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I Started This Campaign To Encourage People Love Themselves With All Their Differences
Hello, I'm Sylvia Mac, a Burn Survivor who is challenging the fashion industry to become inclusive of those with differences and disfigurement.
My campaign involved people with scars, health and skin conditions who were very brave wearing swimwear sponsored by Swimwear365 and photographed by the famous Sophie Mayanne whose project Behind the Scars went viral. With the support of Sharron Davies, I also want to encourage body confidence by sharing my images with leisure centres & help Every Body to Swim without worrying about others staring.
More info: lovedisfigure.com | Instagram | twitter.com
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My ex once said to me the first night we spent together after I said "I hate them" (my scars). "You should never hate them. Yes they show that you've struggled with bad times but to me they tell me that despite what has happened to you in the past those scars are proof that you were strong, strong enough to fight through everything and anything and come out the other end. And because of that, I think your scars are beautiful".
I am proud of my scars too, I have new ones and other as old as 40 years. Scars from cutting, scars from dermatillomania (people like me with severe depression and OCD often have this joy of picking at a scar over and over and over) My whole body is covered in them. And I am proud of them because I am still here, despite the terrible dark abyss I often find myself, I manage to climb back and star the every day war that I have in my mind and body, that's why I say: I am a warrior and my scars are proof of that.
I had no idea that there was a word for the act of scratching and repeatedly picking at wounds and scabs/stars. Thank you so much for sharing that, I now have a way to explain to people why I do what I do. Xx
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Scars are beautiful. Fierce. I'm proud of every single one I have, and I want the stories behind other people's scars, too. Those stories make that person.
I'm totally not trying to be judgmental - I genuinely want to know. Are these cutting scars?
Pure guess but from someone with similar looking scars I'd say yes
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Scars. They may not look pretty, but they help you remember that the past was real.
Your scars shape you and make you who you are today. I,too, am strong and had to fight and came out shining!!! You ARE beautiful!!!
I really want to hang out with these ladies, hear their stories, learn how they've become so strong (all the women look incredibly strong) and at peace with their own beauty despite overwhelming and unrealistic beauty standards. Sooo empowering!!!
her face, her smile reveals the strenght she has. Thank God for a post that is not about what we see first. I love each and every picture. WARRIOR.
I have no idea what skin condition she has. Unless it's alopecia. Her skin looks flawless. I hate her a little bit. Lol!
When I think of how much it hurts when you burn your hand on the oven shelf, or your lip on a pizza, and then I look at the extent of some of these scars...wow. Those people have endured real pain, and come through smiling. Amazing.
I love this! It’s so rare we get to see what actual people look like, and to have them photographed professionally and beautifully is great. For some reason we only get access to fake, photoshopped and extremely well cultivated physiques to consume. I love seeing real people. I’m tired of looking at paper dolls and plastic sculptures that mock the human form
I will be sharing their stories over Instagram love_disfigure and facebook group love disfigure x
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What a great campaign and an awesome reminder to love yourself no matter what. Seeing these will remind me to never complain about the varying skin tones that i have on my face that seem to get worse for me with age. I actually used to always wear concealer to cover it up, but stopped long ago because i just dont like to wear makeup.
I’m albino and this actually helped me a bit. I now know being different isn’t so bad.
I've been dealing with keratosis pilaris for years and so scars doesn't bother me anymore. Something that bothers me the most is the way people look disgustedly at my scars and keep questioning like I have infectious disease. Less scars changes people. Other people does.
Whoever chose the colors of swimsuits and lipstick, etc. did a fantastic job. The colors are really great. My father has a terrible scar on his back from accidentally pulling a boiling teakettle of water down on himself when he was a toddler. He has a tattoo over it and said the tattoo was extra painful. He's 82 now but that scar of course, remains from childhood. I like what Padma Lakshmi does with her scar on her arm. It's called Kintsugi.
It would be more powerful if I knew the stories behind the photo's. But, maybe leaving the stories out is part of the exercise here.
Hi Jenna I will be sharing their stories on Instagram, facebook (LOVE DISFIGURE) group Everyone has either scars, health or skin conditions....some hidden differences/disfigurements :)
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Here is a QUESTION. Do you think that we as a society will ever overcome the ridiculous sense of idealized, impossible to achieve false perfection?
