Melanie Gaydos is suffering with a disease known as the Ectodermal Dysplasia since birth, her hair; teeth and skin are not properly developed due to this disease. According to Melanie people used to stare at her she was bullied as a child, she became depressed, suicidal and did not she will live beyond the age of 18.
“When I was about 16 I was really depressed and suicidal I didn’t really want to live - I didn’t think that I would be alive past the age of 18. “
But her life took a new turn when she moved to New York City four years back, when her modeling career started. It all began when she posed for her photographer boyfriend.
She found a new life as her career kick started
I ended up meeting and starting a lot of my fashion work based off of Craigslist because there were a lot of fashion photographers on there who were looking for models who didn’t have a stereotypical look. My very first professional job was with the band German heavy metal band Rammstein – that was a lot of fun.
In the beginning of her career she often got those looks, of other models staring at her because they were not used to anyone with such unconventional looks on the sets.
The 26-year-old added that:
“Other industry models typically don’t know what to make of me – they don’t understand why I am there”.
Despite her happiness at having a successful career her condition has never gotten easier to deal with
“A lot of people treat me differently - as though I was mentally challenged or inferior to them - in reality ectodermal dysplasia is a physical condition. Ectodermal Dysplasia means my pores are very small and I have very little body hair. I do grow a little bit of hair on top of my head, but I also have alopecia, which is a symptom of the condition”.
But she is happy with her career choice and hopes it inspires others who don’t have the typical look.
She thinks of herself as a fierce and fearless model
“When I’m Melanie the model I’m really fierce and fearless. I’m free to do whatever I feel when I’m in front of the camera – I can behave however I like”.
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