'America's Next Top Model' Contestant Competes with Rare Skin Condition

By
The CW

Chantelle Brown-Young is setting out to redefine beauty in the fashion industry.

The 20-year-old is competing on this season of America's Next Top Model, and is bringing to light a rare skin disorder called vitiligo.

The aspiring model confessed to People that after discovering that her skin was starting to spot around the age of four, the teasing at school soon followed. "The bullying started when I went to school," she said. "It was tough. I definitely had problems with self-esteem."


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Now, she's having the last laugh as she works with some of the biggest names in fashion, including the fabulous Tyra Banks. The supermodel discovered Brown-Young on Instagram and personally asked her to compete on season 21 of ANTM, which premieres Aug. 18 on The CW.

"I'd only been modeling for maybe a year before she found me, so I was pretty fresh," she said of being swept up by Banks. "The fact that she wanted me so badly for her show will stick with me for the rest of my life."

Brown-Young hopes her story will inspire others like herself. "Growing up, it was a 'fake it 'til you make it' type of thing. I just decided, 'You know what? I'm going to keep telling myself I'm beautiful until I feel beautiful.' And it happened."