Cor recently launched our #DifferentIsNormal campaign to get everybody talking about their differences. Cor knew when she woke up from surgery, having lost her hands and lower legs, that she was ‘different’. What she has come to realise is that difference should be embraced. Her ‘normal’ isn’t the same as the next person’s, and she realised this by openly talking about her insecurities and realising that everyone has some of their own.
We too often strive for perfection online. We talk about the good days but not the bad. We are all different, so different is normal. We all have insecurities that we keep inside. We asked you all to post about your insecurities, whether it’s mental or physical with #DifferentIsNormal and a picture relating to it and you did just that and we thank you for it. Please keep on posting and ask your friends to post, let’s make social media a more open and honest place and get rid of the stigma of being different. You can read a few of those fantastic posts below.
Keeley – “A few years ago Keeley had quite a stressful experience that impacted on Keeley’s confidence and swimming at her local pool. This was pretty much down to different not being normal. So we are embracing the new Finding Your Feet Amputee Charity campaign. They are trying to encourage people to make social media more honest, less perfect and much more positive. #differentisnormal”
Charlie – “We’re all different in our own individual ways, it can be lonely not feeling yourself and not believe that you can fit In. Why can’t the world be more accepting, it should not matter what you have wrong with you. And people should see people for who they are.
I have been disabled since birth due to a rare genetic condition-cowdens syndrome causing my nerves to crumble away and have lumps all over my body making walking difficult. I have had over 25 operations on my right forearm and now it’s basically non-functional myself and my doctors have decided on having it amputated. I see this as a fresh start, not a barrier I have had brilliant help from my friends at Finding Your Feet I have had bullying all my life but I got through those situations and I’m moving on with life, so many positive things ahead In 2019. I don’t care what people think I am Charlie and proud to be different”
Paul – “We’re all different, be it on the outside or the inside. We have all felt insecure, lonely, and left out at times, it’s normal. Why shouldn’t we move to a place where we can be more accepting and embrace each other’s differences instead of judging each other for them? So I’ll kick-start it by talking about my own insecurities.
I’ll go with the obvious first, I ain’t got legs! I get stared at A LOT when I’m going about my day to day things. This made me feel super insecure when I was just starting to use my prosthetics. I would trip all the time and have fallen over a few times in public. I’d try my best not to though, not cause I was scared of hurting myself, but because I was scared of being judged for it. For people laughing at me or thinking I “couldn’t do it”. I knew people were watching me so it was like an added pressure in my mind to walk well and show I can do it. Thankfully these days I’m more thick-skinned and used to it. I couldn’t give a toss about being judged most of the time. But if I’m in a shit mood, I don’t appreciate getting gawked at while I’m just trying to get through the day. But it is something I need to live with and I can’t hide it, not that I would want to anymore. I’ve managed to find peace in embracing my differences”
#DifferentIsNormal
