From the age of five until she was 16, Emmy Combs from Huntingtown, Maryland, USA, used to wear bandanas on her head in order to conceal the fact that she had the autoimmune disorder Alopecia. The trainee cosmetologist made the decision to stop wearing the scarves, and is now on a mission to motivate others to love themselves and embrace their flaws.
Emmy has struggled with the disorder since the age of two, but in May last year, the 17-year-old decided to stop hiding it. She says that she has always been a confident and outgoing individual, but her Alopecia would sometimes hold her back. The teenager admitted that taking the bandana off for the first time was terrifying, but that her close friends and family stuck by her.
Emmy taught herself how to use makeup in order to enhance her features and recreated the ones that she was missing - such as her eyebrows and eyelashes.
“I wore a bandana around my head from when I was about five years old until I was sixteen. In May 2017 I decided that needed to change and I was not going to wear it anymore,” said Emmy.
“It was time to try new things and I have always wanted to grow out of wearing bandanas. My friends and family pushed me to go through with it and I’m glad that they did.
“Even though it does not seem that hard to do, it was one of the hardest things that I have ever done. It was nerve wracking, but I had my friends and family by my side the entire time.
“I have always been a confident person to others and myself. I was at a very young age when it happened, however over the many years of growing up with it the reaction I usually get from people ranges from just curiosity and kind generous comments.
“Sometimes I will get an occasional rude sounding comment, however I have never let it get to me.”
Emmy uses her blog to share her makeup tutorials and she says that she is committed to helping others be confident with their appearance.
“I have learned over the past seventeen years of my life that you control how you want to live your life. You choose the lifestyle that makes you happy,” she said.
“I would suggest just live through positive thoughts and block out the negative ones. My goal in life is to inspire others and put a smile on your face every single day.
“Alopecia has taught me many things over the years. Confidence is the key to a happy and healthy lifestyle. I have learned that my differences from others make me who I am.
“I have learned that being different from others is a great thing not a bad one. I have chosen to express and share my story with the world hoping to inspire and help others love themselves for who they are.
“I hope others can learn from my stories and share some of their own as well. I hope you follow me on my journey to inspiring others to be confident in themselves and their appearance.”
Well done to Emmy for using her adversity to empower herself and help those who may be struggling with similar issues.
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