None of us are born with confidence. A lot of self-love and acceptance is needed to feel good about yourself. The strength comes from owning your body and inspiring people to do the same. That’s exactly what Hamna – an aspiring makeup artist from Islamabad – did and continues to do.
At a very young age, Hamna started to notice people that people saw her differently.
When you’re made to feel “different” as a child, it’s something that stays with you as you grow up.
“I was born on the 1st of July, 1998 in Karachi with a birthmark on the left side of my body,” recalls Hamna. “I can’t remember what my parents felt. All I know is that they love me and never treated me differently. Most of what I can remember from my childhood is going to a lot of doctors. People would always ask my parents about what went wrong with their child.”
Talking in detail about what she went through, here’s what Hamna shared:
“I went through many awfully painful laser treatments. But nothing worked. I had two major surgeries at the age of 17 where they leveledĀ the left side of my misshaped face. My teeth were extracted. I was on complete bed rest and that’s when I started to watch makeup tutorials. That’s how I developed my love for makeup.”
“I left school because of surgeries. I can’t find my way back to it, still. I’ll start my laser treatment soon, and then try to be a full time blogger or maybe in the future, a successful YouTuber,” says Hamna.
Hamna also shared how certain hurtful comments stung at the time, but she kept developing a thicker skin:
“We moved to Islamabad when I was 11. My father and I went to a school for admission. I gave a test and passed. The principal called us in his office and he said to my father that we want your daughter to cover her face (wear nikab) when she comes to school. My father asked, why? The principal said that we don’t want to scare the other kids.”
“The principal was talking as if I wasn’t even there in the room. I was watching this entire thing happening in front of my eyes. He wanted me to wear the nikab, forĀ 6 hours continuously so the other kids don’t get scared. I was so shocked by this. I was crying the whole time and the principal didn’t even care. That day, I just wanted to dig a hole there and hide. I just wanted to die. I cried all the way home after that. It still hurts.”
Having been bullied for her condition, Hamna feels very strongly about speaking up against the same:
“I don’t know how you can hurt someone and feel good about it. Everybody is the same, with the same heart and the same emotions.”
There were moments of strength and moments of weakness in her life. Hamna has felt discouraged many times. However, she has managed to pick herself up every time. Amidst traumatic experiencing, finding a passion to do what you love is what I would call true strength. Hamna is a testament to the very same.
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