My photo went viral on Facebook for the wrong reason
A WOMAN with a heart shaped birthmark on her face who went viral in a meme has gone on a mission to defy her bullies.
A WOMAN with a heart shaped birthmark on her face who went viral in a meme has defied her bullies and now gives motivational talks.
Crystal Hodges, 24, 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.
After reading comments on the post, she realised people knew very little about her condition and went on a mission to educate others.
Now, two years on, she travels the US giving speeches about her story and Port Wine Stains.
Crystal, from Fresno, California, USA, said: “It was so shocking at first — I felt numb and couldn’t understand why a person would do that to me.
“By the time I found out about my face being turned into a meme it had already been online for a month and had gone viral to more than 30 million people.
“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.
“They chose my picture because I have a large birthmark that stretches across half of my face and is a reddish-purple colour, so is more noticeable.
“As more time went on, while I was frustrated, I knew I had to draw something positive out of what happened.
“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.
“I must have read around 30,000 comments and it was really interesting that most people didn’t understand what Port Wine Stains were.
“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.
“All of those things really spurred me on to educate others and since then I’ve gone on to give speeches.
“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.”
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 — despite harsh comments from strangers.
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.
“I’ve always loved it and personally think it’s like a mood ring as it changes colour dependent on what I’m wearing, the temperature and my mood.”
After fearing her birthmark may continue to grow she went back for more treatment, aged 18, but was met by confusions from friends who didn’t think she should continue treatment.
She said: “People started getting really mad, they told me I didn’t know how beautiful I was and that I never needed it — but after I explained to them it was to stop my birthmark from growing more they understood.
“A few months ago, I celebrated my 50th treatment by having a party, getting highlights in my hair to co-ordinate with my face and tried to make cookie faces with birthmarks on.”
