We’re all totally wonderful and unique beings, but some visible physical differences such as scars and skin conditions can make many women feel “other”. These feelings can often spill over into how we see our bodies and our appearances and as a result can really impact our mental health in the long run. You only get one body, and yet for many women with visible differences, it can be a tumultuous time simply just living in it.
In partnership with Dove and their No Digital Distortion initiative – their commitment to always portray women as they are in real life and never use manipulated or unachievable images of ‘perfect’ beauty – we’ve teamed up with some incredible women to spotlight how they’ve learned to embrace or love their differences, or perhaps create a sense of neutrality towards them.
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Our video series features Michelle Mandere, a psoriasis awareness advocate, Cheryl Shaw, self-love advocate, Angela Selvarajah, a model who has vitiligo, Isobel-Rose Bailey, who has alopecia universalis, Joanne Dion, a model who has albinism and Raiche Mederick, burns survivor and ambassador for the Scar Free Foundation These differences have all impacted their lives in many ways, and shaped their own senses of accomplishment, happiness and satisfaction. Their stories are authentic, real and vulnerable, and we’re honoured to host them, as part of our Self-Service project, dedicated to celebrating and uplifting women and girls from all walks of life.
"I genuinely thought I'm the only person in the whole world with psoriasis because I never saw anyone who had it." – Michelle
"It's very important to be unapologetically you because in the midst of the world that we live in and society, it's just always important to find a home in yourself." – Joanne
"I feel good that I'm able to wake up every day and just embrace who I am. I'm not having to compare myself with other people." – Cheryl
"I think being confident in my own skin is setting an example for my son." – Angela
"I've learnt to be more self-aware and I think I've learnt that everyone has got their own worries, everyone has got their own insecurities, whether you can see it from the outside or not." – Isobel-Rose
"It's definitely just taking time to pause and not compare, it’s more admire what other people are doing, because at the moment you can be so absorbed in what everybody else is doing on social media that you forget about all the small achievements that you've made." – Raiche
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Designers: Deninér, Drop Dead Didi, Francesca.R.Palumbo, Jolita Jewellery & MANIMEKALA
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