30 years old Khalid Bethea works for Medicaid in New Jersey. He helps people with transportation and doctors’ appointments. But, being a creative being, Khalid keeps pursuing photography and modeling. He was recently featured in a commercial called ‘Be Truly Free’ and was part of The Netflix show ‘She’s Gotta Have It Too’ as an extra before being committed to occasional DJing.
About six years back, Khalid noticed his first vitiligo patch. Since he was diagnosed with the chronic skin disorder in his late 20’s, it wasn’t difficult for him to deal with it. “I was born with birthmarks all over my body so by the time vitiligo came to me, I was pretty comfortable and used to be different than most people. People make fun of it of course especially at a younger age but I’ve always known how to take a joke so I never took it too seriously at any point,” Khalid shares.
Amid common perceptions that vitiligo is painful or contagious, Khalid soon figured out what it was and how it worked. This only helped him accept his vitiligo gracefully. ‘The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom’ was one such book that inspired and encouraged Khalid through difficult times. Today, he is proud of who he is: “I absolutely love my vitiligo! It makes me who I am to an extent. It’s not all I am as a person but it definitely helps complete the whole that is who I am as a person. I wouldn’t trade it or try to remedy at all.”
“Is vitiligo underrepresented in popular culture?” We asked Khalid. He replies: “Too an extent, I also feel like people with vitiligo are just coming to the forefront and being admired by the general public so I’m sure we will see more in the future. I like it low key because it doesn’t start to feel like a trend or the “it thing” to have, you know?”
We asked Khalid to leave us with a message for fellow vitiligo fighters. He indeed had something empowering to share. He asked all youngsters to be happy. But, how would one do that? Khalid tells us how: “No matter where it is or how fast it’s spreading, love it because it’s a part of you. Once you learn to love it, you can truly love yourself. I hope everyone who has it walks with their chin held high and never ashamed of how they look or if it makes others uncomfortable.”
Well, we hope to see that day very soon. Team Unite For Vitiligo wishes Khalid Bethea a bright future ahead.
