A woman born with a rare genetic disorder has hit back at trolls who told her she was "too ugly" to upload her pictures to social media - but sharing a selfie every single day for a year.
Melissa Blake was born with Freeman Sheldon syndrome, a rare genetic bone and muscular disorder that the NHS says affects the appearance of the mouth, face, hands, and feet.
"In Freeman-Sheldon syndrome, the muscle fibres do not form properly so development is interrupted," the medical body explains.
The writer and activist from Illinois took to Twitter in September of last year to reveal that several trolls had told her that she "should be banned from posting photos" of herself because she is "too ugly".
Melissa's immediate response? To post three selfies at the same time.
And this is a tradition that the 39-year-old has continued throughout the year.
In an ed-op piece for Refinery29, Blake explained: "For the last year, I’ve followed the same routine every night before I go to sleep: I get out my phone, scroll through my photos, and post a selfie on social media."
In doing so, Blake says the ritual has brought her "comfort and happiness", and also taught her "plenty of lessons".
However, the habit was not born "from a place of comfort and happiness", as Melissa explains, it came about purely to defy internet trolls.
Blake writes:
"As a woman writer with a genetic bone and muscular disorder, who is also very active on the internet, I’m used to being called names like ‘blobfish’ and ‘whale,’ but there was one comment I just couldn’t shake.
"Someone said that I should be banned from posting photos of myself because I’m too ugly.
"The more I thought about it, the more I knew I wanted to respond in some way. Not directly to the person, but as a general statement."
Over the next 366 days (as 2020 was a leap year), Melissa shared a selfie with the world, alongside the hashtag #MyBestSelfie.
In some of the captions, she would discuss her disability in further detail and the effects it has on her day-to-day life, in others, she'd simply share a sweet message with her ever-growing fanbase.
"But there was one thing they all had in common," Melissa writes, "each selfie truly reflected my personality and who I was. Each was a celebration, and each carried a message."
Admittedly hesitant to how her selfies would be received, Blake was determined to "be seen" as a disabled woman, and uploaded each one "unapologetically".
Blake states that "so much of our culture is shaped and dictated by beauty standards", and that "our society makes it clear that disabilities are not considered beautiful or valuable."
But with each passing day and with every selfie uploaded, Melissa says she started to feel "more comfortable in [her] own body and discovered a freedom [she'd] never really felt before as a disabled woman."
Over the course of the year, other disabled people started sharing their own stories with Melissa - many of whom saying how they "identified" with her words.
Melissa writes:
"I’ve often felt very alone as a disabled person and for the first time, I was seeing the disability community taking our rightful place at society’s table.
"Finally, I was seeing people like me - people who weren’t ashamed of who they are - and it was one of the most glorious things I’ve ever experienced."
Blake concluded her article by stating that she has wondered if she should stop posting selfies, but is constantly reminded that the "selfies are for every single disabled person who continues to fight every single day".
Overall, Blake says that doing something so small - such as sharing a selfie on social media -can still have a huge impact on the world.
A truly incredible message from a truly incredible woman - and we hope Melissa continues to share her selfies!
To read Melissa's full article, click HERE.
