Meet Amy Deanna, the First CoverGirl Model With Vitiligo

At 60 years old, CoverGirl went through a major rebranding last year, most noticeably by changing its slogan from the famous "easy, breezy, beautiful" to "I Am What I Makeup." According to the brand, this switch was made to inspire people to embrace what makes them unique. The new campaign was fronted by a diverse lineup of models such as Issa Rae, Ayesha Curry, and Maye Musk. Now, the brand has added another ambassador — and she just made CoverGirl history.

Amy Deanna is a model with vitiligo, a skin condition never represented in the brand's ads until now. Amy will front the TruBlend foundation, and along with looking absolutely stunning for her own ad, she's speaking out about the need for representation in the beauty community.

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As Amy told People, she's always looked up to CoverGirls like Queen Latifah and Zendaya. "I remember seeing Queen Latifah on TV as a CoverGirl when I was young," she told the magazine. "That was so inspiring." Now, it's her turn to empower others.

"Vitiligo awareness is something that is very important to me. Being given a platform to do so means so much," Amy said. "I welcome all appropriate questions about vitiligo. At the end of the day I am just like everyone else, I just happen to have spots. It's a part of my identity, but it doesn't define who I am . . . For there to be so many of us and so little representation, it's truly disheartening. I work with CoverGirl; I'm a black woman; I have vitiligo. That is empowering."

Amy's ad is set in front of a bathroom mirror, and the model said that setting is imperative for women who are struggling to find self-acceptance. She explained, "There's something about believing in yourself and being confident: Practice it, look in the mirror, smile big and compliment yourself. You can be whatever you want to be. You've just got to believe it."

Even though she just landed a major campaign, Amy admitted that the industry still has more to do when it comes to inclusion and representation. "The fashion and beauty industry sometimes feels like a private party that only a select few get invited to," she said. "It's very 'you can't sit with us.' To me, that is not progressive. We have to be more inclusive. Diversity is important. Representation is important. Inclusivity is important — not just for people of different backgrounds and ethnicities, but also people of all sizes . . . Beauty comes in all shapes, sizes, colors, etc. Let's face it, together we are a mosaic — that in itself is beautiful. We should celebrate that."

Speaking of celebrations: congratulations, Amy!

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