You Are Not Alone – Michael, Vitiligo and Hollywood

When you’re the most successful human being on the planet, people want to know everything about you; from what inspires you as an artist, to who you go to bed with! But in society’s quest to know always ‘that bit more’ about celebrities, the idea of a ‘need-to-know’ basis has been lost, replaced with a hunger for every detail, including medical.

When Michael Jackson broke just about every record possible with the release of Thriller, there wasn’t a person who hadn’t heard of Michael Jackson, the African-American artist. With the release of Bad some 4 years later, people noticed Michael’s change in appearance and again with the release of Dangerous in 1991. The focal point was Michael’s skin tone which had shifted from a dark brown, to a pale white. In 1993, Michael gave in to public pressure and finally revealed he had a skin condition known as Vitiligo. The condition destroys the pigmentation in the subject’s skin leaving them with blotches and patches in the effected areas. This can range from one area such as the hands or face, to the entire body.

As the condition was so unheard of, many continued to refer to it as ‘Michael Jackson syndrome’ or favour the notions that he ‘made it up’, ‘bleached his skin’ or the most ridiculous ‘wanted to be white’. With the latter, I guess most who use this ignorant suggestion forget that Michael’s most successful album was during the time he had a dark complexion.

Sadly, it took Michael’s autopsy for people to finally accept the fact that Michael had been telling the truth about his condition and he hadn’t simply ‘made it up’.

But Hollywood is no stranger to Vitiligo and in a continued effort to educate a new generation on Michael Jackson and his life, I’ve decided to compile these images of other celebrities who suffer from Vitiligo. The idea is not to ‘exposure’ or cast a spotlight on any particular, but to demonstrate that Michael Jackson was not alone, Vitiligo is real and it continues to effect people regardless of ethnicity or status.

Today, this skin condition is celebrated throughout the media but yet people still through shade on his appearance.