By Kate Harrold
MEET THE little girl with TWO hair colours who’s embracing her DISNEY lookalike.
Events manager Talyta Youssef Aziz Vieira (43) from Jericoacoara, Brazil, gave birth to daughter Mayah (2) in November of 2018 and whilst many parents would be shocked to see their child born with two different hair colours, Talyta was well prepped for this.
Like many others in her family, Mayah was born with piebaldism – a genetic condition causing areas of skin to hair to appear lighter than usual due to a lack of melanocytes in the skin which produce melanin. It’s a condition that Talyta also has as well as her grandfather, mother, auntie, and several cousins.
From the moment she was born, Mayah was encouraged to love her vibrant white patches of hair. It’s a lesson that Talyta learnt the hard way. During her teens, Talyta would hide her white streaks behind the rest of her hair, constantly worried that she would be judged by her peers. However, Talyta soon realised that others saw beauty in her differences.
Although still very young, Mayah is already recognising that she too has a unique look and has taken quite a liking to Disney’s 101 Dalmatians – dressing up alongside her mum as Cruella De Vil who also sports a similar two-toned hair style. Through embracing her confidence-exuberating lookalike, Talyta hopes to encourage Mayah to never shy away from what makes her beautiful.
“Piebaldism runs in our family so we knew there was a high probability that Mayah would also have it,” Talyta said.
“From the moment she was born, Mayah had so many white hairs on the front of her head. My doula posted a picture on social media and days later, we were invited by a photographer to do a photoshoot.
“The pictures from the photoshoot spread across the internet and without reading anything, my friends instantly knew Mayah was mine simply from her hair.
“I tried to hide my white hair until my twenties. I’d hide it behind other strands – worried that people would bully me.
“I soon realised though that I was unique and special. I want to set that example for Mayah. People always stop us to say how special she is.”
With the iconic character Cruella set to feature in her own Disney film slated for release in May 2021, Mayah will soon be able to see her lookalike on the big screen again.
“Ever since I started posting photos of Mayah on social media, people have compared her to Cruella, Rogue from X-Men and Anna from Frozen,” Talyta said.
“That’s when I thought it would be a lovely idea for us to dress up together as those characters. I want Mayah to have fun memories about the way she looks.
“I want her to embrace being a superhero.
“Other people who are different have reached out to us thanking us for helping them accept themselves.
“It’s so sad that people have hid themselves away. We don’t need to be the same to be beautiful.
“Everyone has a heart inside to accept and love. We are living in a time of knowledge and transformation. Let’s embrace what makes us different.”
