I Stumbled across Claudine when I was casually going through my Facebook timeline. A mutual friend of ours had shared a post where she had uploaded a beautiful picture of herself, with make-up on, smiling. It wasn't the scars she had that captivated me but rather the caption she had put. I stared at the post for a while, in awe at how confident and full of self-love she is.
We all have our own stories to tell, stories of physical, emotional or mental scars. Make no mistake, our scars do not define us but rather how we overcome them does. Inspired by Claudine's positive approach to her scars, I decided that I had to interview her for the blog. See, our scars do not have to be like claudines' - physical burn scars, perhaps we're battling with self-love because of the extra fat around our waist or because of the shade of your skin regardless, we can learn a lot from Claudine, her confidence & her self-love
⭐--FIVE FACTS ABOUT CLAUDINE--⭐
🎶🎶 : Soco by Wizkid - I'm a HUGE Nigerian music fan
👚👚: A pair of heels goes a long way 😹
🍰🍩: Dark Chocolate
🐐🐢: A bird,I'd love the freedom it has.
🎨🎨: Gold, it describes me 😎- Bright and Shiny
WHO IS CLAUDINE
Claudine is a burn victim but prefers being called a burn survivor, who had to adjust to being scarred at the age of 12 and found the courage and confidence to embrace her scars.
THE STORY BEHIND THE SCARS
"It all happened on the 3rd of June 2012 when South Africa was experiencing one of the worst things, 'Load shedding'. Being raised by my grandparents, they always had solutions for such so they used a kerestone stove."
"I've always helped my grandmother around the kitchen so I was familiar with the kerestone stove but this time around, I got too close and got burned. The fire started on my left arm, then my right arm, went to my chest and finally my face. I was hospitalised for 5 months."
How did you feel when the scars were still new? 👀
"Being outside for the first time was hard. I had to get used to the scars and the stares that goes along with them. I used to hide them with scarfs but people would stare even more, that's when I decided to start revealing my scars. When all the negativity started, I never let it get to me because I knew how I looked."
"Being outside for the first time was hard. I had to get used to the scars and the stares that goes along with them. I used to hide them with scarfs but people would stare even more, that's when I decided to start revealing my scars. When all the negativity started, I never let it get to me because I knew how I looked."
OVERCOMING HER INSECURITIES
"I overcame my insecurities by telling myself I'm beautiful on a daily basis and made the mirror my best friend. I was -and still am- always trying to find one thing that I love about myself."
"I didn't let people's comments get to me because I know every thing happens for a reason and my purpose in life is bigger than I can ever imagine."
"I overcame my insecurities by telling myself I'm beautiful on a daily basis and made the mirror my best friend. I was -and still am- always trying to find one thing that I love about myself."
"I didn't let people's comments get to me because I know every thing happens for a reason and my purpose in life is bigger than I can ever imagine."
How do you maintain positivity of yourself in a world that’s constantly setting beauty standards for women?
"I believe everyone should set their own beauty standards that they feel comfortable with because in that way you'll be happy with who you are. "
I truly believe I don't have to change a thing about myself because the moment I accept myself is the moment people accept me.
What do you love most about yourself?
"I've learned to wholeheartedly love the scars on my chest, my smile, nose and eyes.
HER MOTIVATION
"The person I see on my mirror everyday. The progress that I've made and person that I have become motivates me to be better."
HER GOALS
"My ultimate goal is to better myself and make it as a Model and TV star. I 'd also like to continue to share my story to inspire others."
What words of encouragement would impart to anyone dealing with insecurities of their own?
"Being confident with who you are reflects on other people. If you are confident, they'll have confidence in you too and once you accept yourself people will accept you too. "
Claudine's confidence and self-belief are the things i really love about her. She has used her situation & circumstance to empower and inspire other women, She did not choose to wallow in her sadness. She has a Facebook Page which she uses as her outlet to tell people about her story and to instill & encourage confidence to everyone who interacts on her page.
Very inspiring✊. I wish this could reach broken souls out there and help them gain back their confidence.
ReplyDeleteI'm very proud of this beautiful soul and indeed she's truly a strong magnificent lady. Proud Aunt and love you lot's
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful. So much inspiration...
ReplyDelete| http://mintyandgolden.com
Such an inspirational story�� Keep glowing and loving yourself baby girl ❤
ReplyDeleteI am so proud of you Claudine ,stay beautiful baby girl 😍😊🌷 .. I love you❤
ReplyDeleteI am so proud of you Claudine ,stay beautiful baby girl 😍😊🌷 .. I love you❤
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