During this New York Fashion Week, which runs until September 12, Ross appeared in presentations for brands Third NYC and Monsieur Belange. He previously walked the runway in Berlin and appeared in music videos for Katy Perry and Beyoncé. His most anticipated project is an upcoming short film entitled "Tropico" with Lana Del Rey.
Ross, who describes his look as "euphoric," is one of a growing number of anti-cookie-cutter models. He said his smile "isn't the prettiest," but illuminating; his face is "very disoriented," but edgy.
Ross said his condition doesn't confine or define him -- it has just always been there.
The 6-foot-1 model came into the world the same way he did the modeling industry: in an unlikely fashion. Ross's mom gave birth to him on the highway on the way to the hospital.
"The nickname my parents always called me was Nissan," Ross said with a laugh.
But growing up in the Bronx borough of New York, Ross said he was called everything from "Casper" to "Powder" to "white bread." In seventh grade, the teasing culminated when a boy stabbed him in the back six times with a pen.
"I was always the outcast, but a confident outcast," Ross said. "I just had to accept it. I'm going to be me; either you're going to accept it or you're not."
Ross, in part, credits his confidence to his mother, who never dwelled on his differences.
"It's really weird to say, but I never thought about my skin being weird. I just knew that's what it was. I never asked myself why I didn't look like my parents," Ross said. "My mother has showed me you have no fear. You let people judge you, but who gives a f—k?"
Stay in touch! Don't miss out on the conversation we're having at CNN Living. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the latest stories and tell us what's influencing your life. To him, beauty is confidence.
While the runways this week continue to be dominated by waif-like bodies, angular faces and symmetrical, round eyes, Ross arrived on the scene just as the modeling industry is abuzz about what it means to be beautiful.
"It girl" of the moment Cara Delevingne sports full, bushy brows and self-deprecating, goofy Instagrams to match. She also suffers from psoriasis, an autoimmune disease that often results in splotchy red patches on the skin. A recent flare-up served as an accessory to a red Versace gown during Milan Fashion Week in February 2013.
"Which is, of course, the worst time of the year for me to be covered in scabs. Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease, and I'm sensitive. Kate (Moss) saw me before the Louis Vuitton show at 3 a.m., when I was being painted by people to cover the scabs."
Meanwhile, Lindsey Wixson with her "bee-stung lips" and gap teeth glided down the runway for top designers Rebecca Minkoff and Zac Posen, among others, during New York Fashion Week.
Ukrainian model Masha Tyelna's otherworldly eyes pierce the cameras, while Andrej Pejic continues to push limits with crossover between menswear and womenswear. Charlotte Free rocks pink hair, while Saskia de Brauw sports a short, grunge haircut -- and challenges the notion that models must be in their late teens by continuing to work at age 32.
Some argue there isn't enough racial diversity in modeling, such as model-turned-activist Bethann Hardison, who sent a memo to Fashion Week organizers on behalf of the Diversity Coalition, an advocacy group that champions diversity on the runway.
"Eyes are on an industry that season after season watches fashion design houses consistently use one or no models of color," Hardison wrote to the Council of Fashion Designers of America, as well as to the British Fashion Council and the governing fashion week bodies for Paris and Milan.
"No matter the intention, the result is racism," she continues; the memo went on to call out specific designers who featured zero or only a couple of black models during their last season.
CNN Explains: New York Fashion Week
Fashion Week's first plus-sized designer
Go inside New York Fashion Week According to Noah Shelley and Angus Munro, two of the most influential casting directors during New York Fashion Week, one part of casting is a designer's aesthetic: Does it make sense to put a rock 'n' roll girl in a romantic gown?
But the majority is based on instinct.
"When an 'it girl' arrives, to an untrained eye, you wouldn't give her a second glance," Munro told CNN after Opening Ceremony debuted its spring collection at Fashion Week, where models were juxtaposed with flashy sports cars and Justin Bieber and Rihanna watched from the front row.
"Models are supposed to be aspirational, unreal characters," Munro said. "The fact that they are abnormally tall, perfectly proportioned and have amazing skin, it's because we're creating a picture. It entices someone to buy something."
Shelley said that when he and Munro make casting decisions, there are a limited number of diverse models. They have seen a growing number of Asian models, as that area of the world has become one of the fastest growing markets for luxury goods.
"All the shows essentially want the best of the best," Shelley said.
In a statement, the British Fashion Council said the lack of ethnic models is also a multitiered problem, from who the agencies decide to sign to what designers request.
"The British Fashion Council does not organize model castings for London Fashion Week, although, as its governing body, strongly asserts that all participating designers should recognize that London is one of the most multicultural cities in the world and should consider reflecting this demographic at their shows and presentations," it said in its response to the Diversity Coalition's memo.
This season, Munro and Shelley say that personality and quirk appeals because of the intensity of model turnover.
During the era of the supermodel, the faces of Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell transcended the runway -- often into mainstream media -- for years.
