I suppose what I'm trying to communicate in the thread title is that many of us have physical imperfections which might normally be viewed as something negative. However, I believe that these imperfections are something to be accepted and made into something positive. I am making this thread as someone born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate (essentially no upper lip at all) who at times takes a ride on the self-pity train due to the fact that despite many, many surgeries, I still look a good deal different from my peers.
All of these surgeries have left a multitude of scars on my body that will be there for the rest of my life. Rather than paint these scars as ugly, though, I'd rather think of them as making me unique in a world of interesting and diverse people.
One of my scars is located on my right hip, where bone was taken to use to fill gaps in my upper jaw caused by the whole cleft lip/palate issue. I've also recently gained a smaller scar on my left hip from a similar surgery. I also have scars behind both of my ears. One is small and is there because skin behind my ear was used as a substitute of sorts for the skin that should have been my upper lip (this has since been fixed by another surgery a year ago but there are now two distinct scars on my upper lip as well). The other ear scar is behind my right ear and seems to be quite large, even if I can't see it. I also have a small scar on my forehead unrelated to any surgery, gained when I was 3 or so years old by running into a chain link fence...for some reason.
Anyways, what I would like to know is: what physical imperfections do you all have that you try to turn into something that defines you? It could be something small from a small scar to a condition that has affected you for a long period of time. Or just defining features, I suppose. I guess I just took the "scars and defects" route. But feel free to just describe a unique feature if you can't think of anything else!
All of these surgeries have left a multitude of scars on my body that will be there for the rest of my life. Rather than paint these scars as ugly, though, I'd rather think of them as making me unique in a world of interesting and diverse people.
One of my scars is located on my right hip, where bone was taken to use to fill gaps in my upper jaw caused by the whole cleft lip/palate issue. I've also recently gained a smaller scar on my left hip from a similar surgery. I also have scars behind both of my ears. One is small and is there because skin behind my ear was used as a substitute of sorts for the skin that should have been my upper lip (this has since been fixed by another surgery a year ago but there are now two distinct scars on my upper lip as well). The other ear scar is behind my right ear and seems to be quite large, even if I can't see it. I also have a small scar on my forehead unrelated to any surgery, gained when I was 3 or so years old by running into a chain link fence...for some reason.
Anyways, what I would like to know is: what physical imperfections do you all have that you try to turn into something that defines you? It could be something small from a small scar to a condition that has affected you for a long period of time. Or just defining features, I suppose. I guess I just took the "scars and defects" route. But feel free to just describe a unique feature if you can't think of anything else!
