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- Kamogelo Ramaboya, 18, shares her journey with vitiligo.
- When her skin started changing, she was bullied and attempted suicide.
- The confident TikToker and AFDA student now embraces who she is and believes beauty standards should not exist.
She was only 10 when she noticed that her skin was changing, but she thought nothing of it until little 'white dots' started spreading on her legs.
Confused by what was happening to her tiny body, she started to cover up. She wore long socks and jerseys, "even if it was scorching hot," the now 18-year-old Kamogelo Ramaboya tells us.
While dealing with her vitiligo diagnosis, she was bullied at school and called the meanest names. "I remember one saying I'm an alien or I got deep fried. I tried committing suicide because I felt unworthy of being human if all I would receive was inhumane comments."
Kamogelo, which means acceptance in her language, fought through her worst days. With a mom like hers, "a phenomenal woman", she was able to keep her head up, modelling a mother who also never let life weigh her down.
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"My mom still woke up in the morning and battled with this phenomenon called life. She portrayed herself as a confident woman who didn't care what people had to say about her. She saw herself for the beauty she is, and I took that. I took her teachings and how she valued herself and started applying that to my life."
Kamogelo is a Live Performance student at AFDA, and she has become a sensation on TikTok, showcasing her artistry. She has nothing to hide anymore and could not be any happier.
Even though her experience on social media didn't start so great, with hateful comments from some people, she started focusing on the positive ones and realised that she was creating awareness and making a difference in other people's lives. "I've had quite a number of people opening up to me about their stories and asking how I maintain this much confidence."
This is how she answers those constantly marvelling at how confident she is. "We live in a cruel, unapologetic world where many individuals will have opinions about you or what you do. What matters is how you see yourself. Wake up, look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself you're beautiful. Don't expect to hear it from others. Once you start accepting and valuing yourself for who you are, opinions won't matter.
"As toxic social standards continue to dictate what beauty is, it is important to be confident enough to show up as who we are.
"Beauty is who one is on the inside, and I believe that once you're beautiful on the inside, it automatically shows on the outside. I sometimes feel that the idea of beauty is overrated. Unrealistic beauty standards are hazardous to oneself because you feel the urge to change who you are to fit the standards set by societal norms. There shouldn't even be beauty standards, to begin with."
