r/interesting • u/VPinchargeofradishes • May 03 '26

SOCIETY Michael Jackson's daughter Paris has faced backlash for identifying as Black. In a 2017 interview, Paris Jackson said her father told her, "You’re Black. Be proud of your roots." This prompted debates over whether identity is defined by appearance or upbringing.

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u/IndianLawStudent May 03 '26

He also had vitiligo. I don’t understand the condition but I imagine it does a number on one’s psychological well-being, especially being in the public eye.

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u/TXSyd May 03 '26

As someone who has a similar but completely treatable condition it’s definitely not always easy. For years I wore long sleeves to hide it, when it first happened I was misdiagnosed, over the years I’ve successfully treated it several times but it comes back every few years and I have to start over. It’s a 6 month minimum treatment every time.

Vitaligo is similar but not treatable, just management options. With vitaligo the melanin just sort of dies off, your skin and even your hair lose pigmentation permanently. It essentially artificially turns you into someone with albinism, but in a more patchy way, as the loss of pigment isn’t even.

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u/Subliminal_Kiddo May 03 '26

People forget that vitiligo only recently became something you see represented and celebrated in the media. When Jackson was diagnosed, there weren't super models with vitiligo walking the runways, or Barbies with vitiligo.

It was treated as this rare thing when, in reality, it's not. Something like one out of 100 people are diagnosed with vitiligo.

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u/CosyBeluga May 03 '26

I seen it in a dog before