‘My photo went viral on Facebook for the wrong reason’: Woman with heart-shaped birthmark on face defies bullies, becomes motivational speaker
Crystal Hodges was horrified when she discovered the meme which attracted more than 256,000 likes
A WOMAN with a heart-shaped birthmark on her face has defied her bullies and now gives motivational talks after a photo of her was used in a viral meme.
Crystal Hodges, from Fresno, California, was horrified when she discovered her picture had been turned into a meme — drawing more than 30,000 comments.
The photograph, taken from her personal blog, showed the large purple birthmark that stretches across more than half of her face in the shape of a heart.
Since birth she’s had 50 laser treatments to halt the growth and lessen the colouring of her Port Wine Stain - a reddish mark caused by a collection of blood vessels under the skin that also cause damage to the eye and migraines.
The post, which attracted more than 256,000 likes, read: “1 Like = Beautiful”.
Crystal, who was shocked her image had been used without permission, desperately tried to get it taken down but found as quickly as one vanished another appeared.
The 24-year-old said: “I felt numb and couldn’t understand why a person would do that to me.
“The person who uploaded my picture without permission was trying to use my Port Wine Stain to get more followers to their page, my condition was used for their publicity.
“Because there was nothing to explain my experiences of having a birthmark I felt really misunderstood — I was just being used as a viral post.
“They used my picture to tell ‘a thousand words’ but didn’t include anything about me, birthmarks or the fact I actually think Port Wine Stains are really unique and beautiful."
Related Stories
After reading comments on the post, she realised people knew very little about her condition and went on a mission to educate others.
“As more time went on, while I was frustrated, I knew I had to draw something positive out of what happened," she recalled.
“My mum made me feel a little better by joking that she was jealous as she didn’t have a face that could go viral.
“Some of the commenters thought I asked the page to share my picture for attention to make me feel beautiful, which was ridiculous.
“The worst comments accused me of faking my birthmark and saying that I’d used face paint to create it."
Crystal started treatment for her Port Wine Stain when she was just a baby, after her parents James and Rhonda Hodges feared she would be find it hard to make friends, affect her ability to get a job and that she would be bullied because of her birthmark.
But at the age of 11 she decided she was happy with the marking on her face and that she didn’t want to hide it after 30 laser treatments.
She added: “When I was growing up people were quite cruel, they’d always stare and parents would act like I had something contagious.
“Over time I got the point where I was happy with how I looked and didn’t want to hide my birthmark or have the painful treatment."
Now, two years since the viral post was published, she travels the US giving speeches and presentations about her story and Port Wine Stains.
Crystal, who still gets treatment to stop her birthmark from growing, said: “I start with my face covered in make-up and then slowly remove it throughout my talks to reveal my birthmark.
“Now I feel like I’m a lot stronger for my picture being turned into a meme and I just wish other people could see the beauty in birthmarks, like me.”
She added: "I always wanted to be a public speaker and so knowing I can use that to inform people about Port Wine Stains feels incredible."