Elisabeth Van Aalderen had a lot going for her.
After getting her diploma from the Utrecht School of Arts, she applied to the photography department of the Fotovakschool in Amsterdam.
Since then, she has worked in the fashion industry as a stylist and art director but eventually quit her job to pursue her dreams of becoming a professional photographer.
However, about 8 years ago, when she was 25, something came up that tried to slow Elisabeth down. Vitiligo.
A skin condition in which a lack of melanin leads to developing white patches on the skin.
“I started to get tiny white spots on my left hand,” Elisabeth told us. “After a few weeks, the small spots turned into one bigger spot. That’s when it all started. Today, 60% of my skin is covered in vitiligo.”
Most people who live with this skin condition have these patches on multiple areas of their bodies.
“When I was diagnosed, I started skin therapy:
creams, lightening-therapy, a gluten-free diet, a vegetarian diet, no sun, a lot of sun, yoga. You name it, I tried it all,” Elisabeth said.
“Nothing worked. Eventually, I stopped these treatments because I didn’t want my life to be like that. I couldn’t change the fact that I have vitiligo, so I started to embrace it.”
The photographer believes that she has vitiligo for a reason.
“It’s my biggest and most difficult journey of self-acceptance.”
A couple of years ago, a girl randomly came up to her and said, ‘I really love your skin color, it’s like your own unique tattoo. You should be proud.’ This experience has inspired Elisabeth to create a photo series, dedicated exclusively to people like her. “During my day-to-day job as a photographer, people asked me a lot of questions about my skin. This made me wonder: why not use these two experiences, portrait photography and my skin condition? Photography is [a wonderful way] to document and celebrate the vitiligo body. It is an ode to its natural beauty and uniqueness.”
Elisabeth called her project Shades of Pale and set out to spread awareness about this condition. “About 60 million people around the globe have vitiligo, yet there are a lot of people who don’t know what it is,” she explained. “I also want to tell the story of strong, beautiful women that celebrate their looks which, in this case, distinguishes them from others. I want to portray women who embrace their skin. I don’t want people to look at vitiligo as something ‘out of the box’. When it comes to beauty, I believe there is no box. All types of beauty need to be inclusive. Beauty can be whatever you want it to be.”
“I have photographed women from all over the world who come in all kinds of shapes and colors, ” Elisabeth said. “The ages differ from 20 to 50 years old. For them, this experience wasn’t only a way of expressing themselves creatively. It has also been incredibly therapeutic. About 90% of them hadn’t been in front of a camera. They really stepped out of their comfort zone. It feels very rewarding that the photoshoot contributed to their self-confidence. For many women I have portrayed, it was a process of healing and acceptance. It is wonderful that there is such a big community on social media which has made me able to connect with all these beautiful individuals. It has been such a positive journey, for me and for the ones I portrayed.”
So far, there’s no known way to prevent or cure the condition. Doctors usually offer to improve the appearance of affected skin with cosmetics and corticosteroid creams. Other common solutions include re-pigmenting the white skin using UV light therapy or lightening the skin in unaffected areas or a skin graft.
