Shankar and Sultan, who both have vitiligo, will be competing in this year’s London Marathon in aid of Changing Faces, the UK’s leading charity for everyone with a visible difference, including scars, marks and conditions.
They believe that having a visible difference shouldn’t stop people from being able to achieve their goals and live their lives as they wish to. Vitiligo is an autoimmune condition where areas of the skin have little to no melanocytes due to them being damaged or destroyed. Melanocytes are needed to produce melanin, which gives skin its pigment, so it leaves white patches across the body.
While anyone can develop vitiligo, it is more obvious on people with skin of colour. As a result, Shankar and Sultan have both had to manage everything from microaggressions to insults on the street, which has, unsurprisingly, had a significant negative impact on both men’s mental health and confidence in the past. Nearly one in five people in the UK identifies as having a visible difference, with staring, bullying and abusive comments part of day-to-day life for some.
Sultan and Shankar have both learned to accept themselves and recognise that negative responses towards them are society’s problem, not theirs. Part of this journey has seen the men signing up to take part in the 2023 London Marathon, requiring them to have their vitiligo on show in running shorts and vests, while being watched by thousands of people. Shankar believes no one should be ashamed of having a visible difference.
“The idea of being watched by so many people is a lot to reckon with. However, taking part in the marathon is important to me, as it shows anyone with a visible difference they have nothing to be ashamed of. They can do anything they put their mind to, and any negativity comes from other people’s ignorance, it’s not a problem with them. Taking part is both terrifying and empowering,” he said.
“If my 15-year-old self could see me now, proudly pulling on a Changing Faces running vest, and shorts, exposing my skin to thousands of people, I think he’d be amazed. If one child with a visible difference sees me out training or on the course, and thinks they can go swimming, or wear their favourite t-shirt, it’s worth it, that’s what will get me through the ‘marathon wall’ I’ve heard of!” Sultan added: “You don’t see many people who
look like me taking part in the London Marathon. In fact, I’ve researched it, and it seems I will be the first man of Pakistani heritage with vitiligo to run the London Marathon – at least openly. There has often been a stigma against people who look different, particularly in ethnic minority communities where there is sometimes more judgement due to pressures around reputation.
“It’s something I’ve lived with my whole life. I want people to see me for who I am, owning my visible difference and showing the world I’m confident to be seen and proud of who I am.”
The pair will be raising funds for Changing Faces – who they are ambassadors for – throughout their marathon journeys. The charity provides mental health, wellbeing and skin camouflage services for people with visible differences and campaigns to reduce prejudice and discrimination.
Sultan and Shankar both regularly speak out and challenge the prejudice too many people with a visible difference experience. Sultan is also a model, appearing on billboards in Times Square in New York and walking in London Fashion Week, championing better diversity in the sector, while Shankar has recently published his first children’s book, where the main character also has vitiligo and discovers it’s a superpower.
Sultan said: “Vitiligo and other visible differences shouldn’t be seen as taboo. The stigma that is still attached to looking different can have a huge impact on a person’s development and confidence and it needs to end. Education is an important part of achieving this. I’ve had multiple people ask me if my vitiligo is infectious or contagious, and it is ignorance such as this that causes problems.
“I want people with visible differences to see them as a superpower, as this is something that helped me when I was a kid and is still something I very much believe in. Embrace your difference and learn to be comfortable in your own skin, because being different in a world where everyone is trying to be the same truly is a superpower.” n Changing Faces is the UK’s leading charity for everyone who has a scar, mark or condition that makes them look different. For advice or support, see www.changingfaces.org.uk or call 0300 012 0275.
