Roos Bouman (18) from Gouda has the same condition as the late Michael Jackson: vitiligo. On the day of his death, June 25, she and her fellow sufferers asked for attention in Amsterdam. In costumes, she posed in living paintings on the Noordermarkt.

What is vitiligo?

"It is a condition where the pigment slowly disappears from the skin. I am one of the few who was born with it, other people get it when they are young or later, for example after pregnancy. The spots can also continue to spread.”

The spots don't seem that visible to you?

"No, I was really lucky. I have few spots and a light skin tone. It only really became apparent to me when I was nine years old. I was on holiday in France and I got a bit more tanned and I saw white spots by my eyes. I looked like a cow, I thought. I also have spots on my stomach, armpits and neck, but since puberty there has been a bit more pigment in them, so you can see it less.”

Do you ever get nasty comments?

"Almost none and when they say it they always mean well. A friend once said: 'I think something went wrong with your self-tanner, you have a stain on your neck'. But those are just my stains. If you look quickly or if I'm wearing a turtleneck, you can't see them either.”

What were you all doing in Amsterdam?

"We were there with the patient association on the Noordermarkt in costumes to pose in living paintings. People in paintings used to be perfect, their skin was never the wrong color. With this action we wanted to show that there are people like us.”

Why is this attention necessary?

"BFor some people it is much more noticeable than for me. For example, they go from a dark skin color to a white one. They are then stared at and sometimes people walk around them in a wide arc because people think it is contagious. That is why attention is needed, so that people know that it exists and they look less strangely.”