In our society beauty is supposed to be in the eye of the beholder, but with the emphasis put on celebrity bodies that isn’t always how we think about things. Someone who is different from society’s norms might feel out of place or looked down upon because of how they look.
#1 - One such example of this kind of judgment taking place is the case of Ciera Swaringen. The nineteen year old has dealt with being judged on her appearance because she has Giant Congenital Melanocytic Nevus. It is a rare skin disease she was born with in which the body is covered in birth marks and moles.
#2 - They are large and cover almost every inch of her skin. The simple explanation of the disorder is a faulty development of pigment cells in the womb that will cause large brown and black spots on the skin. These spots will never go away and there is the possibility that more will form as the person grows.
#3 - Despite being bullied since a young age, Ciera hasn’t let it stop her from enjoying her life. There have been several times throughout her life especially when she was younger that bullies did get to her, but she had the love of her parents to get her through the harder times. Children don’t understand things like skin disorders and all they see is another child who’s different than they are.
Of course when she was younger having a skin disorder made Ciera feel different. While the spots weren’t dangerous to her she did have to be protected from the sun. This affected her life in a lot of ways other children didn’t have to deal with.
There was never going to be a way to remove them because there were too many. Surgery wasn’t an option for Ciera and she knew that. Her parents made her feel better about her appearance by telling her they were angel kisses.
#4 - Knowing there wasn’t a way to change her looks allowed her to accept it easier. The older she got the more the spots faded into the background as she went about her daily life.
#5 - The now nineteen year old Ciera has made peace with her appearance and now thinks of her spots as something that makes her unique instead of different. Learning how to embrace her own kind of beauty has helped her become a powerful symbol of strength to others.
#6 - As Ciera lives in North Carolina she has been able to harness the power of the internet to find other people who have the same skin condition she does. Ciera is planning on holding a conference where they can all meet and support one another in person.
#7 - Ciera is lucky to have many people who think of her as a great friend and enjoy her outgoing personality. She is also lucky to have such a great family. Ciera is a very positive person and spreads a positive message to anyone that thinks of themselves as different.