Weslye Saunders has been in the public eye since he was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2011. The sportsperson, who has more than 25K fan base on Twitter, recently used the social media platform to tell the world that he is part of 1% of the world’s population. He posted a picture of his back, which showcased tiny vitiligo spots as well as his strong muscles.
In this interactive tweet, the American football tight end wrote, “Growing up, I couldn’t wait to get a big tattoo on my back. To cover up my embarrassing skin condition. Then I got older & realized, my skin IS the artwork!” Weslye used hashtags like #Vitiligo, #LoveTheSkinYoureIn and #Blessed to make the tweet more warm and heartfelt. Throughout the years, Weslye has been very interactive with his fan base on social media. However, this was the first time when he shared a long-held secret – vitiligo.
Growing up, I couldn't wait to get a big tattoo on my back. 🎨To cover up my embarrassing 'skin condition' 🤦🏾♂️
Then I got older & realized, my skin IS the artwork! ❤️ #Vitiligo #LoveTheSkinYoureIn #Blessed pic.twitter.com/UKPOX9bb0d
— Weslye Saunders (@Wes_Saunders88) October 29, 2018
According to a rough estimate, more than 200,000 people around the world get diagnosed with chronic skin disorder each year. Even though vitiligo is not life-threatening, it can make those living with it feel self-conscious about the apparent visual difference. This is one of the reasons why many celebrities with vitiligo haven’t publically spoken about it. By comparing the pictures from Weslye’s social media account, it can be anticipated that the sportsperson has vitiligo spots on his back.
By speaking his heart out, Weslye has joined Leleti Khumalo (a well-known South African actress), Isaac Go (Filipino basketball player) and Countess Vaughn (a successful TV actress and signer) who opened up to the public about living with vitiligo this year. While Khumalo went make-up free for her latest TV show, Isaac Go took to Instagram to reveal his vitiligo on the occasion of the World Vitiligo Day 2018. The very next month (July 2018), Countess Vaughn opened up to a fan about having vitiligo. She posted an adorable video on Instagram, which captioned “Loving me regardless of my skin Situation.”
