Chantelle Whitney Brown-Young was born on July 27, 1996, in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Her parents, Lisa and Windsor, as well as she and her two sisters, are of Jamaican descent. In an interview with Fashion Daily, Harlow described that her name is a mixture of a reference to Winnie the Pooh as a child, and her love of actress, Jean Harlow.

When she was just 4 years old, Winnie was diagnosed with vitiligo, a condition characterized by the lack of pigmentation in the skin. The condition can also cause a lack of pigmentation in the hair, but there is little understanding of what causes vitiligo.

Winnie Harlow has expressed that her vitiligo was constant conversation as a child, a teenager, and even now, as a celebrity. As a child, Harlow experienced bullying because of the condition, causing her to move schools frequently, and even consider taking her own life.

Harlow became the first Canadian contestant on America’s Next Top Model during the 21st Cycle after being discovered by Tyra Banks on Instagram. Although she was eliminated in the second week of the finals, she returned for the comeback series.

After gaining recognition on the show, Winnie graced the covers, runways, and ads for a number of brands and designers. She even appeared in Beyonce’s critically-acclaimed visual album, Lemonade, in 2016, and owned the runway at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion show in 2018. Her extensive career, striking beauty, and talent have made her one of the most recognizable models in the world.

In addition to her impressive modelling career, Winnie has become a role model and advocate for those living with vitiligo. Harlow has given her own TED talks, produced her own videos, and is very active on social media. She has even been presented with a “Role Model of the Year” award from GQ in 2015.

Sources:

Forbes

All American Speakers

Fashion Week

 Kassidy Garland has had a great appreciation for reading and writing since she was young. She graduated from West Chester University in 2017 with a Bachelor’s Degree in English & Women and Gender Studies. With a concentration in creative writing, Kassidy has 5 years of experience writing blogs, articles, and for social media. Kassidy is also pursuing a Master’s degree in IT with a concentration in Web Development. Based out of Philadelphia, Kassidy loves to write about a number of topics and looks forward to sharing her passion with those at FunTimes Magazine. 

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