The Face of Courage: Keloid Patient & Beauty Blogger Shares Her Body Love Journey
“Dare me to love my scars and continue to encourage others.”
In this new installment, we explore the #BodyLove journey of different women through a series of questions.
Name: Sarah Fremgen
Age: 29
What makes black women beautiful?
Sarah: Their resilience and their ability to overcome. I don't think I've seen anything more beautiful than the resilience and strength of a black woman. I mean, you've already got the incredible features, the hair, the melanin, the walk... throw in the ability to overcome almost anything and we are a force to be reckoned with. True beauty is authenticity, and black woman are so authentic in everyway. We have a beauty all our own!
What makes you uniquely beautiful?
Sarah: Probably being marked (keloids), it gives me a 3D/creature like quality that I have learned to love over time. I started noticing the keloids when I was about 14 years old, but I wasn't officially diagnosed until I was about 16. It was terrible timing, since puberty was pretty unmerciful to me. I was a very awkward lanky looking thing, and the scars were the icing on the cake to me at the time.
Share a time when you felt insecure about your body?
Sarah: Definitely in my teenage years. I think we all, no matter what we look like, battle through high school. It wasn’t just my face either. it was weight, height, hair, etc. I was unsure about everything. I was bullied in high school pretty bad, and I lived in a small town, so there wasn't much escaping long stares and dirty looks. It sent me into a pretty deep depression and I struggled with eating disorders and body dysmorphia, and for a short time, also struggled with thoughts of suicide. If it wasn't for close friends and family, and what I believe to be divine intervention, I would not be in the place that I am today! True breakthrough happened when I was about 21 years old. I realized I could either live in shame and embarrassment, or be a source of inspiration and hope!
What affirmations do you tell yourself when you feel insecure?
Sarah: I find beauty even in my weakest moments.