Contributor

Shaun Ross

Model and actor

Shaun Ross (born May 10, 1991) is a professional fashion model, actor and dancer of African descent, best known for being the first male albino model. He has been featured in photo-editorial campaigns in major fashion publications including British GQ, Italian Vogue, i-D Magazine, Paper Magazine and Another Man. He has modeled for Alexander McQueen and Givenchy.[1]
Growing up, Ross dealt with much discrimination for the reason that he is albino . He was bullied frequently by his peers, called names such as "Powder", "Wite-Out", and "Casper".[2] After training at the Alvin Ailey School for five years, he crossed over to the fashion industry in 2008 at 16 years old, represented by Djamee Models in New York City; Ross is their only model on roster as of June 2010. He was also signed by AMCK Models London.[1]
In 2009, Shaun Ross appeared on the Tyra Banks Show. He shared the show with fellow albinistic African American model Diandra Forrest; together, they shared their life stories about how different life was for them.[2] Later that year, Ross played a role in a short film by Yoann Lemoine which won a first-place prize in a contest sponsored by Italian Vogue. Ross also has worked with other directors, such as Julien Seri, Jason Last, Jessica Yatrofsky and Ella Manor in both film and television. Ross, who is bisexual, participates in the underground ballroom scene in New York, where he often vogues as a free agent.
Ross has appeared in numerous music videos, such as the video for Katy Perry's "E.T." and had also appeared in Beyoncé's "Party" music video, and Gold Field's "Dark Again" music video. Ross will be appearing Lana Del Rey's short film '"Tropico".
Ross recently became the face of Ford Vehicles, with the slogan "Be Unique".

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