Lifestyle

Brave Woman With Crohn's Disease Won't Let Her Condition Keep Her From Being A Model (Photos)

by Katie Gonzalez
Stocksy

Models might think there's only one look that sells — a stoic "Blue Steel" stare, shoulder blades that could cut glass and super skinny limbs that have seemingly had inches shaved off thanks to Photoshop.

But one aspiring model is changing these preconceptions by showing that a flawless body isn't the requirement for being a beautiful person whose looks make a career.

Instead, 23-year-old Brit Bethany Townsend isn't trying to prove that her body is totally "perfect." She's showing that she accepted her figure and all her flaws by flaunting the colostomy bag she relies on as a result of her Crohn's disease.

Like many people suffering from Crohn's, Townsend uses a colostomy bag, attached to her body, to keep her digestive system functioning.

Although she said she always wanted to model, Townsend said she thought the bag, which she was fitted for in 2010, would prohibit her from having a real career in the industry.

But the brave Townsend posted a photo of herself online in a bikini, with the colostomy bag in clear view, and the image of the beautiful woman went viral. After receiving over nine million views and countless kind comments, Townsend said she's finally ready to follow her dream in front of the camera.

While Townsend's Internet fame might be providing her a new gig, she's also providing others with Crohn's disease a role model.

By showing how she's accepted her own body, medical condition and the lifesaving technology she wears each day, hopefully other sufferers will understand that an unfortunate medical diagnosis doesn't have to get in the way of dreams.

Photo Courtesy: Facebook