Melanie Gaydos has a genetic disorder called ectodermal dysplasia, which affects her pores, hair, teeth, and fingernails. She's also a high fashion model.
"When I go on a photo shoot, the other industry models don't know what to make of me," she says in an emotional new video for The What's Underneath Project. "They're usually like, 'What the fuck is this?' It's difficult for me in the fashion world; people think I'm a gimmick and that I'm just being exploited for my differences."
The What's Underneath Project interviews people about how they feel judged for their bodies as they gradually undress and show their bodies as they really are. By the end of her beautifully told story, Gaydos is in her underwear.
"I have thought how I would be if I was born without a cleft palate and with a full head of hair, and I think I would be really boring," she says. "Even though I've been through a lot, they're my experiences, and I like where everything has brought me today."
Watch her stunning video below:
http://youtu.be/sdvaTzWvbPA
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Emma Barker edits longform reporting at Cosmopolitan. She lives with her husband in Brooklyn, NY.
