forum How to I describe a character wih vitiligo?

Started February 05, 2018 by Jiji

tune

Hey! So one of my female characters has vitiligo but I don't know how to describe it without offending anyone. Any tips?

well i think it's easiest to describe as 'certain skintone (for example poc) with (for example white) marks/spots' but i don't know if that's offense or not

Just describe their regular skin tone, but actually state they have vitiligo? And definitely do a bit of research into the condition.

Discolored patches of skin are one of the ways my friend describes her vitiligo.

"Her skin was like a painting, clouds of white skin mixed with tanned ones, like flowers embroided in a silky fabric, and for once, my eyes couldn't stop staring at how beautiful she was" - Is this ok?

It depends on your writing style. If the story is being told in first person, make the description match with the main character's attitude and way of describing things… if that makes any sense

Thanks a lot, these are really nice suggestions! (I forgot to say this earlier, but this story has a medieval setting so I want to make it clear that she has vitiligo without actually using the word)