Meet Joti

I was always a bubbly and confident young person living life to the full until in 1999.

I noticed a small spot that would spread like wildfire across my body and strip me completely from my confidence, and identity.

Vitiligo stole my 20's and 30's as I fell into major depression, ashamed of myself, I hid myself for 20 years under long sleeved clothing and camouflage make up. I had perfected the art of using camouflage make up using brands from Charles Fox to Mac that would conceal every spot across my body from head to toe. Summer months and going on holiday felt torturous and almost impossible in terms of fully covering up my skin in such hot weather.

In 2016, my life changed significantly. I took part in a BBC documentary and my world turned around. Little by little I started to gain back my confidence and I started to support other people with their skin conditions. I started to give back to society, connecting with like-minded people and helping them overcome their diagnosis.

To date I continue to advocate for people with visible differences and work alongside three charities to help advocate and create more awareness around the importance of representation.

I am a mother of two teenage children, a secondary school teacher of 20 years and Skin advocate on social media with a strong presence of spreading Body Positivity discussing how people can feel confident and start loving themselves for who they are in their own skin.

I have also published my own memoir that is to support people who are trying to navigate their vitiligo journey.

Looking ahead, my hope is that society continues to grow in awareness and acceptance of skin differences like vitiligo. I want to be part of that shift — not just for myself, but for the younger generation who deserve to grow up knowing that their skin is beautiful exactly as it is.

My next goal is to fully embrace my vitiligo, inside and out, and continue sharing my story to help others "be seen, heard and be you" which is my motto for Positively Diverse.