Ilka Brühl's moving story: “I understood that beauty is not born on an operating table”
This is the heartwarming story of Ilka Brühl, a “different woman” who has suffered all her life and who today has found a purpose, that of showing the world that beauty is not just external. She learned to accept herself and discovered that it wasn't others who distanced themselves from her because of her diversity, but it was she who isolated herself for fear of being judged.
Ilka Brühl was born with one rare genetic disease which affects the structure of the face: the ectodermal dysplasia. A few days after birth she underwent her first surgery. Her mother and father have always tried to make her feel beautiful and equal to all the other children. However, as the little girl grew up she realized that there was something wrong with her. She saw it when she looked in her mirror, after her school friends had made fun of her all day, calling her cruelest names.
She never managed to make friends, despite being one of the best students in school. She lived in a bubble, where no one entered. She walked down the halls, while she heard the pointing fingers and laughter of the students. Ilka Brühl couldn't accept herself and when she became old enough, she decided to undergo a surgeryhoping to finally solve his problem.
As a child I often had eye infections because my tear duct was underdeveloped and headaches because my sinuses were very sensitive to moisture. But I have always been able to live with my symptoms. What made me suffer was something else entirely. When my mother took pictures of me, I tried to make ugly faces so she wouldn't hang them in the living room and I wouldn't have to see them. It was my way of avoiding everything. After the operation my appearance had not changed, I was not normal like all the other girls. It was then that I realized that beauty could not be created through surgery. So I started to accept myself. And when I did, I realized that people weren't avoiding me, I was avoiding them.
Ilka Brühl's life changed after her first photo shoot
In 2014, she decided to do a photoshoot. It was a way to accept yourself. But she couldn't reach the studio, every time she went back. She was afraid of being laughed at as soon as she opened that door. Then, she found courage and decided that that step would be the beginning of hers new life. And he was right!
Being in front of the camera made me understand that every flaw and every mistake is part of me. I just had to make the most of it. If you accept yourself, then you can shine from within. I decided not to undergo any more operations and to show myself for who I was. I approached people more openly and learned to like them. And I noticed: others don't move away from me at all, I move away from them! Today my life is wonderful.
Today Ilka Brühl got married and became a model for the whole world. She has published a podcast, through which she talks about how she handles her self-doubts and gives advice to all people like her. She also wrote a book: Differently Beautiful – How I Learned to Love Myself (Differently Beautiful – How I Learned to Love Myself).
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