There is no question that what you are feeling is real, and something most of us have gone through. It's hard to realize that the surface-level ways in which we've evaluated others' beauty means that we feel self-critical about our own appearance.
This really bothered me for a long time, until I began to notice a pattern--when I was self-aware and shy about my Vitiligo, my interactions with others were unsatisfying; but when I started out with a smile, when I didn't let my appearance take away from my ability to connect with others, really good things started to happen. Not only did I find that my personality meant more to people than my skin condition, but I began to feel less badly myself about my appearance. I know that may be hard to believe based on where you are right now, but the ways in which Vitiligo has helped me to find myself mean that I'm not longer angry that I have it... and even am grateful.
There are so many interesting (and awful) ways in which we are conditioned in modern society to be consumers, that we are manipulated by images and ideas intended to get us to buy things that others make, to believe their stories about life and happiness so we will do and buy and act as they want. All of these methods (including a school system from which most students leave believing that they are not good enough or smart enough) diminish our sense of self in order to accomplish the purposes of others who profit from our feeling inadequate or powerless. I know this is going pretty deep, but I don't believe we should live our lives believing that others know better or look better--you and I and all of the rest of us are unique and valuable and believing anything less does not serve our own potential.
I demand to be treated with dignity. I am not my skin condition. There are people who can see past my skin, in the same way I can see past someone else's problems, and I seek them out. I declare my right to feel good about the person that I am. I will not make decisions or pursue goals based on believing that I am any less worthy because of a bizarre, random, potentially genetic disorder. When I traveled in India, I heard people say: I have Vitiligo (or whatever problem) because I did bad things in a past life. OK, maybe that story gives some peace about something they can't control, but it also is a story that allows others to believe that somehow some form of unworthiness is the cause of someone else's problems. I categorically reject that. I did nothing to cause my Vitiligo, and I refuse to live my life subservient to the ignorance of others.
Maybe a little more than you wanted to hear... but it helped me to write it down. By the way, I deleted a comment here in the thread (I can do that as the creator of this network) that was inappropriate. As a general reminder to anyone reading this, comments to anyone that demean or are sexually suggestive are NOT OK here and after warnings I will remove members who do not follow our code of conduct.
Besides, nobody does anything to cause vitiligo. It definitely has a huge genetic component (either inheritance or during DNA formation for any reason) that can be triggered by different ways.
Whatever behavior suggestions are, like reduce oxidative stress, avoid physical trauma/friction or even change lifestyle to slow down stress hormones are merely to try to overcome this predisposition and achieve full/partial repigmentation.
I understand you, because all people use to have these bad days. However, I think all people have something. Some like us have vitiligo, other have obesity and other continuous headaches. Anyone is perfect and at the same time all of us are perfect. The problem is when we see ourself different from others and we feel like weirdos, when really we are like all of them. And yes, we have vitiligo and we have white patches; and often we ashamed to teach these white paches. But we haven´t got nothing bad and at the same time we have much to offer, because I'm sure vitiligo has taught us a lot of things and helped us to develop many values. All the "bad" things have good things too, and often we forget to see these good things.
Happy day :-)
Robot > Ainara Iturbe ZumetaNovember 5, 2014 at 6:05pm
Replies
aww dont worry ! =) life is colorful so we are :)
Hanna:
There is no question that what you are feeling is real, and something most of us have gone through. It's hard to realize that the surface-level ways in which we've evaluated others' beauty means that we feel self-critical about our own appearance.
This really bothered me for a long time, until I began to notice a pattern--when I was self-aware and shy about my Vitiligo, my interactions with others were unsatisfying; but when I started out with a smile, when I didn't let my appearance take away from my ability to connect with others, really good things started to happen. Not only did I find that my personality meant more to people than my skin condition, but I began to feel less badly myself about my appearance. I know that may be hard to believe based on where you are right now, but the ways in which Vitiligo has helped me to find myself mean that I'm not longer angry that I have it... and even am grateful.
There are so many interesting (and awful) ways in which we are conditioned in modern society to be consumers, that we are manipulated by images and ideas intended to get us to buy things that others make, to believe their stories about life and happiness so we will do and buy and act as they want. All of these methods (including a school system from which most students leave believing that they are not good enough or smart enough) diminish our sense of self in order to accomplish the purposes of others who profit from our feeling inadequate or powerless. I know this is going pretty deep, but I don't believe we should live our lives believing that others know better or look better--you and I and all of the rest of us are unique and valuable and believing anything less does not serve our own potential.
I demand to be treated with dignity. I am not my skin condition. There are people who can see past my skin, in the same way I can see past someone else's problems, and I seek them out. I declare my right to feel good about the person that I am. I will not make decisions or pursue goals based on believing that I am any less worthy because of a bizarre, random, potentially genetic disorder. When I traveled in India, I heard people say: I have Vitiligo (or whatever problem) because I did bad things in a past life. OK, maybe that story gives some peace about something they can't control, but it also is a story that allows others to believe that somehow some form of unworthiness is the cause of someone else's problems. I categorically reject that. I did nothing to cause my Vitiligo, and I refuse to live my life subservient to the ignorance of others.
Maybe a little more than you wanted to hear... but it helped me to write it down. By the way, I deleted a comment here in the thread (I can do that as the creator of this network) that was inappropriate. As a general reminder to anyone reading this, comments to anyone that demean or are sexually suggestive are NOT OK here and after warnings I will remove members who do not follow our code of conduct.
It's totally true.
Besides, nobody does anything to cause vitiligo. It definitely has a huge genetic component (either inheritance or during DNA formation for any reason) that can be triggered by different ways.
Whatever behavior suggestions are, like reduce oxidative stress, avoid physical trauma/friction or even change lifestyle to slow down stress hormones are merely to try to overcome this predisposition and achieve full/partial repigmentation.
Steve's words are the real deal.
pfft, none of those 'beautiful girls' are as unique as you ;)
I understand you, because all people use to have these bad days. However, I think all people have something. Some like us have vitiligo, other have obesity and other continuous headaches. Anyone is perfect and at the same time all of us are perfect. The problem is when we see ourself different from others and we feel like weirdos, when really we are like all of them. And yes, we have vitiligo and we have white patches; and often we ashamed to teach these white paches. But we haven´t got nothing bad and at the same time we have much to offer, because I'm sure vitiligo has taught us a lot of things and helped us to develop many values. All the "bad" things have good things too, and often we forget to see these good things.
Happy day :-)
See Dr. Ben Kim's website (http://drbenkim.com/vitiligo-natural-management.htm).
Just a sip:
"...there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."
Hannah, I do understand your feelings, but are you following any treatment plan? Are you fighting for real?