The word “flawless” has a positive connotation in modern society, especially in regards to beauty. Everyone wants flawless hair, flawless skin, and flawless bodies. Yet, what happens when a flaw is what makes you beautiful?
That’s when you become exceptional.
For instance, take someone like Talli Osborne. She was born without arms and certain bones in her legs. Her petite and unique stature did not fit "flawlessly" into society’s cookie-cutter standards of beauty, and she was often bullied because of this. Yet, it didn’t stop her inner beauty from shining through. She embraced her dissimilarities and now boldly fronts a band, strides down runways in local fashion shows, and tours the country giving motivational speeches. She has made it her life’s work to challenge our perceptions of ideal beauty — and what’s more beautiful than that?
Cassandra Naud, a 22-year-old professional dancer, is a lot like Talli. She was born with a very noticeable difference. Cassandra was teased endlessly about it when she was a little girl and begged her parents to help her get rid of what made her distinctive. Instead, they taught their daughter to embrace it.
The result?
A flawless woman on the inside and out…
Cassandra was born with a large birthmark covered in hair under her right eye.
Her birthmark is in fact under her right eye, but sometimes it's appears switched in the photos below because the photo was either taken in a mirror or flipped through her camera phone due to a selfie.
She was bullied endlessly for it by other kids.
“Their cruel remarks were hard to deal with and I’d often fight back tears. I felt ugly — even if only for that moment,” she said.
Yet her parents weren’t confident removing it. “My birthmark sunk through several layers of skin, plastic surgery was the only option for removal,” she told the Daily Mail.
"Doctors gave my parents a choice, warning them there could be scarring or I could be left with a lazy eye.”
Instead, her parents taught her to embrace her difference. Now, as an adult, Cassandra refuses to get surgery.
She says that she appreciates her unique appearance and that it helps her stand out in her field as a dancer.
“My birthmark is a huge part of me. It makes me unique and memorable, which is especially important for the career I’ve chosen.”
Her rare beauty sure hasn’t hindered her in the area of love. She has found happiness with boyfriend, Patrick Cook.
"The best thing in life is finding someone who knows your flaws, your mistakes and your weaknesses and still think you're completely amazing," she wrote on Twitter.
Yet there are those who have told her to change.
“I don’t often face prejudice, but one agent told me to Photoshop my birthmark out of my head shots”
“Wanting to please, I agreed at first, despite feeling shocked they’d asked. But then I changed my mind.”
“Having a birthmark distinguishes me — and I don’t feel that it has ever held me back.”
“Times are changing, so don’t worry about looking normal. Don’t let bullies stop you and be proud of your uniqueness.”
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