Now, a model's look can be in and out of vogue in a matter of a few seasons.
It can be a matter of a model having the right look at the right time, whether heroin chic, like Kate Moss in the 1990s, or the androgynous look spurred by Agyness Deyn in the mid-2000s.
"The world has to want what that girl offers at that exact time," Shelley said.
But Shelley and Munro try not to cross the line from quirk into novelty.
"There's a fine line between an interesting event and a spectacle," Shelley said. "It's a spectacle when it becomes more about people wanting to identify with the strange."
Ross, the model with albinism, is a tricky one to cast, Munro said.
"That guy is unbelievably good-looking in an unbelievably bizarre way. But many designers haven't thought that way," he said.
Ross summed up his attitude with a hashtag he uses to his growing social media following, #InMySkinIWin, which he says promotes a level of comfort with yourself. He started it to raise albinism awareness, but has since expanded the meaning to just loving who you are.
"It's the DIY generation," Ross said. "Kids are becoming muses because they understand that what it takes to be successful is to be desirable and confident."
I recently had an epiphany: I need to embrace the exotic. I’ve spent so many years trying to resist that dirty little word. In college, I majored in English so the concept of the “exotic” was often used in reference to the “othering” of a particular group of people and/or some degree of perceived sexual deviance. Subsequently, it was just a word that I never wanted others to label me as or to use to define myself. However, I’ve learned to embrace it. I say this because I have albinism, which is a genetic condition that causes a lack of pigment in the hair, skin, and eyes. To further complicate things, I am a black woman with albinism; one cannot exist without the other. When I say I’m exotic, I am not intending to “other” myself, but I simply recognize that I’m not going to fit into the nice and neat racial/ethnic boxes that people have tried to place me in my entire life.
I often liken my experience as a black woman with albinism to being biracial. I say this because my identity causes tension and is ambiguous to some. Of course, it is not the same and albinism is complicated due to the dual social and biological nature of the condition. In addition, people with albinism also have low vision, which is caused by the lack of pigment in the eyes. Though mostly viewed through a biological lens, albinism has social implications as well. Growing up, I endured the stares while I was with my parents, the teasing, questions of “what color I am” etc. I constantly felt the pressure to make people feel at ease about my identity. I needed to make them feel comfortable with me, even though I wasn’t fully comfortable with me. It was definitely frustrating times in my life and continued to be until I was able to self-identify for myself and be okay with it. In a sense, I had to validate my own identity and experience for myself. Once I did this, I thought all would be well in my world but it wasn’t because I was left wondering why people still didn’t get it.
Then it clicked in for me that maybe I am actually confusing to people. I absolutely challenge the White-Black dichotomy that mostly defines the racial politics in this country. At first glance, people see my pale skin, kinky-curly blonde afro, and green eyes and they either think I’m biracial or are otherwise utterly intrigued. In my adult years, I am rarely asked overtly about my racial background, but I can sense the uncertainty that surrounds with my identity. I can feel them subtly asking through their stares. On occasion, I have met people who have encountered others with albinism or can recognize that I am black but most people don’t know what to make of me. How do I expect people to know about albinism when it is practically invisible in this society? It is rarely discussed, unless it is in reference to animals or in a biological context. In addition, whenever a character with albinism appears in the media, he or she is usually depicted negatively such as an evil character or having supernatural powers.
When I flip through the various magazines, I do not see anybody that reflects me or my experience. I feel that the albinism community is invisible in the greater society. I want to let everyone know that my black is beautiful too. I want the world to know that the albinism community is talented, diverse, and beautiful. To be fair, I will say that the albinism community is getting attention now more than ever due to the East Africa albinism crisis. In Tanzania and surrounding countries people with albinism are being viciously murdered because of the belief in those societies that limbs of a person with albinism bring prosperity. The beliefs are perpetuated by witchdoctors and some 50+ people with albinism have been killed so far. While, I am glad that there has been an outreach from the international community on behalf of my brothers and sisters in these countries who are being killed, I’m left wondering why it took such tragedies to occur for there to now be a focus on this community. People with albinism in African countries struggle daily due to the hot sun, higher rates of skin cancer, lack of resources, severe teasing that often leads to them dropping out of school etc. The newfound interest in albinism led to television programming such as ABC’s 20/20, MTV’s True Life, and TLC’s My Shocking Story that both explored the lives of people with albinism here and in African countries. Domestically, people with albinism have not experienced the challenges that our brothers and sisters face in African countries but we still deserve a voice.
My experiences as a black woman with albinism cause me to live on the margins in many ways. I’m okay with that. I don’t see that it is a negative experience because I’m in a unique position to challenge perceptions, understand people who have hybrid identities, embrace the complexities of identity politics, and resist essentialist thinking. I practically use every opportunity I can to educate people about albinism. Being seen as exotic is more than worth it if one more person knows more about my condition and my perspective. http://www.clutchmagonline.com/2012/06/embracing-the-exotic-being-a-black-woman-with-albinism/