Winnie Harlow insists she isn’t a role model.
The 22-year-old model admits she is "breaking boundaries" and is pleased people find her "inspirational" but she won’t go out of her way to change her behaviour to set a good example.
She said: "I’m breaking boundaries. But I definitely don’t want to be called a role model.
"I’m just me. I live my life as myself.
"I make mistakes, I swear a lot.
"I’m just a young woman living my life and if people find something in that that’s inspirational, then I’m happy."
Winnie was bullied because of her skin pigment condition vitiligo when she was a child but eventually realised her own opinion was what counted and stopped listening to the hurtful comments.
She said: "The only reason I didn’t like my skin is because I was told it wasn’t what’s right. Or I was told it wasn’t normal.
"But who’s to say that? Eventually I learned that my opinion of myself matters so much more than anyone else’s and I wish I’d known it earlier.
"One day I just didn’t give a f**k anymore."
And the former ‘America’s Next Top Model’ contestant admits she finds it frustrating that her skin is constantly under scrutiny.
She told Grazia magazine: "I am honestly so sick of talking about my skin. Literally, so sick of it.
"I hope one day I can just stop talking about it.
"It shouldn’t be a box that people try and keep me in, but I feel like that’s going to be a battle throughout my whole life.
"All I can do is try to fight it for the next generation. I’m the first of my kind, but one day I hope I’m not the model with vitiligo. I hope I’ll just be Winnie Harlow the model."
Winnie Harlow isn’t a role model
