'I was told to drink cow's wee due to my rare skin condition'
Jasroop Singh once hated the way she looks, but the 21-year-old is now making a name for herself in the modelling world. The star of Channel 4’s new docuseries New Model Agency has featured in Vogue, modelled for brands including Burberry, and now considers her skin condition vitiligo to be a superpower.
However, it has been a long and painful journey to self-acceptance for Jas, who reveals she was cruelly bullied at school and told to drink cow’s urine in a bid to cure her condition, which causes white patches to develop on the face and body. “There were times where I just thought, ‘What even is the point any more?’” Jas tells OK!. “I hated the way I looked. I’d always wish I wasn’t even here.”
Jas is now signed to Zebedee Talent – the inclusive model agency that is the subject of Channel 4 ’s documentary. The three part series follows the agency’s diverse cast of models as they head out to castings and take the fashion world by storm.
But Jas’ confidence wasn’t always at the impressive level it is now. Raised in Essex by her English mum and Indian dad, Jas began to develop vitiligo at the age of four. “It started on my skin with a small patch,” she explains.
While kids didn’t pay much attention to it in primary school, her parents began looking into ways to cure the condition. “I was taking medication from a young age, so you can imagine how much of an effect that had on my mental health,” she recalls.
“My parents – they knew no better about that other than to cure it. And with it being such a taboo in South Asian culture, I’d be going to India a lot, nearly every year.
“We would be going to see doctors and dermatologists. I was on herbal medications, drinking medications. At one point, they were like, ‘She needs to drink pig’s wee, cow’s wee and then she will turn one colour.’”
When Jas started secondary school, the bullying began. “They called me horrible names, animal names. They would moo at me in the corridor,” she says. “That lasted throughout my whole school journey. I thought it might get a bit better when I started college, but it was even worse.”
Jas began therapy to cope with the torment, but it didn’t solve everything. “Therapy was helping me but I just wanted education to be over – I hated it so much. A lot of the comments were from men being so nasty.”
Lockdown hit in March 2020, and being away from college finally set Jas free. “I found my confidence. People might think, ‘How can that happen in a couple of months?’ But we were by ourselves and it was a time of self-reflection for me.
“One day we were allowed to go out and see our families for the first time in lockdown. I felt so good about myself – I went out with bare skin for the first time in public outside of school. People were staring but honestly, that day I didn’t care.
“I posted my first ever picture on Instagram with my skin out. I was a bit scared to post it but the amount of positive energy I got from that picture…I felt so good.”
Jas decided to pursue modelling and was scouted by Zebedee on Instagram in the autumn of 2020. “I was working at Zara as a sales assistant when I signed the contract with Zebedee,” she smiles. “In that week, I booked my first worldwide Primark beauty campaign. Then I booked Elle magazine. Then I booked Vogue. I just didn’t expect that for a minute.”
She’s since gone full-time into modelling – and her parents couldn’t be more supportive. “It’s taken me 15 years to feel comfortable in my skin. That’s nearly my whole life,” she says.
“I’m lucky to have a supportive family by my side, especially because I’m Indian and in my culture the kids have to be doctors or lawyers or go to uni. We’ve grown up with very British culture – my parents said, ‘As long as you do what you feel is best for you, do whatever you want.’”
As seen in New Model Agency, Jas isn’t afraid to speak up on a modelling job when she feels uncomfortable – but admits that there’s still room for diversity in the fashion world. “They need to do a lot of work, but there’s been a lot of growth in the last few years. That’s what Zebedee is here to do,” she says.
“I don’t class myself as a vitiligo model and I never will. I’m a model with a skin condition. There’s no need to categorise yourself.”
Jas has now set her sights on heading to America – and wants to meet her modelling idol Winnie Harlow, who also has vitiligo. “I’ve spoken to her through Instagram DM before, which is crazy, because she reposted one of my Instagram posts. I couldn’t believe it, I thought, ‘This has to be a joke!’
“One thing I wish I’d told myself when I was younger was that it’s not a bad life – it’s just a bad time. If you are going through something, speak out about it.
“And remember, if someone has something negative to say about your appearance, it’s because they’re insecure in themselves. There’s nothing wrong with you.”
