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Initial Perception
Riswan - Traditional Scar
"I love my scar. It is my personal, legal and cultural identity. Placed on my face purposefully out of tradition."
Gen - Motorbike Accident
“At the start, I was always worried my scar would offend people as it was a horrible injury to see and my mum and dad could not look as it physically pained them. Now it's my favourite leg, it taught me so much as every day I feel infinite gratitude, I have a leg, I wear high heels, I don't have a limp, and I survived.”
Juan - Soccer Injury
"My injury has had no lasting emotional impact on my life. I really only think about it in winter when it hurts and reminds me of that night that I injured my arm."
Jen - Thyroid Cancer
“I know a lot of cancer survivors that say ‘it reminds me that I lived’, I would love to feel that way. I do have gratitude but for a while every time I saw it in the mirror it was a reminder of the cancer and the anxiety it caused. Every now and then I might try and conceal it, but day to day it doesn’t bother me as much as it used to."
Annissa - Skin Cancer
"It was very jarring as after all the surgeries I couldn’t look at myself at all in the mirror. I used to wear all these scarves around my head and I suppose now I’m covering them less but it’s interesting because people often don’t ask about the scars, you can just see them sort of glance and then look away quickly. I would honestly prefer if people asked rather than stare."
Layne - Accidental Cut
“The perception of my scar has changed pretty drastically over time. When I was small, and it was a prominent feature that took up most of my leg, people were usually curious how I had hurt myself so badly. Over time it’s faded along with people’s reactions.”
Maddie - Mental Health Scars
"People’s reactions to my scars have always varied; most say nothing and pretend not to notice, others will make assumptions about me because of them. Personally, I don’t notice them anymore, they’ve become part of me and I wouldn’t get rid of them even if I had the chance to. I was ashamed of them for a long time but have grown to accept that they’re a part of me and my experiences."
Sithara - Mental Health Scars
“My scars and I have a bit of a complex relationship. On a personal level, they a proud reminder of the pain that I went through and the strength it required to evolve into the person that I am today. However, I also often feel ashamed of my scars. This primarily comes from the looks of pity that my scars elicit from people who don’t understand the story behind them. Sometimes this even includes the people who are closest to me."
Caitlin - Knee Reconstruction
“People usually feel sorry for me once they learn the story behind the scars. The scars are a reminder of the physical and psychological challenges I've had to overcome since my surgery. Proof of my strength and determination to improve.”
Aysha - Cesarean Surgery
“My scars have affected my life in the way that I no longer feel comfortable or confident exposing my stomach. I don’t really have any reactions towards my scars, but this is purely because of the fact that I don’t allow anyone to see them.”
Monique - Cooking Burn
"I always seem to be burning myself these days and although the scars don’t bother me physically, lately I’ve been trying to work out why it keeps happening. My conclusion; I’ve got to learn to slow down in the kitchen and in life.
Emily - Mental Health Scars
“I’ve always felt like I’ve had to hide my scars and as it got worse they became more visible and I never felt like I could tell people as those who were open about it got bullied to no end. I ended up telling my parents and they were so supportive despite being taken aback by it all. Since then I’ve gotten better at accepting them.”
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