Ilka Brühl is only 26, but she's already shattering traditional beauty standards. Born with a facial cleft that required many operations, she's proving that beauty isn't solely defined by perfectionism often seen in magazines.
On her website, she explains that social media apps like Instagram pressure people to try and cultivate a "perfect" life. "What you forget so quickly is that these are only selected snapshots that are shown to us," Brühl said.
"It's not just the operations that helped me look more confident in the mirror, but [my] inner attitude," she told Project Grenzenlos. "There is only one way to be ugly: by having an ugly character. No one has to hide their appearance!"
Back in 2014, Brühl had her first photoshoot with Ines Rehberger that quickly lead to more. She explains that it was a form of "self-therapy [that] gradually changed to the intent to help others."
Brühl's main mission is to help others find a healthy self-esteem, because everyone deserves a happy life.
BuzzFeed has reached out to Ilka Brühl for comment.
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