Nathalie Richert had to hear people say that her skin was contagious. It wasn’t. She was born in Sweden with a rare form of ichthyosis known as “ichthyosis with confetti”, a genetic condition that makes the skin red, thick, and scaly, with small patches of skin that look more normal, which give the disease its name.
Medical studies have documented only a few dozen cases worldwide. During her childhood and adolescence, stares and prejudice followed her everywhere: in an interview, she recalled an occasion when she wasn’t allowed into a water park because of the appearance of her skin.
Over the years, Nathalie stopped hiding. She began posting unfiltered photos on social media, ventured into professional modeling shoots, and discovered that people’s reactions were different from what she had feared. Today, she uses her platforms to explain what ichthyosis is and to keep others from experiencing the same rejection.
In 2022, she took another step: she told her story on a documentary program and ventured on her first date. “I don’t want to be someone else”, she summed up.