She Hid Her Vitiligo for 15 Years—Then One Video Changed Everything
On June 1, 2025, the first day of Vitiligo Awareness Month, a video was quietly uploaded to TikTok and Instagram. In the video, a woman with smooth, pale skin wearing a purple workout tank turns her back to the camera and lifts her vibrant red hair to reveal vitiligo depigmentation spanning her upper back.
The video’s voiceover proclaimed, “This is me. My skin tells a story, one of beauty, strength, and truth.” It wasn’t just any video—it was a line drawn in the sand. It was the first time Stephanie Castaneira had shared her vitiligo publicly. And she’s not turning back.
No more silence, no more hiding
For more than a decade, Stephanie, who goes by Stef, carried a secret around with her. Like an invisible backpack, the effort of hiding weighed on her daily. She was hiding her vitiligo, covering it with makeup, wearing long sleeves and long pants in every season. Looking back, Stef describes those years as “heavy and mostly negative.” She navigated her vitiligo journey in solitary silence for almost 15 years.
The hiding worked—until it didn’t.
One day, that heaviness was more than Stef wanted to carry anymore. She began the internal work of choosing to accept her skin for what it is. She came to believe her vitiligo was “not something I need to explain or hide,” she says. And over time, the slow work of inner acceptance brought her to a place of outward embrace. “I reached a point where I didn’t want to live in silence about it anymore,” Stef says.
From shadows to spotlight
So she hit “post” on that reel last June. Stef was not prepared for the support and solidarity that poured in. “I truly didn’t expect the level of support and encouragement I received. The messages, the applause, and the genuine kindness affirmed that I was on the right path,” Stef says.
Stef’s courage led her to a community, one she hadn’t realized she needed. “Through this, I’ve connected with so many incredible women, even if only virtually, and those relationships have been deeply uplifting,” she says. Letting her vitiligo be seen gave Stef some welcome validation, too: “It felt like confirmation that my voice and my story mattered.”
Power, patience, and promise
Whatever she had feared would happen—rejection, judgment, unkind words—did not happen. Stef let the world see her vitiligo, and the world didn’t change. But she did. And now, upheld by the love and pride of her family and the broader vitiligo community, she’s empowered to encourage other women to step out of hiding, too.
Fueled by her belief in the persistence and strength of all women, Stef encourages other women with vitiligo to have patience with their journey, and to keep believing in their beauty.
“That journey won’t be instant,” says Stef as a gentle reminder. “It will take time, and sometimes it will take pain, but none of that means you’re failing. It means you’re becoming. I believe in every one of you, and I hope you never forget that your skin does not take away from your beauty, it adds to your story.”
Interview with Stephanie Castaneira
We talked with Stef about hiding her vitiligo for over a decade, finding a new community, and why she believes every woman with vitiligo can and will learn to accept her skin. Read the full interview below.
Name: Stephanie Castaneira
Age: 32
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Years with Vitiligo: 16
Living Dappled (LD): Tell us about your daily life. What do you do for work, what’s your family situation?
Stef Castaneira (SC): I’m a mom of two boys, 11 and 6, and I also work full-time as an optical optician.
LD: Let’s talk about your vitiligo journey. When did you first get vitiligo, and how has it impacted your life?
SC: I got vitiligo at 16 years old. Vitiligo changed my life the moment it first appeared. I am now about 80% depigmented, and for a long time, it was something I carried with me every single day. The first ten years were heavy and mostly negative. I covered up in every season, wearing long sleeves, pants, makeup… everything I could to hide. Today, I am choosing something different. I embrace it. I let it be seen. I know now that I am beautiful, I am unique, and my skin tells my story.
LD: In the past year you stepped into sharing about your vitiligo more openly online. Tell us about what that was like for you—how did it feel to share this part of your story publicly?
SC: Yes—sharing my vitiligo openly online over the past year has been both scary and freeing. For so long, my skin was something I protected and kept private, so choosing to show it publicly felt like a vulnerable step.
What made me feel ready was the work I had already done internally—learning to accept my skin for what it is, not something I need to explain or hide. I reached a point where I didn’t want to live in silence about it anymore. I truly didn’t expect the level of support and encouragement I received. The messages, the applause, and the genuine kindness affirmed that I was on the right path.
Being noticed by Living Dappled was especially meaningful. It felt like confirmation that my voice and my story mattered. Through this, I’ve connected with so many incredible women, even if only virtually, and those relationships have been deeply uplifting. My family has expressed how proud they are of me. Hearing my 11-year-old tell me he’s proud of me is something I’ll carry with me forever.
LD: We love to hear a story like that, and love your courage in opening up about your story. Switching gears a little bit, tell us about one go-to product that helps you live with vitiligo.
SC: e.l.f. Invisistick and Cay Skin SPF lip balm are two of my favorites. I haven’t found the perfect all-over body SPF so I would love for anyone out there to share their favorites with me.
LD: Finally, the question we always close with is: What advice do you have for other women with vitiligo?
SC: My advice to other women with vitiligo is to give yourself grace. I truly believe every woman will reach a day when they can accept their skin. I know this because of how strong we are. We don’t give up. But that journey won’t be instant. It will take time, and sometimes it will take pain, but none of that means you’re failing. It means you’re becoming. I believe in every one of you, and I hope you never forget that your skin does not take away from your beauty—it adds to your story.
