Cleft Lip / Palate Support Group
Cleft is a congenital deformity caused by a failure in facial development during gestation. It can be treated with surgery shortly after birth with highly successful results. Cleft occurs in somewhere between one in 600 and one in 800 births. Cleft occurs in several severities and is divided in two major categories: cleft lip and cleft palate.
Hi, I was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate and in the past 21 years that I've been on this planet, I've never considered reaching out to others who were born with our condition until now. I'm positive that our experiences, as well as perspectives, on living with this condition set us apart from one another and unite us. I am here because I would like to know more about our community.
I am currently attending community college to earn my applied science associates in graphic design. In one of my courses that I’m taking currently, computer art, we have been assigned with the task of creating a self-portrait while utilizing Photoshop. Not to sound vain, but I enjoy pouring myself into my art. Now, don't take this statement to face value (honk honk) what I mean is that I let my love of wildlife be known, that is my primary focus for the majority of my pieces. While I will be combining some of these aspects.
I know that not everyone has the resources to be able to get surgeries to help alleviate some of the issues that others might be facing but I want to show how that being born with a cleft lip can be beautiful and it should not be seen as something to look down on.
Which brings me to the question, with there being such a huge emphasis on appearance here in America, is there a stigma against being born with a cleft lip? I understand that some of the surgeries that we go through have a concrete function rather than just being cosmetic related reasons. Although sometimes they very well be a mix of the two. For me personally, I wasn't really bullied for my appearances when I was younger, luckily I was just met with blunt curiosity. But as I gradually went through the surgeries that really changed me, that is when there was a greater emphasis on looks. The general responses from family were intended to be positive but it felt weird. I fully accepted who I was and how I looked when I was younger luckily I was just met with blunt curiosity. But as I gradually went through the surgeries that really changed me, that is when there was a greater emphasis on my look. The general responses from family were intended to be positive but it felt weird. I fully accepted who I was and how I looked when I was younger and to be told things like "You're so beautiful NOW!"
Maybe this is all in my head, but that's just how I've lived through this. It's currently 2 am as I'm writing this so I'm sure I have more I can elaborate later on. But I'd just like to know what all of your feelings are regarding your life experiences and how you guys view things on these matters. Maybe once I complete the portrait project I'll post it here for you guys to see.
Thanks for reading if you made it this far, I can't wait to read what you guys have to say!
Got to go now, thanks again for joining. :)
But it seems that DailyStrength needs to work on their notifications.
Ooo, I'll have to look into those figures, thanks for the recommendations!
Again, can't write for long (hope to get this internet thing resolved soon). So, I have been interested in the question of what cleft stigma there actually is for quite some time. It's still hard to put into words... Cleft is normal for me, to see in the mirror and know the history of the prolonged treatment process of the initial birth defect that created it. However, it is NOT normal to most people, which seems to be to create a dynamic where I feel a subtle pressure to pretend for others' sake that my cleft palate is all but nonexistent and totally inconsequential. The experience of wanting to "own" this part of my life history and identity in a world in which most efforts to do so seem to be met with awkward aversions is something that I have never really gotten used to. And, I don't really want to. As you say, there is a beauty to be discovered in it. (I wrote more about this in a piece shared in my journal here called "Phantom of the Social Opera").
Laptop's about to go dead, now. I liked the Instagram clip of your project shared in the other post. Your approach to lipstick there reminded me of a little double mustache I used to have in the Navy, trying to make my scars part of it. Not to hide, just to express myself. I thought it made my cheekbones look longer, too. Kind of a smoke-and-mirrors thing, but it's no different from what millions of people do everyday with their personal routine.