Right after my surgery, I sort of struggled with body image in general. When I first got my prosthetic (SWIPE), I actually used to have everything covered in a foam so that it looked like a regular leg and I tried to kind of deviate any sort of attention. But then I got to a point where it was such a burden to try and hide it all the time. So I just got an idea; what if I actually showed who I am? Just a little bit of metal
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After my amputation, I was still chasing this unattainable image of beauty, I think my perception changed when I saw that other people wanted to alter something about themselves: butt size, weight and so on. This makes you realize something can’t be wrong with everyone- the problem is the beauty standard
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I grew up with parents who told me I was beautiful every single day. Here I was at 16 years old, covered in scars and missing a limb. I did not feel pretty. In the last couple of years, I’ve been able to step away from my judgmental self and observe how my loved ones see me
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For them, my scars represented the battles I won and my prosthetic has made me this cool cyborg chick. But don’t get me wrong, I have bad days. Some days I wake up and feel so discouraged and ask the universe why did this have to happen to me. Some days I get fed up with the stares and the questions
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I’ve been able to find self-love in my hobbies, travels and exercise. Walking fast to catch a train just two minutes before departure, rock climbing, holding on to that last breath to complete a lap- these things make me appreciate my body’s endurance and my accomplishments. That appreciation is enough to love my body no matter what society dems as flaws
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Ultimately, I’m able to feel pretty and be confident because I surround myself with people who make me feel as such. No one will ever be able to take these feelings away from me
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