«It is very important to me in my life right now to break the taboo.» It was with these words, in an exchange with writers from USA Today, that the Belgian model Hanne Gaby Odiele started a confession that made the news worldwide in a matter of minutes. The 29-year-old blonde decided to share her biggest secret with the world, and decided to let everyone know that she is affected by Morris syndrome, also known as AIS, androgen insensitivity syndrome, the genetic condition that causes a body to have both female and male characters, and be intersex. When she was little, the model underwent two painful operations that were not clinically necessary, and that took away any chance she had of becoming a mother, for the rest of her life. This suffering left scars within her that will never go away, and this was what prompted her to start a debate about her condition, becoming a spokesperson for it and using her fame for that Odiele was a favorite of Raf Simons and the model now works with brands such as Moschino, Versace and Marc Jacobs. She decided to come out and become an advocate to help children who may suffer from this genetic condition that is relevant, but not necessarily debilitating. John Swiatek, whom she recently married, is on her side in this battle, giving a great contribution to the interACT Advocates for Intersex Youth, the association sustaining intersex people. Her husband recently declared he is proud of his wife’s engagement for this cause and for social advancement. And we are proud to choose her as our WCW of the week!
All the photos are taken from Hanne Gaby Odiele Instagram profile