Young girl was born with rare facial defect – now she’s breaking beauty standards with her modelling career

she saw me in real life,” she wrote.

“Being in front of the camera has shown me: Every defect and every mistake is a part of you, and that’s okay too. You just have to make the most of it,” she added.

Ilka had a nose job when she was 20 years old. Ilka initially believed the procedure would finally give her the guts to embrace herself, however it was largely for medical reasons.

After the surgery, though, things went a different way.

“If you accept yourself, then you can shine from within”

“As soon as the wounds had healed, I noticed the next blemish. At that moment I realized: Beauty cannot be created on the operating table,” Ilka mentioned.

“For me, [beauty] is all about appearance. If you accept yourself, then you can shine from within and that’s nicer than the most perfect person who doesn’t like themselves.”

Ilka understood there were other things she could do instead of modifying her appearance through additional procedures. It was more important for her to learn to accept herself than for others to view her as a “normal” person.

“I approached people more openly and learned to like myself. And noticed: The others don’t withdraw from me at all, I withdraw from them!”

Ilka was aware of her “odd” appearance, but this was not a bad thing. She preferred to value her peculiarities. The woman, who was born in Germany, wanted to share her hardships and life experiences because she recognized she might help people accept themselves for who they are.

So Brühl published a podcast about how she deals with self-doubt. She also offers advice on how to love oneself more. Even her book, Differently Beautiful – How I Learned to Love Myself, has been released.

Project Grenzenlos, which translates to Project Limitless, was founded by her and a few pals in 2018. The goal of the campaign is to draw attention to the beauty of those who deal with physical disabilities and other deformities. It fits Ilka Brühl’s definition of beauty, in her opinion.

Ilka Brühl today – pictures

On Instagram, she wrote: “I think EVERYBODY is beautiful in his own way,. I often read comments like ‘You are not pretty just because you’re different,’ [and] that’s totally right! I am pretty because EVERYBODY is pretty. Never mind if you are a classic beauty, tall, small, stout, thin, black, white.”

Ilka shares her story, as well as insights into her life, through her blog and on Instagram. Recently, she’s worked on a children’s book, and on a