Zara Hartshorn is regularly bullied for her appearance. She's called a "monkey" and a "granny" by strangers, and it's all because of her age.
She was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called lipodystrophy. Only 2,000 people in the world have been diagnosed with it.
Lipodystrophy erases the fatty tissue beneath the skin. Because of this, Zara, who is only 13 years old, appears to be in her 40s.
While some women are praised for looking younger (like Nina Snelling), Zara is treated cruelly for looking older. Our society's obsession with people's appearances strikes again.
“I see saggy skin . . . It’s like I’m a young girl trapped in an old woman’s body,” she told the New York Post.
Her mom, Tracey also has the rare condition.
“When people see your face they judge you and I knew I was getting judged for what I looked like. I’ve had to put up with so much crap. I was never able to get a job and it does make you resentful sometimes,” Tracey told Mirror.
Tracey has seven daughters, three of whom have lipodystrophy.
"I lived in fear of being asked how old I was. I was even mistaken for a teacher in school on a couple of occasions, which was just mortifying in front of my classmates," Zara said.
After the video you're about to see was filmed, there was a bit of a happy ending: A plastic surgeon agreed to give Zara and her mom facelifts. The two are much happier now!
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