Ever since infancy, a girl was subjected to unlikely circumstances. It all began when her parents left her outside an orphanage because of her unusual appearance. Years later, she proved her parents were wrong and inspires people with her phenomenal story. Zwelia Bing’s life was filled with endless twists and turns that went on to define her future and personality. Her life story began quite interestingly on the day when she was abandoned on the ground outside an orphanage.
Many might have thought that her life would have ended at that moment, but fate had different plans for her. Abing said she was born in China when the government’s one-child policy was in effect, and thousands of babies were left by their birth families. Like many other infants, she said her biological parents dropped her outside an orphanage’s door and vanished without a trace. The Chinese girl noted that she never heard from her parents nor knew who they were. After that incident, the orphanage took her in, and their staff members named her Zweiling Zwam and Snow.
While Lee was defined as beautiful, Abing said her birth parents abandoned her because of her looks. She was born with albinism, a genetic condition that causes decreased pigment melanin or no melanin, resulting in eyes, hair, and skin appearing pale in color.
Despite a relatively rough start in life, a Dutch family adopted her when she was three. After that, she moved with her new family to the Netherlands, where her mom and sister Yara provided her with a loving and affectionate environment. Abing said she entered the modeling agency by accident at age 11 when a Hong Kong designer invited her to model for a photo shoot aimed at portraying various forms of beauty.
Regarding her experience, she shared, “The designer called a campaign ‘Perfect Imperfections’ and asked if I wanted to join her fashion show in Hong Kong. That was an amazing experience.” Having said people with albinism face increased discrimination, with some considering it a curse, she told BBC, “I’m lucky I was only abandoned.” The young Chinese noted that models with albinism face stereotypes and were mainly depicted as angels or ghosts in campaigns and photo shoots. “It makes me sad,” she admitted.
Fortunately, Abing worked with a photographer in London who treated her with utmost respect and kindness. The resulting photo shoot turned out to be incredible, and according to Abbing, one of the images was sold to Vogue Italia for their June 2019 issue. Having said it took her a while to understand that Vogue was an important magazine and being featured in it was a big deal, doing photo shoots was cumbersome for the young lady who only had eight to ten percent vision and couldn’t look directly at the camera as it irritated her eyes.
Despite the odds, Abing said she felt glad to represent people with visible differences and be their voice. She expressed, “Maybe because I cannot see everything properly, I focused more on people’s voices and what they have to say, so their inner beauty is more important to me.
At the tender age of 16, Abby was said to have graced the pages of Vogue magazine in front of numerous campaigns for famous designers such as Kurt Geiger. Abing’s loving sister Yara, who managed her social media presence and sometimes photographed her, shared with Bored Panda, “She works as a model in order to raise awareness around albinism and to show others that people with disabilities are normal as well and can perfectly participate in society.”
According to Yara, when her sister wasn’t busy with photo shoots or gracing runways, she indulged in a myriad of activities, including sports. Abbing enjoys crocheting, climbing, watching informative videos online, and being philosophical about life. Abby hopes to use the modeling platform to raise awareness about albinism and garner support, stating, “I want to use modeling to talk about albinism and say it’s a genetic disorder, not a curse.
The way to talk about it is to say a person with albinism because being an albino sounds as if it defines who you are.” Even though Abbing has a long way to go, she said she wants to change the world and encourage others like her to believe in themselves rather than letting their circumstances define them. Abbing is making albinism her strength and uses modeling to raise her voice. Undoubtedly, the young model is a shining example that our differences can be our defining features, introducing us to endless possibilities. Thank you to Aileen for breaking stereotypes and teaching us that true beauty lies in embracing ourselves.
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