Jude lives in Glasgow, Scotland and she has been living with psoriasis since college. When she was diagnosed with psoriasis, her perspective on self-honesty, self-realization, and self-acceptance was changed forever.
“I’m from Bradford, England, and I’m an advocate for people with keloids. I got keloids when I was thirteen. When I was 12, I had severe acne. I had acne on my chest, my face, and my back. I treated it with taking Isotretinoin, but I was left with little hard spots."
Theresa is a 21-year-old esthetician and makeup artist who wrestles with social anxiety but fights tirelessly for her right to be present.
“I was born and raised in Braila, Romania. It is a city in the South-East of Romania, which is a very traditional area. The church is still very powerful here, and it has a lot of influence on Romanians."
Rômulo Rosa (25) is a gender-fluid Brazilian from São Paulo. They share with us their journey.
Where I come from in Bulgaria, beauty standards are quite high across the board. I don’t feel like body positivity has reached Bulgaria at all. In Bulgaria, there’s pretty much just the view of skinniness as beauty.
“Modeling made me want to be perfect, but after having acne, my whole perspective on beauty changed. It made me realize that I can’t equate my looks to my value as a person. “
Have you ever gone completely went out of your way for someone? I mean - really went out of your way for someone. And, have you ever had someone take it completely for granted because they just expected this from you? They didn’t think twice, and they didn’t show thanks. What was your impression? To say the least, you probably felt devalued and as if you were in a toxic relationship.
How do we know when something is a community versus a clique? Within a clique, individuality is not rewarded, and it is sometimes even punished. Within a community or a group of friends, individuality is accepted as a part of a common thread. In a community or friendship, the idea of living authentically should not feel nerve wracking or impossible. Opposite of a clique, excluding others is not the foundation or even a defining feature.