Martha Stewart has built an empire on polish. From the perfect pie crust to manicured gardens and camera-ready place settings, she’s long been the personification of presentation. So when, at 83, she casually revealed that she’s had vitiligo for decades, it was a moment that cut through the gloss—beautifully.

As first reported by Erika Page from Living Dappled, Stewart shared that she first noticed white patches on her skin in the early 1990s, during the emotional turbulence of her divorce. At the time, treatment options were, as she put it, “pretty primitive.” A doctor in Brazil offered her herbal skin dyes, which she politely declined. And then? She simply went on with her life. “I think I’m cured,” she said recently, referencing the fading of her symptoms. Whether that’s spontaneous repigmentation or just Martha-style optimism, it’s vintage Stewart: handle the situation, move forward, and maybe make it look effortless while you’re at it.

But this isn’t just about one woman’s experience with an autoimmune condition. It’s about what happens when someone who has shaped the aesthetic of an entire generation lets us peek behind the curtain. By speaking publicly about vitiligo—something she once considered disfiguring—Martha reclaims the narrative from shame or concealment and reframes it as something far more human: part of a complex, evolving life.

Of course, she’s not alone in the public eye. Michael Jackson famously revealed his vitiligo diagnosis in the ’90s, although the media circus around him made it difficult for many to separate fact from fiction. What often gets overlooked is that his devoted fanbase, frustrated by the world’s cruel misunderstanding of his condition, went on to boost the World Vitiligo Day campaign—a grassroots movement that’s now recognized as one of the top healthcare events in the world. 

Then there’s Winnie Harlow, the Canadian model who flipped the beauty industry on its head by showcasing her vitiligo as part of her identity. Jon Hamm has mentioned developing the condition on his hands during his Mad Men years, and podcaster Joe Rogan has nonchalantly discussed his patches as well. Each story is different, but they all do the same essential work: they make vitiligo visible.

In Martha’s case, the power is in the subtlety. No campaign, no grand reveal—just a matter-of-fact acknowledgment that sometimes, life leaves a mark. Or a few. And that’s perfectly okay.

Want to see who else is helping to normalize vitiligo?

Browse our gallery of Famous Vitiligans—you might be surprised who’s in the club.