I’m Romeo and I acquired burns on my chest, neck and stomach when I was just less than one year old. As such, I’ve never known any different and my burns scarring is simply a part of who I am. However, that doesn’t mean it’s been an easy journey to accept myself.
I lacked confidence throughout my childhood. Feelings of nervousness and anxiety particularly cropped up during the warm summer months, when I felt more exposed. Sometimes people would stare, and I’d feel like I had to change my outfit to cover myself more.
Burns and scars are often used as signs of villainy on TV and in film, and that’s the message that I was absorbing as a child. Seeing a positive character who looked like me would have had such an impact.
This carried through into adulthood, where I would make sure I was covered up at work or in the early stages of relationships. I didn’t want people to stare or ask questions. I just wanted to be able to get on with my day without feeling ashamed of my appearance.
Spending my entire life hiding my skin was exhausting, and that led me to seek support from Changing Faces. As well as learning how to apply Skin Camouflage make-up, I also took part in several counselling sessions, which helped me better frame the way I view my visible difference. My practitioner was brilliant and made me feel so comfortable despite my initial misgivings.
I came away with a new level of confidence and I’m incredibly grateful for the support I received.
We have the power to shape how we view ourselves. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help if you need it.
Finding a safe space to talk about the emotional impact of having a visible difference is vital. Being able to accept your feelings, re-assess how you view yourself, and then adapt and move forward is key to finding your happiness. Everyone is different and none of us are perfect, but that’s okay. At the end of the day, all we can control is how we see ourselves, so let’s make sure our own thoughts serve us positively. Self-confidence is power.
I often wonder whether better representation of visible differences in the media would have enabled me to accept myself much sooner. Burns and scars are often used as signs of villainy on TV and in film, and that’s the message that I was absorbing as a child. Seeing a positive character who looked like me would have had such an impact.
That’s why I’ve decided to become the representation I want to see by becoming a model. I’d always wanted to be involved in the expressive arts, and modelling was an area I was interested in, as I knew it had the power to inspire others to put themselves out there exactly as they are.
Showing his burns was a huge step for Romeo
Modelling has forced me to be more vulnerable, and I even took part in a shoot without a shirt on. I could never have dreamed I’d be able to do that when I was younger.
We have the power to shape how we view ourselves. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help if you need it. Getting support from Changing Faces has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
