqueness and that the most beautiful thing about you is that you are different from everyone else. So hold your head up high and always know that you are beautiful, special and there is only one of you.

Other inspiring albino models making it big around the world:

Diandra Forrest

Shaun Ross

Images Courtesy: frillr.com, fashionmodeldirectory.com, legitimatefashion.com, make-up-is-an-art.tumblr.com and tammiexxoo.blogspot.com