A young model born with a physical disability is proudly showing off her unique appearance in order to help boost the confidence of others like her.
Lyric Mariah Heard, 21, from Chicago, was born with Amniotic Band Syndrome, which occurs when a fetus becomes entangled in amniotic bands in the womb, restricting blood flow to the limbs and leading to deformities.
The rare birth defect left Lyric with only one foot and two disfigured hands.
True beauty: Chicago model Lyric Mariah Heard, 21, is trying to shake up the fashion world by proudly displaying her disability
Standing tall: The stunning Illinois native was born with Amniotic Band Syndrome
Ready to go: The birth defect left her with only one foot and two disfigured hands
Yet as she grew up, Lyric didn't let her disability hold her back from pursuing her dreams. In fact, she seems to be using it to fuel her fire.
'My appearance gave me a purpose and my modeling gave me a platform,' Lyric told Yahoo.
'Society has a way of making people feel lost and invisible, and unfortunately many people never shake that because it’s hard and it takes faith.'
As a child, she was frequently the target of cruel bullies over her appearance. But thanks to that hard work and faith, she was able to come into her own in high school and accept herself the way she is.
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Posing proud: Lyric was the target of bullies when she was a child over her appearance
Hitting back: Lyric revealed that she spent time learning to love herself when in high school
Looking ahead: Lyric explained that her appearance 'gave me a purpose and my modeling gave me a platform'
She added that she never understood the mindset of the bullies who came after her, saying: 'It’s not like they were the ones who had to walk around with a four-pound leg and their hands hidden in their pockets — that was me.'
The journey to self-love also helped Lyric develop a goal for her future: teaching others learn to love themselves, no matter their form.
'Self-love is the most important kind of love — all of your passions, all of your dreams, all of your aspirations will flourish when you truly love yourself, because then and only then can you succeed,' she said.
Reaching out: She hopes that her being proud of her looks and pursuing modelling will connect with others like her
Self-love selfies: Lyric has gained nearly 4,000 followers on Instagram
Telling it straight: Lyric tells her followers that self-love is something that needs to be found because 'only then can you succeed'
Her modelling work is gaining more and more attention as the calls grow to diversify in the fashion industry.
Many campaigns have been growing to include more models with disabilities, such as Nordstrom, whose ads have periodically included disabled models since 1991.
Some designers have even introduced disabled models on the Fashion Week runways in Tokyo, Moscow and New York City.
Earlier this summer, Zoe Proctor, 43, and Laura Johnson, 34, from Sheffield, South Yorkshire announced the debut of the first modelling agency in the UK to focus exclusively on models with physical and learning disabilities.
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