Ally

Trigger warning: This caption contains references to self-harm that some readers may find distressing.

Ironically, you could say, MRKH is an invisible syndrome; missing parts, silent struggles, unknown facts. Yet, somehow, the impact of this life-altering diagnosis isn’t so subtle on the eye—or the mind.

During a branding photoshoot, I asked my beautiful photographer, Sapna, to take a side-on shot of me. I wanted to be seen, where I couldn’t roll down my sleeves, contort, or disguise—it was not easy! Making peace with my teen trauma and exposing the moments of branded shame—I uncovered more than clothing. This photo has become the inspiration to expose not only how I wear my heart on my sleeve, but also the shame I once felt.  

Self-harm: ‘The Silent Scream’ is where a person will intentionally damage or injure their body. Some of the reasons people self-harm are due to a misunderstood expression, to seek control, punishment of oneself, relieving unbearable tension, or a cry for help. Self-harm is often portrayed as an incomprehensible act. Self-mutilation, starvation, addiction, and even opting into a toxic relationship are all acts of self-harm, underpinned at times by impaired mental health. I’ve had the stares, the conversations, the uncomfortable reveals—but for those who have lived a life rolling down sleeves, this message is for you!  

From the inside out, I am determined to shake up a conversation around stigma and how the beautiful scars that have shaped us do not have to define our now.

Let the scars of our past be the receipt to say we have lived a hard and human life!