The Depiction of Vitiligo: Public Perception Through the Years
For millennia, Vitiligo has been a condition of shame. 2000 years ago, to the untrained eye, the colorless macules of Vitiligo resemble those of leprosy and resulted in many individuals being grouped with lepers. The Bible made no distinction between the two diseases and sufferers of both were cast out. As medicine advanced into the twentieth century, it became known that Vitiligo was a disease caused by the autoimmune destruction of melanocytes by cytotoxic CD8+ T- lymphocytes. Vitiligo exists in two major forms, segmental and generalized, and affects approximately 1% of the world’s population and affects over 60 million people world wide. With the uncoupling from leprosy (and …show more content…
Initially diagnosed in 1986 (as well as with controlled Lupus Erythematosis), Jackson admitted his condition on national television on the Oprah Winfrey show in 1993 and conveyed how devastating the condition had been for him with nearly every area of his body losing pigment. Oprah stated "You can see he got a little testy there about the skin issue. I think in 1993 nobody understood what it was. Nobody knew anything about Vitiligo, I could see that that was one of the areas that was very sensitive to him, obviously." Jackson was ashamed of his condition. He rarely spoke about it and as his life progressed, he stepped into the limelight far less frequently. This obviously had a negative effect on public perception of Vitiligo. Initial views of the condition became those of shame. Here, arguably the most famous singer in the world is embarrassed by this condition; people believed that there must be a reason to be ashamed. Some even believed that the condition was made up and that Jackson simply wanted to bleach his skin to be whiter and more European. Coupled with the numerous cosmetic procedures such as repeat rhinoplasties, few believed that he suffered from an actual condition. Following his death in 2009, an autopsy revealed that he did indeed suffer from the condition yet public perception did not change. Patients continued to feel increased stigma from their disease This perception continued until
For millennia, Vitiligo has been a condition of shame. 2000 years ago, to the untrained eye, the colorless macules of Vitiligo resemble those of leprosy and resulted in many individuals being grouped with lepers. The Bible made no distinction between the two diseases and sufferers of both were cast out. As medicine advanced into the twentieth century, it became known that Vitiligo was a disease caused by the autoimmune destruction of melanocytes by cytotoxic CD8+ T- lymphocytes. Vitiligo exists in two major forms, segmental and generalized, and affects approximately 1% of the world’s population and affects over 60 million people world wide. With the uncoupling from leprosy (and …show more content…
Initially diagnosed in 1986 (as well as with controlled Lupus Erythematosis), Jackson admitted his condition on national television on the Oprah Winfrey show in 1993 and conveyed how devastating the condition had been for him with nearly every area of his body losing pigment. Oprah stated "You can see he got a little testy there about the skin issue. I think in 1993 nobody understood what it was. Nobody knew anything about Vitiligo, I could see that that was one of the areas that was very sensitive to him, obviously." Jackson was ashamed of his condition. He rarely spoke about it and as his life progressed, he stepped into the limelight far less frequently. This obviously had a negative effect on public perception of Vitiligo. Initial views of the condition became those of shame. Here, arguably the most famous singer in the world is embarrassed by this condition; people believed that there must be a reason to be ashamed. Some even believed that the condition was made up and that Jackson simply wanted to bleach his skin to be whiter and more European. Coupled with the numerous cosmetic procedures such as repeat rhinoplasties, few believed that he suffered from an actual condition. Following his death in 2009, an autopsy revealed that he did indeed suffer from the condition yet public perception did not change. Patients continued to feel increased stigma from their disease This perception continued until