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Aboriginal Australians
Vitiligo is a chronic skin condition in which patches of skin lose color due to a deficiency of melanin, resulting in said patches of skin becoming pale. Because of the nature of the condition, it tends to be more noticeable on individuals with darker skin. Vitiligo is not dangerous and does not have any major health complications, but it can lead to emotional distress over one’s appearance. Because Maxine’s vitiligo appears on her face, it is difficult for her to hide and makes her extremely self-conscious.
Vitiligo Quotes in The Hate Race
The The Hate Race quotes below are all either spoken by Vitiligo or refer to Vitiligo. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 7
Quotes
I’d known somehow, when I prayed for this miracle, that there was something distinctly shameful about wanting to be something I could never be, something shameful about wanting to alter the colour of my skin—to be white. But it wasn’t about wanting to be better. I didn’t dislike being black. I didn’t think being white would make me a better person. I just wanted to be like everyone else I knew, and everyone else mostly did not look like me.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Vitiligo Term Timeline in The Hate Race
The timeline below shows where the term Vitiligo appears in The Hate Race. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 7
...they go to bed, Maxine sneaks out and looks at the pamphlet, which is about vitiligo. Maxine looks at the pamphlet’s photos, which are of people whose skin is marbled pink...
(full context)
Chapter 8
...begins to apply her own foundation to Maxine’s face every morning, which temporarily hides the vitiligo—but the foundation often melts or rubs off during the day, causing Maxine to get grimy...
(full context)
