This male model from India is breaking the stereotypes by embracing his vitiligo

Vitiligo might be a challenge for some, making them conscious of their looks, but for Shantanu Gosavi, his patched skin has helped him become an art model.

Hailed as one of the first male models with vitiligo in India, Shantanu has become the face of unconventional art modeling in a very short period of time.

His dual shaded skin attracts immediate attention and he embrace and enjoys all this spotlight in a positive sense.

A textile design graduate from NIFT (National Institute of Fashion Technology) Gandhinagar, Gujarat, Shantanu is a freelance artist, trying his hands with modeling, photography, designing and dancing.

He is not your average model you casually see on the billboards, but he himself is a work of art.

Having embraced his two different skin tones as strength, Shantanu is not only breaking barriers in the world of fashion but also bursting the conventional definition of beauty.

Vitiligo is an autoimmune condition; the immune system mistakenly attacks body’s own skin cells to cause patches due to discoloration.

It’s non-contagious, does not spread by physical contact and also, quite non-painful. So, on the physical level, vitiligo is not a big deal but the psychological consequences are hard to ignore for many.

Family and friends are Shantanu’s biggest support system

Visible patches on the body, bringing frequent public stares can affect a person’s self-esteem as s/he harbors poor body image in the long run.

But that isn’t the case for Shantanu. He first noticed the patches appearing when he was 8 or 9 years old. But his parents didn’t seem too worried about it and the reason for that ‘care-free’ attitude might lie in the family itself.

“My mother is also having the white spots, so it was not something strange or unusual to me. I think this familiarity to vitiligo helped me embrace it without much struggle. Having seen my mother living almost a very normal life, I never thought that vitiligo is going to affect the quality of my life ever and I was not wrong thinking that way.”

The people around him, family and peers, never took vitiligo something out of the ordinary. According to Shantanu, during his school days, he never got the ‘attention’ due to vitiligo and it saved him from developing any negative mindset towards his skin.

It’s only after the modeling assignments, words of appreciation and recognition has started to come his way and he is really enjoying this feeling.

Vitiligo does not have a cure and it’s alright

Growing up, he was suggested numerous treatments and he tried them too, but nothing worked and then he accepted it as it was. Without resistance, he allowed the process of skin depigmentation to take the natural course and now that vitiligo is almost all over his skin, he shows off his skin with even more pride and confidence.

How Shantanu became India’s first male model with Vitiligo?

Modeling was not something Shantanu always thought of pursuing. Being a young man in early 20s, as he was getting comfortable with the changes in his skin, he was a bit self-conscious and camera shy. But seeing everyone being so accepting and encouraging around him, Shantanu decided to experiment with the camera on his social media profiles. His modeling journey started when the local seller of a reputed clothing brand spotted him and offered him a modeling assignment. As he posted his picture of collaboration with the brand, more and more brands and photographers started noticing him. They were on the lookout to find unconventional models and Shantanu’s striking confidence and his unique appearance made him a perfect choice.

His favorite work is his collaboration with the photographer Arka Patra in ‘Portraits of Men’. Beautiful hand-drawn flowers all over his body as he posed with pastel flowers against his pale skin to emphasize more on the beauty his dual skin tone carries.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by | s h a n t a n u | (@shantanugosavi)

This photo shoot was a success and even the web portal of prestigious fashion magazine ‘Vague’ selected one of the pictures as the picture of the day.

Shantanu has also been featured in a video campaign by Vogue India called ‘Blurred Lines’ where he talked about how he got the opportunity to shoot for ‘portraits of men’ and how this project changed his entire life for good.

For him, self-acceptance has been the game changer

Shantanu says that he has always enjoyed the spotlight. He believes that being able to accept how he looks and being so confident about it has given him a huge advantage in his life and career. He advocates self-love and inclusiveness for everyone, stating that being self-conscious is of no use when you have such special skin.

Shantanu, who is also learning Kathak dance, believes that if we want to change for the better we should start by breaking the stereotypes and standards that surround us. With the rise of social media and an internet friendly world, many different and unique artists are finding their space to express their ideas in the world of beauty and fashion. Now beautiful is not just someone who fits right into the mould of “perfection” set by those in the past. With the rise of independent artists, brands and photographers, new terms for what is beautiful, aesthetic and acceptable are also emerging.

These new ideas might seem unconventional in comparison to the models we usually find walking on the ramps and are on giant billboards. But with models like Shantanu coming into the spotlight, we might soon transition into an era where “beautiful” is not just a prescribed term with a fixed, restricted idea, but more of an open arena where “every different is beautiful”.

In a country like India where fair, flawless skin is still idolized, breaking the status quo might take a little time but models like Shantanu have time and again proven that through a strong mind and positive attitude, you can achieve anything you want. The best gift that you can give yourself is wearing your skin with pride and continuously reminding yourself that you are a piece of art. People with vitiligo often struggle to accept their skin and maintain confidence. For them, Shantanu Gosavi is truly an epitome of inspiration as he echoes self-love, acceptance and confidence through his works.