Insecurities, doubts, judgments. We know it all, each and every one of us. Then again, it is a wonder why so many people face the ridicule they do every day. Our differences are judged, rather than praised. One woman with lymphedema has decided to overcome her own insecurities after being shamed for her giant leg for many years. Her method of self-love was becoming a model.
A model with lymphedema
23-year-old Mahogany Geter lives in Knoxville. You might b familiar with her from her Instagram page, or her YouTube channel because she has been going viral with her body positivity shoots. Mahogany was born with lymphedema, and it was formally diagnosed at a young age. This is a condition that causes fluid to gather in the body’s tissue resulting in painful swelling. For Mahogany, the lymphedema swelling is focused on her left side, and her leg has swollen to a proportionate size. In total, the excess fluid has added 7st to her total body weight.
Mahogany has grown up being bullied for her large leg. The nastiness she faced from her peers, and strangers online have caused a lot of Insecurities. “My mum was so worried when I was diagnosed but we have got through everything together,” said Mahogany. “As a child, I never felt pretty, I used to think God had cursed me. I felt ugly, like a freak of nature, and cried in private so many times.“
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Additionally, she was always the center of everyone’s gaze. Seeing her large leg was strange to them, and this made Mahogany sad. “I’ve been through a very depressed state because you’re a little kid and you have a bunch of grown adults staring at you,” She said.
Overcoming the bullies
The internet is a wild domain. There is nothing holding anyone back from commenting on their nasty opinions. One person asked her once, “Why don’t you amputate your leg, ‘it will look better.” She ended up making that the caption to a reaction video she posted on her Instagram page. She also explained that she has had many other hurtful comments aimed at her lymphedema. “I have had my fair share of ignorant comments, one person told me my leg looked like a ham roll and one girl at school called me a deformed b***h,” she said.
However, Mahogany said that she “had no choice” but to overcome this insecurity. “I decided that I was given this condition because I am emotionally strong and I can handle it. Since then I have been learning to accept and celebrate myself.” She then went on to say that she wishes to inspire others who also struggle with lymphedema, or different insecurities. “I want to inspire other people to celebrate their differences. I now believe I am beautiful on the inside and out. I’m proud of what my body can do.”
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Mahogany’s lymphedema support
Throughout her life, Mahogany had to overcome the mean things people would say. She found that her mother was always there for her, and she had support from a group of people with the same condition. “For the longest, I felt so low about myself but once I got older and with loads of support from the online lymphedema community and my mum who is my inspiration, she is so strong,” said Mahogany. “I realized how beautiful I am. Not only looks but as a person. It means I can try my best to inspire other people to accept themselves and see how beautiful they are.”
Her rise to fame
These days she has made quite the name for herself on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. She goes by lymph.goddess23, and she has over 8,000 followers. It all started when a photographer asked him to do a shoot with him.
He approached her while she was working at Walmart, and she decided to try it out. “I was like, ‘I’m getting older now, maybe it’s time I start putting my full body out there,’ and hopefully me doing that can help somebody else,” recalled Mahogany. All her shoots show off her uniqueness, and she hides nothing about her lymphedema from the camera lens.
Since then, she has become a YouTube star. One video was posted by a company called truly. they featured Mahogany, and the video was watched over 4 million times. Since her rise to social media fame, she has gained a lot of positive feedback. “Mainly, I’ve gotten a lot of positive responses, and the ones I like the most are that it helps people that also feel low about themselves.”
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Sources
- “Aspiring Knoxville model wants to spread message of body positivity in pictures.” Wbir. Katie Inman. March 31, 2021
- “Model, 23, says she won’t amputate leg even though it adds 7st to bodyweight. Mirror. Michelle Morgan Davies. May 21, 2021.
- “Woman Gets Trolled For Her 7 Stone Leg, But She’s ‘Proud’ Of How She Looks. Newsly.
