Model bullied for vitiligo and called 'Dalmatian' wants to inspire others with the condition

She wants to inspire other women like model Winnie Harlow inspired her

Iomikoe Johnson has embraced her vitiligo (Instagram)

A mother-of-four who was bullied over her appearance and called a "cow" and "Dalmatian" has now written a book in which she embraces her vitiligo.

Iomikoe Johnson, 38, began to develop the skin condition, which causes loss of pigmentation, when she was 25.

At the time, Johnson, who is from Lake Charles, Louisiana, recalls how she was cruelly bullied.

However, rather than letting the bullies get to her, Johnson used the negativity as motivation to follow her dreams and become a model - and now wants to inspire other women with vitiligo, just as her role model Winnie Harlow did for her.

In her new book, The Spotted Girl Who Empowered the World, which will be available in March, Johnson writes of a young girl in her freshman year of high school who develops vitiligo.

The character in the book undergoes bullying and body positivity issues when her skin begins to lose pigment, before realising that she has a support system of family and friends that can help her through the trying period - just as Johnson also realised.

In addition to inspiring others with vitiligo, Johnson also wants to inspire anyone who feels they may not fit into the unrealistic body ideals upheld by society.

The model, who is also a grandmother of three, is currently shooting a film in which she plays a woman with vitiligo.

According to Johnson, who shared the news on Instagram, it is the first-ever vitiligo movie produced by a major production company.

“I want people to know that beauty starts from within,” she said. “If I can do it, so can you, believe in yourself and love the skin you’re in.”

Vitiligo affects about one per cent of the world’s population, or 50m people, according to Vitiligo Support International, and can appear at any age.

The reasons vitiligo develops are unknown but doctors hypothesise the condition may develop because of a number of factors including genetics.

It has also been suggested that vitiligo may be an autoimmune disease, in which the body’s immune system sees pigment cells as foreign bodies and attacks them.