My name is Mama Cax and I am with JAG Models. When I was a teen, I was diagnosed with bone and lung cancer. And following that, I actually needed to have an amputation
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
Emeh Achanga,the CEO of the Miss Petite Nigeria Brand is a lawyer turned blogger. She is very passionate about writing, with several publications and awards to her credit .She is currently working on publishing a collection of short stories which are basically a memoir about her exciting true experiences.
