Many people still hold various prejudices about albinism – a genetic mutation that affects the hair, eyes, and skin, causing them to be pale. They discriminate against those with this condition. However, the emergence of Amina Ependieva seems to have shattered all biases about beauty and transformed perceptions of people with albinism.
Amina, born on December 11, 2008, in the city of Grozny, the capital of Chechnya within the Russian Federation, is a person who carries a beauty that everyone exclaims as ‘a living work of art.’ From the moment of her birth, Amina gained nationwide fame due to being afflicted with two extremely rare genetic disorders: albinism and heterochromia, both of which are characterized by her unique appearance.
Albinism is a condition characterized by a lack of melanin pigment in the skin and hair, resulting in white, extremely soft hair. The likelihood of a person being born with albinism is approximately 1 in 17,000. Individuals with this condition often exhibit eye colors that tend to be blue, red, or hazel.
The signs of albinism are typically noticeable in the skin, hair, and eyes of affected individuals, though sometimes they may not differ significantly from those of individuals without the condition. People with albinism are highly sensitive to the effects of sunlight, putting them at a significantly higher risk of developing skin cancer. Currently, there is no cure for albinism, but individuals with this condition often take various measures to protect their skin and eyes when venturing outdoors.
Heterochromia, which results in Amina having different-colored eyes, occurs at a rate of 6 in 1,000 people. Scientifically explained, this happens because one eye contains more melanin than the other. Remarkably, this condition does not affect vision and instead adds a unique and captivating beauty.
There are three primary types of heterochromia: complete, sectoral, and central. ‘Complete’ means that both eyes have entirely different colors, ‘sectoral’ indicates that only a portion of one eye has a dominant different color, while ‘central’ is an extremely rare type where one or both eyes have one or two colors in the center and different colors surrounding it. If you have heterochromia, you are sure to stand out in a crowd.
There is also a viewpoint suggesting that Amina may not have albinism but instead could have Waardenburg Syndrome type 1 – a rare genetic mutation that causes individuals to have blue eyes and other potentially dangerous congenital anomalies such as deafness. However, as of now, no one has officially confirmed this hypothesis. Thanks to her unique and striking appearance, young Amina gained instant fame shortly after her photos were first shared by photographer Amina Arsakova. Her images on Instagram rapidly went viral