Susannah Temko, 24
I found out I was intersex a couple of months after I had finished chemo. I had just turned 16. Initially, I had a panic attack, because it just threw everything I thought I knew about myself into the air. There was nothing to tell me what it meant.
It means I have XY chromosomes and streak gonads (which were removed), which is when the organs aren’t ovaries, and they’re not testes either.
I identify as female, but I just got this idea in my head that I wasn’t a proper woman. It was miserable. At 18, I became clinically depressed and, at one point, suicidal. I developed a really serious eating disorder. I felt I had to be like a Victoria’s Secret model – that I had to be ultra-feminine and gorgeous, striving for what I thought was perfection. I couldn’t leave the house without a full face of make-up.
Starting to write my blog was a turning point. It was about cancer, and the message I kept putting across was that there is nothing wrong with having a disease; you shouldn’t be ashamed about having a body that is ill – everyone is strong and beautiful.
Just over a year ago I finally wrote a blog post about being intersex. I nearly threw up as I hit publish, because about 5,000 people would read the post, but it was the most freeing thing. Ever since, I’ve been so open about it and I came to the realisation that if people have a problem with it, it’s them, not me.
I feel stronger, though I don’t feel perfect in any way. I still have days when I look in the mirror, and I wish my face wasn’t shaped a certain way. But before there was a voice, a critic in my head, that was loud and it just drowned everything else out. Now I can tell the critic voice to be quiet.
YOUR DAILY DOSE OF DOVE LOVE
I have accomplished things that I am proud of and that is what gives me my confidence and my beauty."
YOUR DAILY DOSE OF DOVE LOVE
You aren’t meant to fade into the background."
YOUR DAILY DOSE OF DOVE LOVE
Your worth has nothing to do with your weight."
YOUR DAILY DOSE OF DOVE LOVE
It was only when I realized that what makes you different and unique also makes you beautiful, that’s when my confidence grew."
YOUR DAILY DOSE OF DOVE LOVE
My beauty routine starts with embracing my own natural beauty and its uniqueness."
YOUR DAILY DOSE OF DOVE LOVE
Real beauty to me means challenging yourself to do the things you can’t and showing yourself kindness along the way."
YOUR DAILY DOSE OF DOVE LOVE
I have stopped trying so hard to fit in - my beautiful personality is written all over my face and that’s the only beauty I need."
YOUR DAILY DOSE OF DOVE LOVE
I learned that beauty is from the heart, it’s all about kindness."
YOUR DAILY DOSE OF DOVE LOVE
I don't often see dark skin in the media, and skin conditions even less so. I want everyone to see that being a Black woman with vitiligo is a source of resilience and pride."
YOUR DAILY DOSE OF DOVE LOVE
Growing up as a transgender woman, I was pressured to change who I was to fit others' ideas about who a woman should be. Now I'm representing myself and my beauty on my own terms."
YOUR DAILY DOSE OF DOVE LOVE
I want to shatter the stereotype that I need breasts to look like a woman. Choosing to live flat after my mastectomy has made be stronger and more confidenand that's truly beautiful."
YOUR DAILY DOSE OF DOVE LOVE
I've carried three babies in this belly, and earned every grey hair. I want all mothers to see that their bodies are perfect just the way they are."
YOUR DAILY DOSE OF DOVE LOVE
There's a lot of pressure for women to 'act their age'. I want to show that aging means continually growing and experiencing life beautifully."
YOUR DAILY DOSE OF DOVE LOVE
Femininity is often depicted as a formula - cut your hair like this, wear that. To me, it's about loving yourself fearlessly for who you are."
YOUR DAILY DOSE OF DOVE LOVE
Growing up, I never saw women wearing hijabs in media & advertising. Now girls can see me, achieving my career goals and defining beauty on my own terms."
YOUR DAILY DOSE OF DOVE LOVE
I grew up surrounded by narrow ideas about how a woman should look and what she could be. I’ve overcome those limits and make no apologies for embracing my ambition and my natural beauty."
YOUR DAILY DOSE OF DOVE LOVE
I'm not worried about fitting into anyone else's ideas of beauty. As a brown-skinned multi-media creator, I want to redefine beauty to include all of us in the melanin pride community."
YOUR DAILY DOSE OF DOVE LOVE
Women with Alopecia often feel that baldness will hold them back from realizing their full personal and professional potential. Showing the beauty of bald women helps open doors for us to opportunities that others take for granted."