A 21 year-old woman born with Pfeiffer syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects the growth of facial bones, has a strong message for young women about what constitutes real beauty.
The Daily Mail is reporting on the story of Renee DuShane of Boston who has endured multiple surgeries to her face and head during her young life to deal with a disorder that affects the way the bones in her face are growing. The Salem State University senior admits that she still struggles with her appearance and the it makes her feel about herself – but she refuses to go negative.
Instead, several years ago, she posted a make-up free photo of herself to Tumblr, accompanied by an upbeat message, and was shocked to wake up the next morning to discover that it had gone viral.
Renee with long-term boyfriend
“The blogger inside me was excited to get all this activity on my page, but the teenager inside me was struck by the messages I was getting,” she said a few weeks after posting the blog. “I was being called an ‘inspiration,’ and people started telling me their stories and praising me for being so open with mine. I hadn’t really thought that putting it out there vulnerably would strike anyone. After all, I have been living with this for 18 years and I’m used to it.”
She amassed a huge following online and eventually caught the attention of Kylie Jenner who recently contacted her about becoming involved in her anti-bullying campaign.
“I was humbled by her interest in me and her desire to combat bullying and promote self love,” Renee later wrote on Instagram.
Her ready acceptance from the online community has taught her a lesson.
“This says a lot about media causing self-image problems, in my opinion,” she writes. “Who gave celebrities, magazines, and models the right to tell us what is ‘normal’? We see ad campaign after commercial after movie after celebrity red carpet, and take those messages as right. But in reality, shouldn’t we be able to define beautiful ourselves?
“Society tells us what is beautiful, to make us buy or do anything to be that way. I may not love the way I look, as a lot of teenage girls don’t, but makeup and designer clothes won’t change that. The problem has become internal because these opinions of beauty have become fact. You aren’t beautiful if you don’t have this, or if you don’t look like her.“You may think society isn’t to blame, but if this whole thing has taught me anything, it’s to challenge fact. Challenge the definition of what is beautiful.”
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