Why do we need to even comment on someone's looks. Every single person looks different, celebrate our individuality. Stop searching for the right physical compliment to make feel better
They are all so beautiful and unique in their own special ways. How can they keep smiling after all of the pain they've endured eludes me.
While I also would like to know, I do think that not knowing their stories is actually more powerful for the cause. People are more often than not judged based on their looks alone, with no time to nor interest in knowing their stories. A lot of people wouldn't judge them as harshly if they knew their stories, and that's the point - they shouldn't need to know that to treat them well. Their looks alone shouldn't be a reason to treat someone badly. Some people don't have dramatic stories - they were just born not so aesthetically pleasant - and they still shouldn't be treated badly for it.
How about we just stop emphasizing physical beauty and focus on the individuals personality/soul/ spirit. This idea of pretending everything/ everyone is SO beautiful is silly. Some people are physically attractive by our cultural standards and some aren't. Some people are tall, some short, some smart, some creative etc etc. Stop feeding the beast that says everyone must be beautiful and start emphasizing inner beauty. If we did that no one would give a damn about scars, fat, and stretch marks.
Yours scars are a timeline of all the pain you have endured, and prove how strong you are!
When I think of how much it hurts when you burn your hand on the oven shelf, or your lip on a pizza, and then I look at the extent of some of these scars...wow. Those people have endured real pain, and come through smiling. Amazing.
I love this! It’s so rare we get to see what actual people look like, and to have them photographed professionally and beautifully is great. For some reason we only get access to fake, photoshopped and extremely well cultivated physiques to consume. I love seeing real people. I’m tired of looking at paper dolls and plastic sculptures that mock the human form
I will be sharing their stories over Instagram love_disfigure and facebook group love disfigure x
Load More Replies... What a great campaign and an awesome reminder to love yourself no matter what. Seeing these will remind me to never complain about the varying skin tones that i have on my face that seem to get worse for me with age. I actually used to always wear concealer to cover it up, but stopped long ago because i just dont like to wear makeup.
I’m albino and this actually helped me a bit. I now know being different isn’t so bad.
I've been dealing with keratosis pilaris for years and so scars doesn't bother me anymore. Something that bothers me the most is the way people look disgustedly at my scars and keep questioning like I have infectious disease. Less scars changes people. Other people does.
Whoever chose the colors of swimsuits and lipstick, etc. did a fantastic job. The colors are really great. My father has a terrible scar on his back from accidentally pulling a boiling teakettle of water down on himself when he was a toddler. He has a tattoo over it and said the tattoo was extra painful. He's 82 now but that scar of course, remains from childhood. I like what Padma Lakshmi does with her scar on her arm. It's called Kintsugi.
It would be more powerful if I knew the stories behind the photo's. But, maybe leaving the stories out is part of the exercise here.
Hi Jenna I will be sharing their stories on Instagram, facebook (LOVE DISFIGURE) group Everyone has either scars, health or skin conditions....some hidden differences/disfigurements :)
Load More Replies... Here is a QUESTION. Do you think that we as a society will ever overcome the ridiculous sense of idealized, impossible to achieve false perfection?
Why do we need to even comment on someone's looks. Every single person looks different, celebrate our individuality. Stop searching for the right physical compliment to make feel better
They are all so beautiful and unique in their own special ways. How can they keep smiling after all of the pain they've endured eludes me.
While I also would like to know, I do think that not knowing their stories is actually more powerful for the cause. People are more often than not judged based on their looks alone, with no time to nor interest in knowing their stories. A lot of people wouldn't judge them as harshly if they knew their stories, and that's the point - they shouldn't need to know that to treat them well. Their looks alone shouldn't be a reason to treat someone badly. Some people don't have dramatic stories - they were just born not so aesthetically pleasant - and they still shouldn't be treated badly for it.
How about we just stop emphasizing physical beauty and focus on the individuals personality/soul/ spirit. This idea of pretending everything/ everyone is SO beautiful is silly. Some people are physically attractive by our cultural standards and some aren't. Some people are tall, some short, some smart, some creative etc etc. Stop feeding the beast that says everyone must be beautiful and start emphasizing inner beauty. If we did that no one would give a damn about scars, fat, and stretch marks.
Yours scars are a timeline of all the pain you have endured, and prove how strong you are!
